Abby had never been one to chase after boys. Tex was thankful that she'd never been boy crazy and had only been truly interested in one or two boys growing up. She was beautiful, that was a fact that Tex knew for sure, and he'd scared off more than a few hopeful suitors, scrawny teens that they'd been.

Of course he knew he couldn't shelter her forever, but as her older brother he felt the need to try his hardest to protect her. If he could have sequestered her away from any and all boys, well he'd probably have done it in a heartbeat. She was his baby sister; he'd been to her school plays, her proms, and teacher conferences. The tycoon had stayed home with her when she was sick. He'd even patched her up more than once and he had no desire to bandage a young heart broken by a careless boy.

Tex had suspected that she was dating someone; he'd be a fool not to. She was in college and always busy, but when they talked on the phone there was a spark to her voice that let him know she was seeing someone. It was innocent enough when it started; she mentioned a date at the end of one of their weekly calls and had informed him that she needed to get ready. He'd laughed and told her not to stay out too late and to let him know when she got home.

He didn't like the boy, and he hadn't even met him. Maybe it was the brother in him that made him wary of anyone from the male species that was within breathing distance of Abby. Perhaps it was a gut instinct, but whatever the reason he made sure to call Abby more often after the first whiff of the new man in her life.

According to Abby her new boyfriend was perfect. He was from an old family, a family with money; he was fresh out of college and working in his father's business. She sounded enamored on the phone, and it worried Tex. Abby was never so easily ensnared by a guy, she was always too busy to become serious with a boy. She had her sights set on her career and traveling every nook and cranny of the world.

"Tex, it's fine, Blake is a perfect gentleman."

"So, his name is Blake?" Tex's voice held an edge. So that was the name of the varmint that had been dating his baby sister behind his back. He sighed internally; he'd never heard Abby sound so happy.

"Yeh… I figured it was time you knew his name. Didn't want you trying to scare him off."

"I wouldn't have scared him off. I would have just talkedto him."

"Sure you would. His name is Blake Winthrop."

"When do I meet him?" Tex glanced at his calendar, already planning to clear a day in order to prepare to meet this Blake.

"Next week? There's a nice restaurant close to the college. We could meet there for supper next Thursday." Abby's voice was full of excitement.

"Sure, I'll be there. What time?"

"Really!?" Her excitement was clear and it made Tex feel guilty. He couldn't disappoint her by voicing his dislike for a boy that hadn't approached him for permission to court her.

"Of course Abs." He grinned as he could almost hear her squirm at the nickname.

"Be there at 7, it's called the Coliseum."

"Are we fighting to the death?"

"No," he could hear her rolling her eyes. "It's just a very, how you might say, unique restaurant."

"And you love unique things." He grinned as it brought back memories from when she was just a child.

The older brother in him had settled down after about five months of Abby dating. She'd finally revealed his name after the first month keeping her boyfriend's identity a secret. His name was Blake Winthrop and he seemed to be a fine young man. There were no criminal records of him, other than a case of joyriding when he was fifteen. The Winthrop family was an old one and Tex was surprised that one of their own would decide to date someone from a considerably more humble family. Still he decided to follow Abby's usual course of action, which is, trying to see the best in people before assuming the worst.

Tex straightened his tie and glanced at the clock. It was thirty minutes until his meeting with Abby. He'd done his best to clear the entire day of anything related to business, unfortunately it hadn't worked out. The tycoon had found himself stuck in meetings for most of the day, but he wasn't about to miss this appointment. No, there wasn't anything that was going to keep him from meeting this boy. He had labeled Blake Winthrop as a plausible threat; it was time for him to make sure that Abby's new beau wasn't a wolf in sheep's clothing.

With ease he finished polishing himself for the evening meal, grabbed his keys and headed out to his Cadillac. Scenarios of what the boy would be like ran over in his head as the engine rumbled in an almost ominous manner.

He pulled up outside the restaurant with ten minutes to spare; shaking his head he parked his car and made his way towards the front doors. With a raised eyebrow he glanced at the unique looking building. The whole thing screamed Abby;she had always loved anything that was unusual. It resembled an old Roman coliseum; tiny golden lights lit the various windows making the structure shine in the dark.

A small smile tugged at his lips as he came to the glass double doors. On either side of the entrance there stood valets dressed as Roman gladiators. The stoic expressions on their faces made Tex want to laugh out loud, only Abby would find such a unique meeting place for him to meet her new beau. His heart swelled with love for his little sister as he distractedly walked through the door that one of the valets pulled open. It was time to meet the threat of the hour.

The inside of the restaurant was immaculate with details that seemed to jump from a history book. Floors of cobblestone paved the way for Tex as he meandered further into the building and glanced around looking for any sign of Abby. He couldn't spot her so he turned to speak with the host.

"How may I help you sir?"

"I'm looking for Abby Dinoco."

"This way sir."

Tex sighed as they made their way through the multilevel restaurant, the host guiding them to a private room on the third floor. The building was huge, a hushed murmur of voices lingered in the air, the exclusiveness of the restaurant was apparent by the patrons seated at various tables. More than once Tex spotted various celebrities dining quietly in their plush looking chairs.

He smiled to himself knowing that Abby wasn't the type to choose such an atmosphere for the people, no it was always for the experience. Her motivation for doing things tended to be for the adventure of it, she loved new things. The anticipation of being reunited with his little sister made his smile widen, he hadn't seen her in nearly a month and he missed her terribly. There was no shame for him in admitting that he missed her, he made it evident on a regular basis that she was welcome to move back in with him anytime. Unfortunately the younger Dinoco was fiercely independent.

"Blake, don't be unreasonable. I thought this would be a good meeting ground for you to meet my brother." Abby sighed and gave her boyfriend a look that brooked no argument.

"This is unreasonable Abilene; I had to cancel an appointment with my father for this meeting." Blake's voice dipped low and a frown marred his face. He was a strong looking fellow; around six foot two, with dark brown hair and slightly chilly looking grey eyes.

"This is just as important." Her voice took on an edge that she'd picked up from her brother when he was dealing with unpleasant people. "He's my brother."

"It couldn't have waited."

"No, and I thought you were happy to meet him."

"I don't mind meeting him, but I have a lot of responsibilities Abilene. This is ridiculous. You're going to make a scene. Why are you always making a big deal out of what I say?" His voice was silky smooth.

Tex paused as he heard the last part of the conversation from behind the closed doors of the private room he'd been led to. It didn't bode well with him, especially the voice that seemed to smooth to be realistic.

"I'm not making a big deal of it. I just can't understand why you're so upset about having to cancel a meeting in order to meet Tex."

"I don't mind meeting him babe." Blake shifted beside Abby and slipped a hand over one of hers, he squeezed it tight. "It's just the timing is off. We really have to work on that." His voice dropped so low that Tex was unable to catch the last of the conversation before the door was opened and he was ushered inside.

"TEX!" Abby jumped to her feet and all but attacked him with a hug. A wide smile danced across her face as her arms encircled him.

"Abby!" He hugged her back and lifted her off her feet. The soft smell of roses and rain tickled his nose, he'd missed everything about his little sister, but he'd particularly missed her exuberant greetings.

"You give the best hugs." She grinned up at him and squeezed him close as she waited to be placed back on her feet.

"Same goes for you half-pint." He tweaked her nose after placing her back on the ground. His eyes zoomed in on the newest threat. Internally he frowned at the image of Blake Winthrop, the young man was standing at his seat looking a little anxious but overall he seemed confident about himself.

"Good evening Sir." Blake offered his hand.

"Tex, this is Blake Winthrop, my boyfriend." She sounded giddy and it made Tex's stomach lurch painfully. He reached out and shook the boys' hand and subtly squeezed it in a death grip. A light smile touched his face and he nodded at the boy.

"Howdy." Tex didn't offer his name; the boy hadn't earned the right to call him Tex. Not just yet. Blake's grip was firm as well, but something about the boy set Tex's nerves on edge. It was like he was staring down a dangerous rattler, a snake about to strike, that was Tex's initial impression of him.

With practiced ease he released the boy's hand and helped Abby with her chair before seating himself to her left. Abby seemed all aglow as she began regaling Tex with stories of college and her newest designing class escapade. He listened with rapt attention, but from the corner of his eye he watched Blake, who seemed a bit disinterested in Abby's tales. Everything about the boy bothered him, perhaps there was a lack of explanation as to why, but he knew his gut, and his gut was telling him that Blake Winthrop was not what he seemed.

The group ordered their meal and it was a rather peaceful evening despite the tension between Tex and Blake. Tex spent the majority of his time chatting with Abby and occasionally asking Blake pointed questions that were cloaked with an easy tone. He didn't want to upset Abby with his obvious distaste for her new love interest. Blake appeared to be the perfect gentleman as they spent the evening laughing around the meal, but more than once he noticed Abby flinch when Blake would squeeze her hand under the table. The 'pretty boy' as Tex had dubbed him thought he was sly with his moves, but Tex saw everything.

Everything about Blake Winthrop was perfect. He had a steady job, he was from an upstanding family, he treated Abby well in Tex's presence, his manners were impeccable, and the boy had even paid the entirety of the check. Still Tex didn't trust him, especially not with Abby.

It was a worried Tex that kissed Abby's cheek as she shuffled off with Blake to his car. Tex wanted more than anything to find some form of evidence to save Abby from Blake. Yes, he was sure that Abby needed to be saved from Blake; there was just something extremely wrong with the boy. No one could be that perfect. With his gut still churning Tex drove home. There was nothing more he could do.