Page 43 of Ranger's Code

I glance toward the back of the bar. A group of men sit huddled in a dark booth, their voices low, their body language tense. I don’t need enhanced senses to know they’re watching her, too.

I curse under my breath. Too late. She’s already made an impression.

Sutton moves, pulling out her phone and typing something, then tucking it away. Her fingers tap against the bar, restless. She’s waiting for something.

Or someone.

My jaw ticks. Time to move.

I push away from the bar, making my way toward her, keeping my steps measured, my approach calculated. I don’t know what she’s expecting, but she sure as hell isn’t expecting me.

I lean in just enough to invade her space, just enough to make her stiffen. Good. That means she’s paying attention.

“You’re in the wrong bar, sweetheart,” I murmur, my voice low enough that only she hears.

She turns her head slowly, her hazel eyes sharp, assessing. Not scared—curious.

“You don’t even know what I’m looking for,” she says, her tone even.

I let out a rough chuckle, shaking my head. “Doesn’t matter. You’re not gonna find it here.”

Her lips curve into something that isn’t quite a grin but isn’t not one either. “You don’t even know me.”

I adjust my posture, letting her feel the heat of my presence, letting her understand that I’m not just some asshole at a bar.

“Oh, but I do.” I tilt my head, letting my gaze flicker over her, slow, deliberate. “Sutton Blake. Good girl with a bad habit of getting into things that aren’t her business.”

Her breath hitches. Gotcha.

But she recovers fast. She narrows her eyes. “And who the hell are you?”

I grin. “I’m the guy who’s going to keep you alive if you listen.”

Her fingers flex on the bar. “And if I don’t?”

I step even closer, my voice dropping into something darker, something final.

“Then, sweetheart, you’re gonna get yourself killed.”

She exhales slowly, but she doesn’t look away and doesn’t back down.

And damn it all to hell, I know right then and there—this woman is going to be a problem.

A big one.

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