him, did he have to antagonize them? Molly flashed him an evil look. “You’re not helping.”
Dare shrugged.
So he resented their intrusion—she got that. He didn’t understand the closeness that she and Natalie shared. But she wanted her sister to know him as well as she did.
She wanted Natalie to like Dare and to understand everything he’d done for her.
Jett watched Dare with that piercing black gaze. “To be able to distinguish Natalie and me apart so quickly, you’d have to have special training.”
“You could say that.” Dare continued his visual analysis of Jett. “What do you know of it?”
Jett stared right back. “Enough, obviously.”
The pissing contest was ludicrous. For heaven’s sake, it was the middle of the night and they were all rattled. Holding the blanket together one-handed, Molly shoved her hair away from her face and let out a huff.
“Dare. Be nice.”
Both Natalie and Jett looked at her like she was nuts for trying to dictate to him. Natalie whispered, “Is it wise to talk to a bodyguard that way?”
Molly rolled her eyes. “He’s not really a bodyguard. Well, he is, I guess. But he’s more than that, too.”
“More?” Natalie asked. Jett just raised a brow.
Giving up, Molly looked at Dare for help. “I have no idea how to explain all this.”
“I can see that.” Finally Dare gave up his dark and broody mood. “If you don’t want me to shoot either of them, then I guess we have a lot of talking to do.” He stowed the gun at the small of his back.
“M.O.B. holster?” Jett asked.
Molly didn’t understand until Dare explained to her. “Middle of the back.” And then to Jett: “My gun stays with me.”
If Natalie’s eyes got any wider, they’d fall out of her head.
Dare wasn’t wearing a shirt, so he couldn’t pull it over the gun to hide it. Not that he seemed bothered by that.
“It’s late, and Molly and I missed dinner.”
Hearing him say that, knowing why they’d missed dinner, made a flush of heat go over her. Luckily her sister didn’t notice; Dare held all her attention.
“After her ordeal, she’s still getting her strength back, so she needs to eat. But she doesn’t have a lot here in the way of groceries.” Casting accusation on Molly, he added, “This place has piss-poor security, especially with windows that don’t lock and that damned invitation they call a fire escape.”
Because Dare currently looked more like a hired assassin than a domesticated man, Molly said, “Dare’s really good in the kitchen.” Then, being truthful, she added, “Actually, he’s really good at everything.”
“Everything?” Natalie asked, and she sounded strangled.
Jett coughed.
Dare’s mouth lifted in the slightest of smiles. “Glad you think so.” No one could misunderstand his look of intimacy.
Natalie did a double take. As she took in Dare’s size and physique from head to toes, her lips parted.
Lacking subtlety, she turned to Molly to mouth, Oh, my God.
Jett frowned at her, then hauled her into his side.
Dare didn’t miss any of it, but he chose not to say anything. “Maybe we can order up some pizza and colas to be delivered? That’d probably be easiest.”
“No delivery this time of night.” Jett gave it some thought. “There is a quickie-mart station around the corner that’s open twenty-four hours. They’ll throw a pizza in fresh for you.”
“I’ve had it.” Molly didn’t realize how hungry she was until they started talking about food. “It’s good.”
Testing the waters, Jett said to Dare, “Don’t worry. I’ll stay here with the women while you go.”
Dare did that strange thing where he looked bigger and stronger without really moving. “Not a chance.” The quietness of his reply made it all the more lethal.
Jett’s smile looked mean. “Still don’t trust me, huh?”
“Hell, no.”
Natalie shared a look with Molly. “He seriously doesn’t trust Jett?”
Dare answered for her. “How long have you known him?”
When Natalie clammed up, Jett hugged her. “That sort of depends on your definition of knowing.”
Through her teeth, Natalie said, “Don’t you dare, Jett. I mean it.”
Unsure what that was about, but sensing her sister’s embarrassment, Molly intervened. “Dare, relax. If Natalie says he’s fine, then he’s fine.”
Dare gave her a look. “When it comes to your safety, I say when it’s fine, remember?”
Molly bit her lip. She had promised to trust him on this.
Jett stood only a few inches shorter than Dare, which still put him over six feet tall. Broad-shouldered and lean, he had that same capable aura that Dare had, but maybe without Dare’s edge.
Insulted, he moved to stand right in front of Dare. “I’m not leaving Natalie here with you. Hell, for all I know, you could be the one who set up the kidnapping.”
Before Molly could react to that, Dare muttered, “Hell.” Resignation sharpened his expression, and he loosened his stance. “You’re a cop?”
Surprised by the question, Jett hedged a little. “I used to be. Why?”
Rolling his eyes, Dare said to Molly, “Told you I’d be the first suspect.”
“He did,” Molly agreed, backing him up and hoping that put an end to the hostilities. “We didn’t call the police immediately because Dare said he was the first one they’d look at, and their investigation might alert the real perpetrator.”
“Happens sometimes,” Jett agreed.
“You can trust me when I tell you that Dare is an amazing man. He’s the only reason I’m here now, maybe the only reason I’m alive.” Molly hoped to get things smoothed out quickly. Not only was she uncomfortable in her state of undress, but she hadn’t seen her sister in what felt like forever. “If he hadn’t already been in Mexico to—”
“Molly.”
She bit her lip at Dare’s quiet but firm interruption. Okay, so maybe he didn’t want her to blab his private business, or that of his friends.
She cleared
