Page 12 of Let Me Protect You

“As much as he could.”

“Oh, my goodness. Did you…” I pause and look around, before loud-whispering, “torture him?”

Elias throws his head back and laughs. Until now, he has been stone-faced, but he has tears leaking out of his eyes at how hard he’s laughing. After a few more moments, he sobers and says, “No. We don’t torture people.”

“So, he just told you everything?” Elias nods, so I say, “Wow, what a wimp.”

A chuckle rumbles out of Elias’s chest, and I can’t help but laugh with him.

“He only told us that there’s a middleman who hands out assignments. He doesn’t know his name because he goes by ‘The Tagger.’ But Sully agreed to have one of his local men follow up that lead so we can get out of here.”

“And where do we go now?”

Elias stares so deeply into my eyes, it’s like he’s seeing my soul. “We go back to Granite Falls. And then you move in with me.”

I widen my eyes. “What? I can’t move in with you. Are you sure you didn’t bump your head, too?”

He gives me an unamused look. “I didn’t hit my head. Do you want Serenity and Summer to be in danger? What will you do if something happens to them just because you don’t want to stay at my house?”

What will I do if something happens to them because of me? Yesterday was too close. If I hadn’t called Sully … I’d never forgive myself. So, even when Elias is frustrating, I have to remember he’s what’s best for us.

“Fine. I’ll talk to her,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Tonight?”

I throw my hands up. “Yes, tonight. Can you drop it now?”

He clasps his fingers in front of his body so hard that his knuckles turn white. “What? Drop it like you dropped me when you left early?” His tone suddenly drips with disdain. Even though I never expected him to like me again, this sounds more.

I rear back. This conversation took such a turn I almost got whiplash. “I dropped you?” I laugh so maniacally that I glance at the door, afraid someone might pop in. Looking back at him, I finish, “That’s not what I remember.”

He narrows his dark brown eyes at me. “No? Then how do you remember it?”

My muscles tense, preparing for a fight. “What I remember is the truth. I don’t need to rehash it now. It’s about four and a half years too late.”

“Sure.” He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. “Let’s get through our time together the best we can.”

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

His gaze pierces me, snaring me to my spot. “I’ve had all that time since you’ve been gone to dwell on it, and I guess I couldn’t hold it in now that I have you in front of me. This,” he motions between us, “has to work or else next time you could lose your life.”

I raise a brow. “You started it. I agreed to your ludicrous plan.”

Elias’s eyebrows pinch, and his forehead creases.

Is he worried about me because it’s his job? Or does he still have feelings for me? He’s still upset about how things ended … And … and …

God, I’m still such a mess. I’m assuming it has only been a few hours since my wedding, and I’m wondering if my ex still has feelings for me. And I’m trying to figure out how to tell Serenity that I’m moving in with my ex-boyfriend.

“Stop overthinking right now.” His voice is low. “You can tell her later. For now, we need you to rest up so we can drive the six hours back to Granite Falls.”

He can still read me like I’m his favorite book, and he has every line memorized. Or maybe I just wear my emotions on my sleeve. Stop thinking that he’s the same guy from before. He can barely be in your presence without throwing accusations at you.

Elias pushes off the bed. He bounces on the heels of his feet with his thumbs in his belt loops. “How about we go eat? Some Chinese food takeout just arrived before I came in.”

“I’m not really hungry,” I lie. The last thing I need is to be around Elias more than necessary. My stomach rumbles, and we both glance down.

“I’m pretty sure your stomach just shook the entire apartment complex.”