Wait. Not blood.
Some other red liquid. Then he saw the shards of glass.
Bare feet.
Fuck.
“Did you stand on the glass?” he asked, remembering her sharp cry of pain.
She flinched, and he sucked in a deep breath. Fuck. He was messing this all up.
She’s the client. Not someone he should be snarling at. His shortness with her came from worry. But she didn’t know that.
Okay, he was also feeling short-tempered because he’d been made to wait at the gate, then on the doorstep for her, and Brick wasn’t a guy who had much patience. Waiting around, doing nothing, it wasn’t in his nature. He was a man of action.
But if he wasn’t careful, he was going to lose this job before he’d had time to earn any money.
“There’s sharp glass around and you have bare feet. That’s juice?”
She looked from the liquid to him and gave a small nod. He wondered why she couldn’t talk. Injured vocal cords? Something else? She wasn’t what he’d expected. He’d thought she’d be perfectly composed. Maybe cool and haughty.
This is what Elias and Sterling were warning you about. Don’t let your prejudices make you judge her before you even know her.
“Did you stand on some glass?”
Tears filled her eyes. Fuck. The urge to take her into his arms, to hug her and hold her was so strong that it nearly hurt trying to resist it.
Another nod.
He glanced over at her feet. One was hidden beneath her dress. Was she holding it up? Shit. How was he going to take care of her when she wouldn’t let him touch her?
“I need to look at it.” He tried to make his voice more soothing. But the wary look she shot him said that she wasn’t buying it.
So, she was smart too. He wasn’t much for soothing. Being calm and gentle didn’t come easily to him. He was rough and emotionally unavailable, according to Linda.
But it was obvious that this girl needed him to ease his edges off, or she was going to bolt like a rabbit.
“I’m Brenton Sampson. Everyone calls me Brick, though.”
She didn’t react. It would help if she could talk. What had her brother said about communication?
“Do you have something you can use to talk to me?” he asked. He really wanted to check that burn, but he wasn’t sure that she would let him touch her.
Yep, he’d really made a great first impression.
“I’m the security specialist that your brother hired to guard you.”
She nodded slowly. Right. So, she knew who he was. But she still looked ready to run at the slightest hint that he meant her harm.
Easy. Just move slowly. Talk quietly.
“Would you let me look at your foot and your hand? They’ve got to be sore?”
She shook her head and he tried to work out which question she was answering.
“You won’t let me look at your foot and hand?”
She just eyed him. Not an outright no, but not a yes, either.