Wild Card by Lora Leigh

didn't have. She couldn't afford to piss him off; he could make paying off that loan incredibly difficult. Besides, he had been Nathan's
    friend.
    Kinda.
    "Like hell." His voice was surly, his broad, pitted face flushed ruddy red, as he neared her and the smell of liquor hit her in the face. "You finish that truck now, bitch, or you can kiss this
    business goodbye, you hear me? Wouldn't Nathan be damned proud of your sassy little ass
    then? This garage was his pride and joy."
    Mike had definitely been drinking and his mood was as foul as any she had ever seen.
    "Nathan is gone, Mike," she reminded him, fighting for the calm she swore she wouldn't lose.
    Mike had always seemed to blame her for Nathan's death, for some reason. "How he would feel
    is beside the point."
    She drew herself stiffly erect, knowing her diminutive five-five frame had nothing on his six
    feet. He was stocky, his paunch had grown over the years, but the man Nathan had once called
    a friend had let the bottle and his own failures destroy him faster than her own pain had nearly
    destroyed the garage.
    "Nathan should have kicked your ass out and put his place in dependable hands before he
    screwed up and got his ass blown away." The cruel words struck at her heart, no matter how
    she fought to ignore them. "He should have known better than to trust a flaky little blonde to
    hold on to anything."
    Dammit to hell. She hated the thought of having Toby call the sheriff. There would be
    questions and paperwork and she didn't have time for this crap.
    "'But he didn't, Mike. And this flaky blonde is working as fast as she can." She was aware of
    the mechanics gathering behind her and wanted to groan in frustration. She didn't need this.
    "I'll have your truck first thing in the morning. I have tonight, according to the contract. I'll be on time." She couldn't afford not to be.
    His bloodshot brown eyes raked over her insultingly. "He married him a piece of flashy pussy,
    I have to give him that."
    Sabella's eyes narrowed as she tensed and ground her teeth to hold back a retort. This was
    going to be bad enough once gossip circulated. She didn't need to make it worse, she reminded
    herself.
    "Mr. Conrad, Ms. Malone said in the morning." Toby stepped to her side, his voice vibrating
    with anger at the insult. "It will be ready."
    Mike's gaze whipped to the boy as his lips titled in a snide little smile.
    "You fuckin' her too, kid? Piece of prime pussy like that needs a—" He never finished what he
    had to say, and not because Toby jumped for him.
    Before the younger man could cover the three feet of distance a shadowed blur moved past
    them. Mike Conrad was jerked off his feet and literally thrown from the garage.
    Sabella stared in shock at the stranger, Noah, seeing the fury pulsing in his face as he picked
    Mike up from the blacktop only to toss him against the convertible BMW he had driven into
    the lot.
    One big hand latched around Mike's bulging neck and, icy cold, murderously, Noah Blake
    began to squeeze.
    "Stop." Sabella forced herself to move, to run to the pair, her hands locking around Noah's
    wrist as she stared into those cold, merciless eyes in horror. "You'll kill him. He's just drunk.
    Damn you, I said stop!"
    Rage glittered in the dark blue depths, the promise of death shadowing and darkening the
    unusual color as his fingers tightened further, his lips twisting into a snarling grimace.
    "Have you lost your mind?" She jerked at his wrist, screaming at him, desperate now as she
    heard Mike strangling behind her.
    Sabella glared up at the stranger, seeing the predatory promise of death in his eyes as he stared
    down at Mike Conrad.
    "Touch her again." His voice was a gravelly sound of rage as he stared into Mike's eyes. "And I'll kill you."
    She felt his wrist relax as she saw the rage darken the brilliance of his gaze as it locked with
    hers. A muscle pounded heavily at his jaw as his lips flattened, his eyes flicking over her
    shoulder as Mike