Drawing The Line by Kimberly Kincaid Page A

that?”
                  His eyes zeroed in on hers, bright blue and unyielding. “The judge granted Brody’s request to fast-track the trial. But opening statements still aren’t scheduled for another two months.”
                  No way . “I have a business to run, too! I can’t be gone from Mac’s that long.”
                  “We’ll work something out to keep you in regular contact with Jules. But your safety is the most important thing, and the best way to guarantee that is for you to remain in custody.”
                  A hot wash of unexpected tears pricked behind Serenity’s eyelids, and she squeezed her lids shut to keep them at bay. She wasn’t an idiot— the sixty seconds she’d looked into Brody’s eyes during the lineup had sent a lifetime’s worth of chills up her spine. Plus, if there had been someone lurking outside the kitchen last night, staying under police protection with Brody on the loose was not only smart, it was necessary.
                  But she didn’t have to take it lying down.
                  “Okay,” she said, resolve building in her chest. “But if we’re stuck here for the long haul, I want to know exactly what I’m up against, no holding back. And I want to know how to fight it.”
                  Jason’s shock was wildly evident on his face. “You want me to teach you how to go up against a guy like Brody?”
                  “Absolutely.”
                  Fifteen minutes later, when Jason had moved all the furniture to the periphery of the living room and changed into a pair of black basketball pants and matching T-shirt, Serenity’s absolutely took on a slightly less emphatic edge.
                  “When I said I wanted to learn how to fight Brody, I didn’t mean literally.” The guy had at least sixty pounds on her, with mean to spare. No way could she beat that.
                  But Jason shook his head. “No, you’re right. You deserve to know what’s going on, and it’s smart for you to know some basics.”
    Serenity’ s throat threatened a rigid knot over the words forming there, but she forced them into the open air anyway. “So you think he’s going to try to find me.”
    He paused. “Our informants on vice have heard a few rumors. Nothing we can prove as an outward threat. But yes. I think that’s a safe assumption.”
                  “Oh.” A thin layer of paralyzing fear bloomed beneath her breastbone, threatening to spread out and swallow her, but Jason moved into her direct field of vision, so close that she had no choice but to drag her gaze over his.
    “Which is exactly why it’s a great idea for you to learn some self-defense. Every little bit helps.”
                  Serenity nodded, bolstered by his surety. “Okay, but Brody’s a total thug. He could squash me in about two seconds.” She ran her fingers over the fading bruise at the base of her hairline, an all-too present reminder of her attacker’s strength.
                  “He might be stronger, but you’re going to be smarter.” Jason guided her to the middle of the cleared-out space, pivoting on the faded china-blue area rug to face her. “Brody wants you quiet, but he’s not stupid. It’s likely he’ll try to take you to another location so he can, ah. Control the situation on his own terms.”
    Serenity shivered as her imagination served up some fill-in-the-blank details, and yeah. Maybe there were a few euphemisms she was willing to let him have. “So how do I outsmart him?”
    “It depends. Obviously, you want as much space between the two of you as possible . The more stuff in the middle, the better.”
    Huh. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”
    “Unfortunately, it’s also not too likely. Brody’s not afraid to do his own dirty work and he doesn’t take chances, so he’ll probably