Page 14 of Her Noble Protector

“Lisa, you’re good people. You’re in trouble. I’m here to help.”

“There must have been a lot of people you’ve run into over the years who have needed help. Have you camped outside their house too?”

Well, she had him there.

He sorted through his mind, then answered. “Cami’s been having some problems since Mexico. She’s been struggling. I don’t think you know this, but one of my team members and Cami have a history, goes back since they were kids in high school. It was strong and deep. She’s living with him now. Even with that kind of love and support, she still struggled and is in counseling. Nic says it’s helping.”

“Camilla Ross, right? I remember her. I remember what happened to her. It was…it was…” Lisa’s voice trailed off.

“It was, baby,” Raiden said as gently as he could. Again he considered his words carefully, knowing he was in landmine territory. “When those two men assaulted you both, my teammates were the ones who killed them.” This time he couldn’t keep his tone gentle.

“She tried to save me.”

“Yes, she did.”

“She put herself in danger for me. She got hurt because of me.”

“No baby, she didn’t. Get that clear in your mind, right now,” he rumbled. “They were animals. Everything that happened was on them. They were at fault, they were the enemy. They did the crime. In no way shape or form are you to blame for any of it.”

“But—”

“No buts. They were going to harm as many of you as possible. It was going to happen that night, rest assured. They were monsters and needed to die.”

Raiden listened hard to see if Lisa had any more to say. Instead, he heard what sounded like crying. God he wanted to hold her, he wanted to tell her he had her and would keep her safe.

“So, you asked me a question, do you remember?”

He gave it a minute, and she finally responded.

“What question?”

“You asked why I was here. I’ll tell you. Cami has been trying to get ahold of you. She’s been worried about you. Nic called me.”

“Nic, is that her high school sweetheart? The man she’s living with?”

“Yep, he’s a member of my SEAL team,” Raiden confirmed.

“I’m confused, why did he call you?”

“You’re asking a lot of hard questions today, aren’t you, Lisa?”

He heard a rustle, then the blinds moved just a little. The room inside was dark; he couldn’t see anything but two dainty fingers holding the blind open.

“Why you?”

“I’m the team medic. Do you remember me taking care of you?”

Again, he was met by silence, but he waited.

“Yes,” she said softly.

“While we were in Mexico, it took the longest time for me to get through to you, and that made sense. I got it. But when you finally came back to yourself, your first thought was about Cami and the students. You demanded to know how they were. I thought you were going to tear a strip out of me if I didn’t give you a detailed update. Do you remember that?”

“I remember. You promised me they were okay. You promised me.”

“Yep, that was me.”

The blind jerked back further.