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attacker.”
    She had a feeling none of the ladies, even the little old ones, would mind having Rocky wrap his arms around their neck and hold them close.
She
was the only one who would feel uncomfortable doing that.
    She might have to kill Ellie.
    “Have a seat. I won’t be long,” she muttered, and left to change her clothes. Thanks to her divorce, she had a closet full of jeans. Banner hated them so naturally, she’d bought at least a dozen pairs as part of her celebration when she was free of the rotten prick. With a white T-shirt and blue jeans she didn’t look like a cat burglar, but at least she was properly dressed for a scuffle with an assailant. A scuffle with Rocky. The thought of being pinned against his chest made her body flush with heat, then go cold with nerves.
    “Idiot,” she told herself, pushing it out of her mind. This was business. If she didn’t think and just did it, she’d be okay.
    She returned to find Rocky having a one-sided conversation with Jingles. A smile started to curve across her mouth, but she squashed it flat, refusing to be suckered in just because he was gorgeous and liked her cat.
    He stopped talking when he heard her.
    “What were you telling my cat?”
    “We were just talking about my cat. He wants a play date with my cat, Fluff.”
    “Fine with me, as soon as he gets his driver’s license. You’re getting white hairs all over your shirt.”
    “I’m a cat owner, I have a lint brush in the car. Ready?”
    She was never going to be ready for this. “Let’s go.”
    She sat off to the side of the room, expecting to be bored. Despite what she thought was a good performance of looking indifferent, she was fascinated.
    So were the Lady Sparks. The women’s group was dedicated to bettering themselves and their community, and Janet had no doubt they were learning a lot about security tonight. But despite their open notepads and ready pens, no one had written a word. They didn’t need to; with the sort of rapt attention they were giving Rocky, she was sure they’d remember everything he said.
    He was right about his clothes. As soon as he introduced himself as a reformed cat burglar-slash-jewel thief, the Sparks had perked up, appraising him with interest. When he told them how he and Ellie had started from nothing and made a success of Red Rose Security, he could have gotten dates with at least three of them immediately. Of course, he’d flashed his crooked smile, and who could resist that? Most of them were old enough to be his mother, but charm was charm.
    She should have guessed that a man with his gift for smooth talking would be able to keep an audience interested, even in the nuts and bolts of security systems. Somehow thinking of him as an ex-con had prevented her from seeing that he was just as instrumental as Ellie in turning Red Rose into a profitable and respected business. Damn, another point in his favor.
    Rocky’s talk was so absorbing she nearly forgot she had a part to play until he shoved a table aside, clearing a large area of floor at the front of the room. “I promised to teach you some basic self-defense techniques,” he said. Standing there in those snug jeans and a T-shirt that molded to the muscular contours of his chest, he looked like someone who could threaten their safety in more ways than one. He put his hands on his hips, looking more authoritative. “But I have to warn you about something first.”
    In the few seconds while he paused, Janet could feel a slight tension in the room. She had to hand it to him, he was good at this.
    “I will not show you how to protect yourself from someone with a gun.” He scanned the audience with a serious look, ensuring he had everyone’s attention. “If you are ever in that situation, your options depend on the circumstances. He would want you to be quiet and he might want to take you someplace safer. Safer for him means more dangerous for you, so you don’t want to go. First, if anyone can hear