But I have zero fucks to give.
I’m paying these assholes to protect her, so how the fuck did Lawrence get anywhere near her?
I want to tear through them for placing her in harm’s way, but I need to focus on my love, because she’s the priority, and right now, she needs me. Selena is curled into a ball on the back seat with her fingers clasped around her necklace, rocking back and forth, in obvious pain.
I glare at Ray and Paul. “You’re both fired,” I snap.
“Keanu.” Kev appears behind me. “Let’s not be hasty until we know what happened.”
“He approached her in the auditorium,” Paul says. “And our agreement was to wait outside for Selena. We didn’t know, man.”
Ignoring all of them, I climb into the back seat, shoving my frame into the space between the front and back seats. “Selena. Baby. It’s Keanu. I’m here.” It kills me to see her like this. She hasn’t had an anxiety attack in weeks, and this has set her progress back.
I remove the vial of lavender oil from my pocket.
“We tried to do that,” Ray says, sounding remorseful. “But she wouldn’t let us touch her.”
“No shit, Sherlock.” I glare at them over my shoulder as I edge closer to Selena’s face. She’s staring vacantly into space with a glazed look in her eyes. “Sel, I’m going to touch your wrist, okay?”
Her eyes flit to mine for a brief second. A flare of recognition lighting and extinguishing almost as fast. I dab the oil on the inside of her wrist, rubbing it in before bringing it to her nose. “Inhale, sweetheart.” She breathes in and out. “That’s it. Long, deep breaths.” I perch on the edge of the seat, lifting her up a little as her posture relaxes. When she leans into me, circling her arms around my back, pressing her face into my chest and holding on to me for dear life, I close my eyes, thanking God for looking after her today.
I won’t ever forget getting that phone call from Ray. Or the terror that pierced my heart when he told me how close I came to losing her again.
I am not leaving her side for a single second.
Not until that bastard is behind bars or festering ten feet under.
“We need to get you inside,” I say after a few minutes. The FBI agents on the sidewalk are drawing attention, and some of our neighbors have come out to find out what’s going on.
She nods, clasping my hand and letting me help her out of the car. I tuck her in to my side, pushing her head down so the nosy onlookers don’t frighten her, and guide her inside the building and up to the condo.
I grab a blanket off the back of the couch before sitting down with Selena in my lap. Then, I cover us both as Keven, Agent Cunningham, and another guy I don’t know come into the apartment, followed by the two bodyguards.
Keven closes and locks the front door as Kent approaches us, handing me a mug. Minty steam rises from the top of the drink. “It’s peppermint tea,” he confirms, crouching down in front of us, looking at my girlfriend with clear concern. “You like that, right, Selena? It helps calm you down.” I don’t know when she told him that, but I’m grateful he remembered.
“Thanks, bro.”
“Thank you,” Selena whispers, reaching out to touch Kent’s hand.
Kent sits on the arm of the couch, pinning me with troubled eyes. He’s come to care about her, and he doesn’t like seeing her like this.
I know, man. I feel it too.
“What happened?” I ask in a clipped tone. Although my question was meant for the two idiots charged with protecting the love of my life, Selena is the one who answers.
“He was in my class, K.” Her hands cradle the mug. “I didn’t see him until the very end, and by then, it was too late. I couldn’t avoid him.”
“How the hell did he get in there without anyone seeing?” I direct my question to the three men in the room who are all supposed to have eyes on my girl.
The dark-haired FBI agent, who looks kinda familiar, clears his throat. “I’m Colin. I’m the FBI agent assigned to Selena,” he says.
“Awesome fucking job, dude,” Kent says, sneering.
Colin sends Kent a pointed look before returning his gaze to me. “Lawrence arranged a meeting with the head of the psychology department. Said he was looking for a consultant to work on his new show and he thought one of the professors might be able to help. He used that as an excuse to gain access to the building. He took the internal staff stairway to get into the auditorium. It bypasses the main hallway and lobby where we were waiting for Selena.”
“I thought an agent was watching Lawrence too?” My gaze flits to my brothers.
“There is an agent assigned to him, but Lawrence came out a back entrance in a different car with tinted windows.”
