Strong hands come up and gently grip my arms. His fingers flex.
“Please,” I beg.
He swears softly, then, “You’re coming with me, Princess. I’ll take you somewhere safe until this is sorted out.”
Before I can protest, he scoops me into his arms and carries me to his truck as if I weigh nothing.
I shouldn’t go with this stranger. I don’t even know him. But as my panic subsides, I realize that for the first time in months, I feel safe.
CHAPTER THREE
BRONCO
She freezes in my arms,then slowly relaxes.
Can’t say I blame her. Two men just tried to grab her off the street and here I am finishing the job. “Name’s Bronco King. I work for Lone Star Security.”
“You’re the bodyguard my father hired.” Her voice is flat, but she grips me tighter. “How did you find me?”
Sheer fucking luck, but I don’t tell her that. Instead, I open the truck door and gently set her on the seat. My coat practically swallows her, but it’s not enough. I grab the blankets I keep in the backseat and tuck them around her. “Later. We gotta move.”
After she’s secure, I crank up the heat and get the hell out of there. Those thugs will be back with reinforcements. This wasn’t some random kidnapping.
I glance at the woman beside me. She’s shivering despite the hot air blasting the cabin, and I don’t like how pale she is. It’s a cold night, and that wedding dress didn’t cover much before it was ripped. One of those flimsy little straps broke, leaving the lace holding on with only a prayer, and strips of tattered satin and lace were fluttering every time she moved, giving glimpses of a silky thigh.
The thought of her anywhere near those thugs, looking like she does, makes my stomach knot. I force myself to unclench my hands from the steering wheel and draw a steady breath.
My heart is still jackhammering in my chest. I was doing a grid search of the general area looking for places someone might stash her when I turned onto this street, and a flash of white hit my headlights. She turned, fighting her attackers, and suddenly I was looking at the woman I’d been hired to protect.
Finding her barefoot in a wedding dress raises a hell of a lot more questions about this case, but it was the stark fear on her face as she begged me not to take her back to her family that changed things. I couldn’t blindly follow orders. Not when she looked like she’d rather keep running than face that fate. A primal instinct reared up, demanding I stand between her and anyone who would scare her. Even her own family.
No one will hurt her while she’s under my protection.
I rub the back of my neck, jaw tight. Nothing about this situation or my reaction to her makes sense.
Answers will have to wait. For now, I need to assess her condition, but we need cover.
I drive until I find a large shopping center and park at the end of a row of cars under the light.
“I need to get a look at your injuries,” I tell her.
Camille gives a small nod.
She’s coherent. That’s good.
I leave the truck running and circle around to her side to open the door. I hate that a gust of cold air rushes in, but it can’t be helped. If she needs a hospital, I need to know now.
Kneeling down beside her, I slowly reach for her hands. “I’m going to check your hands and feet, okay? How do you feel?”
“Scared,” she whispers.
Her fingers are cool but not icy like when I found her. That’s good. Her body is slowly warming up. I rub her hands gentlybetween mine and meet her luminous eyes. For a moment, my lungs freeze, like I can’t remember how to breathe. Then air rushes back in, leaving me feeling... strange. Uncomfortable.
“No one’s gonna hurt you, Camille.”
She squeezes my hand lightly, and that tiny show of trust makes me feel like a fucking superhero.
What the hell is wrong with me?
