Rey went to Meredith Johns’s house the next morning after he’d had breakfast. It took her a minute or two to answer the door, and for an instant, he thought that perhaps she might not be in any condition to answer it. She’d been badly bruised.

      But she opened the door and peered up at him bravely, even though she looked like a refugee from a bar brawl. Her left eye was swollen shut completely now.

      ‘‘Leo wants to see you,’’ he said easily, noticing how the top of her blond head only came to his shoulder. She wasn’t tall. Even bruised, her face had a beautiful complexion. Her mouth was pretty. He shook himself mentally. ‘‘He wants to thank you for what you did. He remembers that you rode in on the ambulance with him. You didn’t tell me that,’’ he added with faint accusation.

      ‘‘I wasn’t thinking,’’ she said. ‘‘I was worried about what would happen when I came home late.’’

      ‘‘Have you heard any more about your father this morning?’’ he asked grimly.

      ‘‘They’re going to charge him with simple battery,’’ she said heavily. ‘‘I can’t afford a lawyer. He’ll have a public defender and he’ll probably have to stay in jail for a few weeks.’’ She looked up at him. ‘‘It will be a godsend, you know, because he’ll dry out completely.’’

      He hated the compassion he felt. ‘‘Did your mother leave him?’’ he asked.

      She averted her face. She couldn’t bear to talk about it yet. ‘‘In a way,’’ she said huskily. ‘‘Are you going to drive me?’’ she added, glancing at him over her shoulder. ‘‘The bus doesn’t run for another thirty minutes.’’

      ‘‘Sure,’’ he agreed.

      ‘‘Then I’ll get my jacket and purse.’’

      She went into another room and came back quickly, leading the way out the door. ‘‘Is he conscious now?’’

      ‘‘Very,’’ he murmured dryly. ‘‘When I left him, he was telling a nurse what she could do with the wash basin, and how far.’’

      She chuckled. ‘‘He didn’t seem like that kind of man,’’ she murmured. ‘‘I had him figured for a gentleman, not a renegade.’’

      ‘‘We’re all that kind of man,’’ he replied.

      ‘‘All?’’

      He led her to the car and put her into the passenger seat. ‘‘There are five of us. The other three are coming up this morning to have a talk with the police.’’

      ‘‘I remember. You said that your brother was the attorney general.’’

      ‘‘He is,’’ he replied. ‘‘We tend to stick together.’’

      Her eyes went to his hands on the steering wheel. He had nice hands, very lean and strong with neat, clean fingernails. He was a tough-looking man, like a cowboy.

      ‘‘How’s your face?’’ he asked unexpectedly.

      She shrugged. ‘‘It still hurts. It will for a while, but I’ll be fine.’’

      ‘‘You should see that plastic surgeon.’’

      ‘‘Why?’’ she asked heavily. ‘‘My insurance won’t pay for cosmetic surgery, and there’s not much chance that they can do any major repair on tiny shattered bones.’’

      ‘‘You’re not a doctor. Stop giving yourself medical advice.’’

      She stared at him for a long moment and started to speak, then lost the opportunity when he pulled up in the hospital parking lot, cut off the engine, and got out.

      Rey waited for her and led her up to the floor where his brother’s room was located.

      Leo wasn’t alone. Three other men were with him, one big and dark and missing an arm, the other lean and light-eyed and handsome, and a third big one with black eyes and a threatening face towering over both the others.

      ‘‘That’s Cag,’’ Rey indicated the black-eyed man. ‘‘Corrigan,’’ he nodded toward the light-eyed man, ‘‘and that’s Simon,’’ he finished, smiling at the one-armed man. ‘‘This is Meredith Johns. She rescued Leo.’’

      ‘‘Nice to see you and know who you are,’’ Leo said, alert now and interested as his dark eyes swept over the neat woman just inside the door. ‘‘Miss Johns, I presume?’’

      She smiled self-consciously, because everybody was looking at her bruised face. ‘‘Yes,’’ she said.

      Simon Hart frowned when he got a good look at her. ‘‘What the hell happened to you?’’ he demanded.

      ‘‘Her father,’’ Rey said for her. ‘‘She got in late and he beat her up.’’

      Leo looked suddenly as intimidating as the other three. ‘‘Where is he?’’ he asked.

      ‘‘In jail,’’ Meredith said heavily. ‘‘For several weeks, at least, and he’ll have time to dry out.’’

      ‘‘Good.’’ Leo looked toward Simon. ‘‘Maybe you can find a way to get him into rehab before he gets out.’’

      ‘‘I’ll look into it,’’ Simon said at once.

      ‘‘And some counseling wouldn’t come amiss,’’ Rey put his two cents worth in.

      ‘‘I’ll see about that, too,’’ Simon replied. ‘‘Nice to meet you, Miss Johns. We’re all grateful for what you