Page 15 of Keeping a Warrior

Devon rolled her eyes. “Sure. Seven-on-one is such great odds.”

“Piece of cake.” Rhys eased gingerly from the van, one arm wrapped around his aching ribs. “I deserved it, though.”

“What’d you do?”

Side by side, they ambled toward the little store as Rhys told her about the bar fight.

“I dished it out, so they were seeing if I can also take it.” He grinned. “Team building at its finest.”

Inside the store, the lone clerk behind the counter had a shell-shocked look on her face as sixteen loud, obnoxious men swarmed around her like ants.

“You with these guys, honey?” she called to Devon, who nodded. “What are they, some kind of sports team?”

Rhys bit his lip against a smile, wondering what kind of cover story she’d come up with. Smudge propped his arm on Rhys’s shoulder as he gulped down a Coke. He leaned down to belch loudly in Rhys’s ear.

“Jesus.” Rhys waved away the fumes. “Can’t take you anywhere.” He turned his attention back to the counter just in time to see the woman clap her hand over her mouth.

“Really? You get to see that?”

“Every day,” Devon confirmed. “But, you know, you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ’em all. It’s not that awesome.”

The cashier snorted. “You got that right, honey. I only have one to deal with, and that’s more than enough.”

Devon grabbed up her candy bar and energy drink, and sauntered past Smudge and Rhys with a sly wink. As she did, Smudge reached out and grabbed her elbow. “What did you tell—”

He didn’t even get to the end of the sentence before Devon wrenched away, the unopened can crashing to the floor. Her now-free hand went to the small of her back. Rhys and Smudge froze before the intensity of her glare.

Smudge’s hand still hovered in the air, and he lowered it slowly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have touched you like that.”

Devon made a visible effort to relax. “It’s okay.” Her voice was tight. “Just startled me, that’s all.” When she bent to retrieve her can, the back of her T-shirt rode up slightly, revealing a tiny slice of leather. With a quirk of her lips that didn’t come anywhere close to reaching her eyes, Devon said, “I think I’m just a little on edge after that van brawl. Sorry.”

She turned and walked away.

As she did, Rhys elbowed Smudge. “She’s wearing a concealed knife. Saw the sheath.”

And she was going for it. Instantly. No hesitation.

“Ah.” Smudge ran his hand over his bare skull, his gaze following Devon out the door. “Well, the lady must have her reasons. That was totally my bad.”

Mullet raised his voice to be heard over the din. “Let’s mount up, people. Pay for your shit and let’s go.”

A headache still lurked at the base of Rhys’s skull, so he bought a single-dose pack of ibuprofen and washed the pills down with a Dr. Pepper, welcoming the caffeine and sugar hit. Out at the van, Devon was already ensconced in the driver’s seat.

Rhys pulled open the passenger door. “You mind?” Even though the guys were tired and would probably sleep the rest of the way, Rhys still didn’t trust them not to fuck with him.

Her lips tight, Devon glanced at him. “No.”

With a groan, he hauled himself inside and fastened his seat belt. He kicked his legs out in front of him and leaned back with a sigh. “Thanks.”

It was about a six-hour drive from San Diego to their destination somewhere on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. Rhys fully intended to try to sleep, but he found himself watching Devon’s profile through slitted eyes instead.

They all traveled in civilian clothes, so Devon’s thick brown hair was down around her shoulders, and she’d paired her T-shirt with soft, worn jeans. Her face, contoured by the glow of the dashboard lights, held a more relaxed expression, the pinched look all but gone.

She was tapping her fingernails on the steering wheel absently, and Rhys was surprised to see they were done in elegant French tips. His gaze traveled down her tanned, lightly muscled arms. On her left wrist she wore a chunky G-Shock watch; on her right, a couple of jangly bracelets.

Her full lips shone with a light pink gloss, and she had the tiniest of gold hoops in her ears.

She’s really pretty.