Free 9781616503369 by Sondrae Bennett

anything? The perpetrator couldn’t have been quiet while tearing the door apart. Then again, they hadn’t been quiet themselves. If whoever had done this had struck at the right time, it was no wonder they hadn’t heard anything. He shuddered as he thought about what might have happened had he not come over last night. The thought of Julie alone–of someone breaking into her apartment when he wasn’t around to protect her–left him cold.
    Whether she liked it or not, Julie would be staying with him tonight and every night thereafter until he figured out who had done this and eliminated the threat. He refused to risk her safety.
    Now the hard part, telling her without causing panic. Worse, telling her brothers.
    A car barreled into the parking lot, screeching to a stop behind him. He turned to see Julie’s three brothers pile out of the car. Judging by the looks on their faces, the secret was out. And it was apparent Julie hadn’t been able to talk sense into them.
    If there’d been anger on their faces, he might have tried to explain, to reason with them. But the emotions seething in their eyes went deeper than mere anger. It was all Brendan could do to brace himself before Ethan’s punch landed. The force of the impact drove him to the ground. He was grateful his jaw hadn’t flown off. This might be more difficult than he’d originally thought.
    Shaking his head to clear it, Brendan looked up at the three men from the ground. He held up a hand to stay them as they advanced.
    “Wait. Just wait. There’s something you need to know. It’s about Julie’s safety.” If nothing else, the word safety would stall them. They’d do anything to keep their sister safe and happy. Beating him up was about protecting her happiness. But in a competition, “safe” beat “happy” hands down.
    “If you care about her safety, you have a funny way of showing it.” Jason gestured toward the broken door. A growl burst out as he saw the damage. “It’s worse than you said, Danny. I ought to beat you to a bloody pulp.” Jason took a threatening step toward him.
    “Yes, I broke into her apartment last night. But–” he held up a hand as they started toward him again, “I picked the lock. I didn’t do this to her door.” He paused, letting the information sink past their rage. “Which means someone else did.”
    Fear seeped into their expressions as they examined the wreckage. When he thought they wouldn’t hit him again, he rose. At least he wasn’t alone in his concern.
    “You didn’t do this?” Danny asked, leaning down to examine the broken doorframe.
    “Not even close.”
    “But you did break in.” It wasn’t a question. They already knew the answer. Judging by the Premier’s expression, there would be hell to pay later. But right now they had bigger fish to fry. On some level, her brothers must have been aware he would never hurt Julie, and would do whatever it took to keep her safe. Otherwise, they would kick him out of the pack so fast his head would spin.
    “What did Julie say?” he questioned, not wanting to contradict whatever they’d already been told. From the uncomfortable expression on Danny’s face, he knew they hadn’t even asked. Instinct had taken over. Protect. Defend .
    Then again, he looked down at the doorknob in his hand and realized he would have done the same.
    Rubbing a hand over his abused jaw, he considered how best to reply. He opened his mouth to answer, but shut it as Laurie’s car tore into the parking lot, Julie at the wheel. Fire snapped from her eyes as she flung open her door and charged head first into the middle of the group. Pushing her brothers away from him, she stood between Brendan and the three alpha wolves like an avenging angel.
    “What the hell do you three idiots think you’re doing?” She poked Jason in the chest as she continued her rant. “Whatever happened last night is none of your business. How dare you take turns sniffing me then dash out to