Page 39 of Ruthless Protector

Jude

Willa was staring at me, eyes wide. Shit, if she blew our covers, we were fucked. I could see her wheels spinning.

I dropped my cards on the table, taking myself out of the game. “Why don’t you sit here for a while, honey,” I said, tugging Willa onto my lap.

She didn’t resist, recognizing the lifeline I was throwing.

Van started talking, drawing attention from us. I leaned in, pressing my mouth to her ear. “Play along.”

Her eyes slid around the table and I knew we were being watched. She giggled, a sound I had never heard her make. It was fake as hell, but no one else knew that. Christ, this was a fuck up of epic proportions. What in the hell was she doing here?

I kept her on my lap until the drinks were empty again, until Jethro, the slimy fucker, demanded she refill his glass.

Willa smiled, not doing a great job of hiding her disgust when he touched her ass. I was pretty sure I was failing as well. Van gave me a dark look, warning me to keep my shit together. It wasn’t easy. The guy was a sick fucker, into anything and everything. Which was why we were here. Tomas owed Raul a marker, Raul used it to help us out, to get us in on this game. Jethro and his new partner Donny were trying to move in on Tomas’ territory. Tomas was playing nice with these guys for now, letting them think they had the upper hand. It suited Tomas to let The King Agency, as well as the cops, take them out. Tomas’ hands stayed clean and he kept his territory.

Which was why I was sitting in this room.

And thank fuck I was.

I glanced over at her again. What kind of shit was she in that she’d ended up in this situation? And who was the little prick she came with? He’d obviously gotten her the gig.

I needed to keep a clear head, but I needed to get Willa back over here with me for that to happen. There was a scraggly-looking plant by the window beside me. Now I just needed to make sure all eyes were off me so I could dump my drink. My moment came a few minutes later when, one of the other men slapped Willa on the ass and she cried out in surprise.

I dumped my drink and lifted my glass. “Over here,” I said.

Her wide eyes darted to me, then she was hustling back my way. I planned on pulling her back in beside me, but then the guy between Van and I got her to take care of him as well. She was closer to Van than me, and I couldn’t do a damned thing when the guy’s hands started toward her hips.

Van reached out and tugged her to him, doing what I had earlier, putting her in his lap. I almost came out of my seat. She looked startled, then I watched him say something to her, and she relaxed some. She had no idea what she’d walked in on, how dangerous these men were.

The game went on late into the night. Van and I trying to do our damn jobs, while doing our best to keep Willa safe. I was already on edge; we needed to take this asshole down. Looking as tense as I felt would set off alarms, but it was hard to keep it tight, especially when my attempts to keep her with me weren’t completely successful.

The festivities were coming to a close. Van had managed to reel Jethro in, a meeting set up between them for the following week. He thought Van was one of Tomas’ suppliers, thought he was sticking it to his competitor right in front of him. Jethro looked smug as hell. He also had Willa pressed against his side, his arm locked around her, hand on her ass, keeping her where he wanted her. She winced when his fingers dug into her flesh, and I’d had more than enough. My chair scraped as I got to my feet.

I felt Van turn to me, the look he gave me, telling me to be cautious.

“Let’s go, honey,” I said to Willa. “You still want a ride on my bike?”

Jethro’s eyes narrowed. “Now hang on a minute…”

This wasn’t how things went down at these games; the girls were expected to go home with Jethro, everyone knew that. Wasn’t happening tonight, though. The case was important, but not at the expense of Willa or any other woman. She was doing a good job hiding it, but Willa was scared shitless, and she had good reason to be.

Willa smiled wide and did a girly squeal, jumping up and down, dislodging the fucker attached to her, and ran around the table, plastering herself to my front. “You mean it?”

Her eyes were locked on mine and I didn’t miss the get-me-the-hell-outta-here behind them or the way she’d fisted my shirt, clinging to me. “I said I would, didn’t I?” I said to her, grabbed my jacket off the back of my chair, then looked at Jethro. “Thanks for the game, you know how to reach me if you want to do business.” He thought I had cartel connections, and I hoped that gave him pause, made him wary of me. I said to the rest of the table, “Gentlemen.”

Van dipped his chin a fraction, letting me know he had this. Since Van and I weren’t supposed to know each other, we’d come separately anyway. Tomas was watching the show, unfazed; hell, he looked like he was enjoying the hell out of it. Prick.

Willa grabbed her bag, and I took her hand, dragging her from the room.

I rushed her down the stairs and out the door. She wasn’t safe until I had her on the back of my bike and out of Jethro’s reach. He could send his goons after her at any moment. My only hope was that he was more interested in my fake cartel ties than Willa.

“Quick,” I gritted out when I reached my bike. “Put this on.”

I handed her my jacket and she quickly slipped it on. The thing was huge on her, swamping her tiny frame, but she didn’t mess around, obviously sensing my urgency. I climbed on and she threw her bag over her head, and slid on behind me.

“Where’s Tilly?” I asked her.

“With Fay for the night.”