Page 51 of Let Me Protect You

“Victor is here,” Serenity says, effectively cutting off my words and any thoughts. “And wherever he goes, so does the media. You need to go hide.”

“Who cares if Victor is here?”

Elias springs into action, eating up the distance to my bedroom. I run after him, but he’s already packing everything into my bags.

“If you’re seen with him, they may think you two reconciled,” Serenity says. Her words barely penetrate my brain as I try to take my bag back.

I don’t respond. My sister’s voice filters through the speaker again, but I can’t hear her words.

I snatch my clothes out of Elias’s grip and throw them on my bed. “I’m not going anywhere. How would anyone even know where I am or where I’m living? They’ll go to Serenity’s house so if anything, she needs to go stay at Sully’s.”

Elias is already shaking his head, but I forge on before he can argue. “We can skip work for a few days. Try to wait out the storm.”

“They already know you’re in Granite Falls. If you go with Sully, far away from here, you’ll be safer.” He looks at me finally and lets loose a heavy sigh. “I can’t leave Abigail and Barb there by themselves for too long.”

“Why the hell not?”

He huffs out a breath. “Because I own Cutesy’s now. It’s my full-time job. You know I already retired from this line of work. I only took this job because Sully needed me to protect you.” He swings his head to look over at me.

I swallow hard and flutter my eyelashes. Did I hear him correctly? He owns Cutesy’s? “Why wouldn’t you tell me that? You let me walk around there like a fool—”

He doesn’t let me finish my sentence and says, “You didn’t look like a fool. Abigail was about to tell you that I own it, but I wasn’t ready for you to know, so I cut her off. If anything, it looks bad on me.”

I shake my head, tears filling my eyes, and Elias starts packing my bag again. He’d rather me go with Sully all the way to New York than stay here with him. After everything we just did …

“This is all happening wrong.” Elias starts mumbling under his breath as he grabs the rest of my clothes that are still in the dresser.

“What’s all happening wrong?”

He looks up at me, and it’s almost as if his entire body tenses. “Us. Harmony. Us.”

I flinch and take a step back.

His dark eyes widen, and he drops my bag onto the bed, immediately coming to my side. “I don’t mean that the way it sounds.” He pulls me in for a hug, crushing me to his chest. “I wasn’t lying when I said I’ve dreamt about you ever since you left. I’ve been waiting for you to return because you’re it for me.”

Tears leak out of my eyes before I even realize I’m crying. “Then don’t make me go.”

After all of our time away from each other, we finally get a second chance, and he pushes me away before we can find happiness together. Maybe I can learn to live with the loss of my mother as long as that means I get to keep Elias.

“Hello!” My sister’s voice penetrates the silence.

I somehow forgot she’s still there and press the phone back to my ear. “I’m sorry. Elias is kicking me out of his house. Can I call you back?”

“No, I need you to listen to me. I kind of told Victor about the texts, and he’s calling his personal bodyguard to come help.”

Out of everyone, I never expected Serenity to betray my trust like this. She can never keep her nose out of my business, still acting like I’m a child to be mothered.

“Why would he do that?” I snap out. “Can he just go back to New York? That would help immensely.”

Serenity says something in the background then returns to me and says in a sharp tone, “No, he won’t leave until this is figured out.”

I sigh and rub my temple with my free hand. How did I find the one billionaire who isn’t obsessed with work and wants to stay here in Granite Falls? But if this means I can stay here with Elias, then my mind is made up.

I glance over at the traitor. His wide, dark eyes take me in. Grudgingly, I say, “What do you think?”

Elias’s shoulders relax slightly. “If he sends his bodyguards, you won’t have to go to the city with Sully and we can be together.”

I nod once at his words and say to Serenity, “Tell him I agree.”