Page 18 of Savage Protector

The silence I received in response didn’t do much for my racing heart. Something went wrong. What else could I expect? “I’ll explain when I get there.” He ended the call without another word, twisting me up inside. Well, he’s alive. That has to count for something.

But was Dominic? A tingle ran down my spine, and I immediately chastised myself. He was vile, he had hurt me, but that didn’t mean I should wish him dead. I couldn’t let go of who I was and what I believed because of him. He had already done enough damage without withering my humanity too.

Headlights swept over the pavement. Is that him? It had to be, the sleek Lexus rolling to a stop a few doors down from mine. Still, I waited, holding my breath until the door opened and Grayson stepped out.

Holy shit. He was wearing a suit. Just when I thought I had adjusted to how hot he was, he had to go and do something like that. He looked a little rumpled, with a necktie hanging loose, the top button of his shirt open, and his hair mussed like he’d been running his fingers through it. I gripped the curtain in my fist, my heart pounding for a very different reason this time.

Get it together, you idiot! I was in this mess because of a man, and now, I was practically drowning in my drool over another. A man with a very dangerous temper. When would I learn? I managed to calm myself down before Grayson reached the room and knocked softly. His dark eyes crawled over me once I opened the door, and I immediately wished I had put on something nicer than an old T-shirt and yoga pants. How was I supposed to know he’d choose now to show up? Even so, his narrowed eyes and flared nostrils made me feel exposed. I might as well have been naked.

And I didn’t hate the feeling.

“So what happened?” I whispered as soon as he was inside. Now that he was back, sweet relief flooded my veins, pumped faster by my grateful heart. “You said you were going to get things worked out. Did you?”

His exhale brought to mind a bull preparing to charge. “In a manner of speaking.”

That didn’t bode well. The hope that was so close to blooming in my chest fizzled. “Oh.”

Just like before, he peered through the window. “Only taking precautions,” he told me as I watched him. “I drove around for an hour before finally heading this way, making sure I wasn’t followed. That isn’t even my usual car,” he added, referring to the black Lexus he’d arrived in.

I was starting to understand, and I didn’t like it one bit. “Do you think he’s following you now too?” I whispered, my eyes instantly filling with tears. What was I expecting? For everything to magically work itself out? Yes, I realized that was exactly what I’d hoped for—he would come to me and tell me everything was over, and Dominic was going to let me go. How did I expect Grayson to work that out? I didn’t have the first clue, and now I was ashamed of myself for being so painfully naïve. Again.

“I’ve got to ask you.” He stripped off his suit jacket, though, with the mood I was in, I couldn’t bring myself to admire the effect. All it took was severe disappointment to murder my libido. “You had to know who he was, or at least the sort of person he was. Garibaldi, the name had to be familiar.”

“Right.” I knew this was coming, even though I hoped he wouldn’t use it against me. He might not have come out and done that yet, but it was inevitable. “This is all my fault for hooking up with the wrong guy, right? That’s what you’re saying.”

“Don’t tell me what I’m saying,” he muttered, but I wasn’t fooled. Guilt was written across his stupid face, drawing his brows together. “It’s only that I have to wonder how a person who seems intelligent would willingly walk into a relationship with a mafia captain.”

Snapping my fingers, I retorted, “Wouldn’t you know it? He didn’t have it printed on his business card.” He rolled his eyes, scoffing, which only made things worse. “I wasn’t thinking about that when I met him. I told you I was overwhelmed, dazzled. My mom died when I was fourteen,” I blurted out before stopping to think.

His eyelids fluttered. I’d taken him by surprise. “Oh.” If he was surprised by that, I couldn’t blame him. It sort of came out of nowhere.

“My point is, life’s been kind of hard for a long time. I went straight to work as soon as I aged out of the system. So I’m sorry if having a man walk into my life who could instantly make my problems go away looked pretty damn appealing. But come on,” I invited. “Let’s start blaming the victim. By all means.”

He still had the nerve to heave a sigh. “That’s not what I meant. I only asked a question.”

“A loaded question.”

“Whatever you say.”

It wasn’t until he hit me with a hard, penetrating stare that I remembered I was basically tap dancing on a field of landmines. What was the alternative, though? Cowering forever in case he decided to lose his temper on me? I had to believe he wouldn’t, or else what was the point of any of this? How could he possibly help me?

The deep, shaky breath he took before slowly releasing hinted at that temper simmering under the surface. “To answer your question, yes,” he replied. “I didn’t want to put it that bluntly, but yes. I’m at the top of his shit list now, which means we need to get on the move.”

“It means what?” I squeaked. “Are you serious?”

“No, I’m in the habit of saying stupid things for no reason. Yes, I’m serious,” he snapped. “I have a safe house around Lake Tahoe. We’ll stay there and figure things out.”

“Together?”

“What part of this are you not understanding?” he asked with a withering glance that made me flinch. Now I knew why his hair looked so tousled—he raked it back from his forehead with his fingers once, twice, gritting his teeth as he did. “You should know very well. Tell the guy he’s not going to get what he wants, and he decides what he wants is your head on a platter. So yeah, I hate to tell you this, but you’re stuck with me for a while. Better get used to the idea.”

It wasn’t the idea itself that freaked me out. I didn’t hate the idea of having someone to protect me. What I did hate very much was the need for it. “This isn’t going to end, is it?” I whispered with a sinking heart.

“It will end. Everything does, eventually.”

“Wow. That’s comforting,” I spat, throwing my hands into the air, barking out a disbelieving laugh. My head was going to split open if my chest didn’t explode first. “I get to spend the rest of my life running away from that son of a bitch all because he refuses to let me go! He probably doesn’t even want me, but he hates that I left. I’m going to spend the rest of my life staring out of motel room windows, looking to make sure he didn’t find me. Paying for everything in cash, using burner phones. What the fuck is the use of any of this?” I shouted.

He absorbed this without moving. He might not have blinked before asking, “Are you finished?”