ponytail. Jane was on her feet now, holding a gauze pad beneath her elbow while the paramedic cleaned the grit and debris from her injury. Although Thomas had tried to take the brunt of their tumble, they’d skidded over enough pavement that she could be more banged up than she’d let on, or maybe even realized.
He was marginally aware of Duff continuing the conversation. “You need anything else from me? I have to pick Melanie up from the campus library. She’s studying for her anatomy test.”
Niall answered. “How’s her first semester in premed going? She’s not pushing too hard, is she?”
Earlier that summer, Duff’s fiancée had nearly been killed when she’d been stabbed. Fortunately, Duff had gotten to her in time to save her life, and had the sense to propose in the hospital. Thomas liked the young woman who’d finally taught his oldest to trust a woman with his heart again. “Sorry, I forgot to ask. How is Mel doing?”
“She’s eatin’ up college life. I’m glad she has the chance to finally go back to school.” Duff grinned. “I always wanted to date a coed.”
Niall frowned. “You’re not distracting her from her studies, are you? If she has any questions about the material, tell her to call me.”
“She knows that. She also knows that you’re getting married later this month and doesn’t want to bother you. Jane said she’d field any questions Melanie might have while you’re busy with your nuptials.” Duff nudged Niall with his elbow. “By the way. I had my tux fitting this afternoon. I might look handsomer than you do on the twenty-fifth.”
Niall adjusted his glasses on his nose. “I am quite certain that Lucy will only be looking at me. You make her laugh. But she sleeps with me.”
Duff laughed out loud. “Seriously, Poindexter? Did you just make a joke? Lucy has been so good for you.” When Thomas became aware of the laughter and teasing stopping, he turned to find both his sons staring at him with curious expressions. Neither had missed the woman he’d been watching across the parking lot. “Dad? Something going on with you and Battle-Ax Boyle?”
“I wish you wouldn’t call her that, son. She’s professional and efficient, not mean-spirited.”
“O-kay. You didn’t answer my question.”
“I appreciate you boys coming out to check up on us. We’ve got plenty of officers on the scene. We also need to investigate the possibility that I wasn’t the target.”
A tall, lanky man in a tan suit and brown tie walked up to the ambulance and said something to Jane. She startled at first, but then she chased the paramedic away and turned to exchange heated words with the suit.
Niall wasn’t one to miss details, either. “Who is that guy talking to Jane?”
“I don’t know. Yet.” When he saw her hug her middle, rubbing her hand up and down her uninjured arm, Thomas opened the back door of his truck and pulled out the black KCPD windbreaker he stored there. “You boys follow up with the lead detective and keep me in the loop. I’m going to pursue a different angle.”
With the nerve damage in his bum leg sending out dozens of electric shocks through his thigh and calf, he couldn’t exactly stride across the parking lot. But his determined pace got him to the ambulance quickly enough to hear the tall blond man mutter an accusation at Jane. “What the hell am I supposed to think when you don’t call me?”
Was this who’d been threatening her? Or at the very least, upsetting her with his barrage of messages on her phone?
Thomas had no intention of making her jump the way the tan-suit guy had. “Jane?” he called, waiting for her to turn her head and identify him before he slipped the windbreaker over her shoulders. And yes, his hands lingered on her arms a split second longer than they needed to. “You looked like you were getting cold.”
“I...” She glanced up at the blond guy and shivered. Then she was shoving her arms into the sleeves of Thomas’s jacket and going all Chatty Cathy on him. “A little. It might be a bit of shock wearing off. My scrub jacket was pretty much shredded. I had the EMT throw it away. You don’t need this, do you? Of course not. You wouldn’t have offered if you did. Thank you.”
Then just like that, she fell silent, as if she’d summoned whatever energy she had left in her and used it all up. Her gaze hovered somewhere near the point of Thomas’s chin. Not making eye contact? Running out of words to argue with him? This confusion was so unlike the woman he knew that Thomas was reaching for her when the tan-suit guy extended his hand and a salesman’s smile. “Conor Wildman. I’m a friend of Jane’s.”
What kind of friend made her stiffen up like that? Maybe he was the one making her uncomfortable. After all, she worked hard to keep her private life private. Maybe having her boss and her personal life mix was the conflict that made her jaw clench so tightly.
Until he understood the situation better, Thomas decided it couldn’t hurt to get to know this guy. He shook Wildman’s hand. “Thomas Watson. Jane works for me.”
“She’s told me. Nice to finally meet you.” Wildman’s dark gaze bobbed from the badge and gun on Thomas’s belt to the letters on the black nylon jacket. “You’re with KCPD?”
Rocket scientist, eh? “I am. What do you do?”
“Accountant. Own my own firm. Work my own hours.” The golden boy widened his stance and folded his arms across his chest, assuming a more relaxed posture. But the subtle shift tugged at his clothes and Thomas noticed the gun strapped to his ankle beneath his tan slacks. What kind of accountant needed to arm himself? “When I heard Jane had been involved in a drive-by shooting, I had to come and check on her. Now that she’s done with the police and the EMT, I’m here to drive her home.”
Was that an offer or an order? Relaxed posture or not, Conor Wildman’s dark eyes sent the message that he wasn’t taking no for an answer, no matter what choice Jane made. Thomas turned his focus from the younger man’s smile to Jane and asked a pointed question. “You’re okay with that?”
She frowned as she kicked her gaze up to his. “Of course.”
“Is he the guy who’s been texting you?” He was after me. Thomas still hadn’t gotten a satisfactory explanation for that frantic assertion when the bullets had been flying. She did understand she had options, didn’t she? “You don’t have to go with him if you don’t want to.”
The dimple that marred her forehead disappeared. She didn’t exactly give him a reassuring smile, but she did seem to be making a conscious choice when she laid her hand on his arm. “It’s okay. It’s business. Conor and I need to have a conversation. Thank you for the loan of the jacket. I’ll return it as soon as I get home. I’ll be fine.”
Thomas couldn’t shake his suspicion about the man. But unless Jane filed a complaint or he had concrete evidence to say this man was a danger to her, there wasn’t anything he could do, legally. Still, it wasn’t any concern about legalities that was twisting his gut with a sense that something was off here. Something about that friendly smile and ankle holster felt like Jane was risking more than she should with this guy.
Well, Thomas was about to surprise Conor Wildman. He was certain he’d surprise Jane. Maybe he even surprised himself when he cupped the side of her neck, sliding his fingertips into the silky base of her ponytail before leaning in to kiss her cheek. Her skin was cool and smooth but 100 percent softer than
