“You think he has an ulterior motive?”
“Possibly, but for what? His daughter was kidnapped and brutalized—I can’t believe there’s an upside to that?”
“Something monetary?”
“Not for him. If he’s going to hire you as a full-time bodyguard, he’ll have to pay, no matter what. Your time and services aren’t free.”
I gaze back at Allora’s room.
“I’m sorry if I got us into some kind of shit storm,” I say quietly. “And I don’t care about getting paid.”
He shakes his head. “You did a good thing and you are absolutely getting paid. Imagine what would be happening to her now if you hadn’t gotten involved?”
That makes my skin crawl.
“I can’t even consider that.”
“Neither can I. So don’t second-guess yourself.”
“Thanks, boss.”
He smiles. “I’m going home, but I’ll check in tomorrow. If you need back-up, reach out.”
“Rage is on his way. I’ll be fine.”
He gets on the elevator, and I watch the doors close before wandering back toward Allora’s room. I peek in, glad to see that she’s asleep. She’s on her side, blankets pulled tight around her.
“She finally stopped fighting sleep,” the nurse from before says. “She needs the rest.”
“She does.” I turn to her. “I know there are rules. I’m just not willing to leave her. Not after what she’s been through.”
The nurse nods. “It’s okay. Go on in and try to get comfortable. I’ll find you an extra blanket. It gets cold overnight.”
I tend to run hot but I appreciate the sentiment, so I nod. “Thank you.”
Then I sink down in a chair that’s much too small to sleep in and stretch out my legs.
This is definitely not how tonight was supposed to go but it’s okay.
Rescuing a woman from a sex trafficking ring is never a bad thing.
Taking down said trafficking ring would be better.
And take them down is exactly what I’m going to do.
Chapter Six
Allora
I wake up gradually, noise from the corridor pulling me from slumber. I slept better than I thought I would. Probably because when I opened my eyes in the middle of the night I saw Landon dozing in the chair next to me. Even though the nurse told him to leave. Even though he doesn’t owe me anything.
But he stayed.
And I slept.
Now my bladder is demanding attention and I sit up.
Landon immediately blinks awake. “You okay?” he asks, eyes meeting mine.
