Page 42 of Day of the Storm

He’d seen the rude gesture the bastard had made to Brooke when he thought Houston’s back was turned. He’d seen her flinch, too.

Hoby wasenjoyingterrorizing her.

As soon as he could, Houston was going to show the man how that felt—from the other side.

Finally, they needed a break. He put on a five-minute public service announcement about staying off the roads and where the injured could go for help, and stood. “Come on. We need to stretch a bit.”

He stayed close while she slipped into the tiny restroom at the end of the hall. He was leaning against the wall when Hoby came out to grab a soda from the fridge.

“See you and the queen bee are getting all cozy.”

Houston resisted the urge to growl. “I know what you’re up to. Leave her alone.”

“What are you going to do about it? You need me tonight.”

“Tonight, yes. But don’t tempt me to tear your head off your shoulders first chance I get. I’m not in the damned mood.” He infused his tone with as much six-foot-four former college linebacker pissed off as he could. “Not tonight, got me? Get in there and do your damned job. If you want to keep it.”

The restroom door opened. Brooke stepped out.

She was right between the two of them.

Hoby reached out, brushed her shoulder. Brooke flinched back immediately. Houston wrapped his fingers around her elbow and pulled her closer.

This time, he did growl.

He had hadenough.“Get back to work, Hoby. I mean it.”

The man just smirked in his face. “She’sthatgood, then? What’s the little ho been telling you tonight to get you all twisted up? She promise to show you a good time? I bet she’s really good at it, too. You found out yet?”

CHAPTER 10

Houston was goingto hit him. Brooke knew with one look at Houston’s face that he was about to lose it, right there in front of her. If he threw the first punch…

Then Dwight would win. Would cause trouble for Houston. Real trouble. Legal trouble. He’d tried that with other people she knew before. Taunting and taunting until they couldn’t take it any longer.

HewantedHouston to hit him. She could see it in his eyes.

No. It wasn’t going to work that way.

Houston wasn’t going to get in trouble because ofher.That was not how she was going to repay him for trying to protect her. Brooke stepped between the two men and put her hand on each of their chests.

Houston’s was hard as a rock. No surprise.

She’d seen the man in the soft, worn, FCU T-shirts he favored. She had seen the rock-hard muscles of his arms. Houston was extremely athletic; she’d overheard him talking with the intern who did sports updates all the time. “Stop. Houston, he’s wanting you to hit him. It’s how he feels incontrol.”

She knew all about feeling in control. It had taken her a long time to get back to being in control of her own life all those years ago. Dwight Hoby wasn’t going to take that away from her now.

Hoby just looked at her, then grabbed her hand in his. Brooke couldn’t help it, she flinched when he pulled her closer. “It’s just a matter of time, sweetlips. Then, you and I are going to finally get to know each other better. Just like you’ve been promising me with those little looks of yours for weeks. You are going to get exactly what you deserve. You have my word on that.”

Then she was being lifted out of the way. Tucked safely behind Houston, while he crowded the smaller man against the wall.

She honestly thought he was going to pulverize Dwight, from the look on his face. But then he spoke…and it was the coldest voice she had ever heard. “You come near her, Hoby, and they will be picking your body parts up off the ground with tweezers I’ll shred you so small. Got me?You have my word on that.”

“Like to see you make that happen, Evers. You’re nothing but a steroid-jacked up pain in the ass around here. The only reason you’re still around is, let me guess…you’re screwing the owner’s slutty little daughter?”

He was doing anything he could to taunt Houston, wasn’t he?

Of course, he was. Houston was the backbone of the station. The one most in charge. Everyone knew that.Hewas the natural authority, the one with power over Dwight, and the insignificant little worm couldn’t handle that at all.