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"Wait!" he said, grabbing herfrantically for his wallet "I said this was on me, remember?" He opened his wallet to find aup at hiet cash yesterday and he’d been planning to pay for lunch with a credit card With a muffled curse, he tossed her ht up with her as she was entering a dingy park across the street The park was so small it was hardly the width of a city street, with a pitiful swing set and a teeter-totter that looked like it could deal death to unwary toddlers The sodden sandbox was full ofwhat Jared didn’t want to think about But the park, he saith alare for an ambush: trees pressed in closely on all sides but one and hardly anyone could see the--" was as far as he got before Kara seized his arm, kicked over a park bench and forced him behind it
"Stay down," she said fir? You’re not the boss of me I--" He trailed off as Kara spun to deal with the accountants who had been following thenized the men They had been, he realized, the last customers to take seats in the restaurant
They ht out the door into the park There were three, all average-looking men with ordinary builds, nice suits and expensive haircuts Before he could figure out just when Kara had gone crazy and started attacking business executives, he noticed the one closest to her had his hand stiffened in a wicked looking chop Kara ducked under the blow and kicked the h up on the ribs Jared winced as the evil accountant bent, whooshing for breath and cradling his side
The second one groped in his pocket and whipped out a pen…but it wasn’t a pen, it was a three-foot long antenna that whistled through the air like a blade Kara reached out, aluy’s wrist, she brought her knee crashing into his groin But the third one was flanking her, ht line and awfully close to Dr Jared Dean, ER resident and pissed-off would-be boyfriend The creep was going to bushwhack his Kara?
"Mistake!" he yelled, as he shoved the park bench over It caught bad guy 3 just behind the knees, effectively turound Jared pounced and in uy’s back, forcing the air out of his lungs and reigning triumphant
Instead, the man flipped over quick as a snake and as Jared’s knees thudded to the ground on either side of Kara’s assailant, a walloping pain exploded in Jared’s nose
He clapped both hands to his face, tasting blood and wondering dazedly when the bad guy had had ti position, Jared brought his head forth in a crude but effective head-butt Now , he thought with gri about throwing up
Hard fingers seized his ear and hauled hiht up "Putz!" Kara hissed, just before she kicked Jared’s bad guy in the chin, snapping his head back into the dirt Jared looked around blearily and noted with no real surprise that Kara’s two assailants were down for the count
"Are you talking to me?" he asked thickly, then spat to clear his throat "And let go of et your medical license if you can’t Follow Directions" Without a look at the unconsciousJared out of the park, across the street, back to his apart him in a furious whisper Finally, he reached up and pried her fingers loose
"Back off, blondie," he said crossly "If you expect et set upon, you need some new rowled They were now standing outside his apartment door and Jared fumbled tiredly for his keys Before he could produce them Kara yanked at her sleeve, produced two thin blades and in about six seconds had his front door unlocked He realized dazedly that it took hier to unlock the door with a key than it took her to pick the lock Three cheers , he thought, for Aenuity
She marched him inside, toward the bathroo yourself in the path of danger What’s the h to keep his head down and let the other person take the lumps"
"Bull shit," he replied politely He found hiainst the sink while she ran ater in the basin, found a washcloth and gently pressed it to his nose and ht-lipped expression, narrowed eyes, and sharp words
"Where I come from, you don’t let the lady take the lurow up in, any--" Heto his face and wouldn’t look at hiht up in the be-kind-to-children-and-anireed
A long ently took the washcloth away fro me, will you? Don’t make me kick your ass"
She snorted and he continued "Listen I get that you’re truly angry with ht now--you truly feel it’s your job to get hurt andis, I see us as more of a team"
"We’re not a team I’m never in a team," she said fiercely and tried to take the washcloth away froh above her head, out of reach