Page 131 of The Ultimate Betrayal
“Someone broke into his condo and attacked him with a knife. Stan got lucky and managed to get away, but he’s pretty shook up. I figured you’d want to know.”
The tall, lanky NBA Mavericks’ most valuable player had been getting death threats from what appeared to be a Houston Rockets fan. The cops were on it, but so far they hadn’t caught him.
Bran stood up from the table, the phone still pressed to his ear. “I’m on my way. Thanks for the heads-up, Heath.”
“No problem. Good luck.”
Jessie rose beside him as he slid the phone back in the pocket of his jeans. “Sorry, babe, I gotta go.” He leaned over his plate and shoveled in a couple of forkfuls of beef, ignored the tempting glass of Chianti, and washed it down with a drink of water.
“What’s going on?” Jessie asked.
“Stan Wilton’s back in town. He was supposed to call me as soon as he got here, but he waited. Apparently, someone broke into his place and tried to stab him. Stan managed to get away, but so did his assailant. He needs protection and he needs it now.”
He turned to the group who had all stopped eating and stared at him expectantly. “Sorry, guys. Gotta go to work.” He glanced at Hawk and Kate. “Can you two take Jessie home?”
“No problem,” Hawk and Kate said in unison.
Leaning down, he kissed Jessie long and deep. “I’ll call you, let you know what’s going on.”
She rested her palm against his cheek. “Just stay safe.”
He’d do his best. He had a woman he loved to come home to.
He waved as he headed for the bright red Stingray parked in front of the house. Adrenaline pumped as he slid behind the wheel, and his senses sharpened, honing in on the problems that lay ahead. Solving them was what he did. Bran fired the powerful engine and headed into battle.
