Page 30 of Her Noble Protector

“And you?”

“I’m working with their leader. He’s stuck in his ways, he doesn’t think he needs us. He needs to go. His second-in-command is a good guy, so I’ll be making a recommendation that he be put in charge.”

That was how it worked; if you were in the field you didn’t have much time to figure things out—you had to get shit sorted fast and move on down the road, otherwise, people got hurt.

“Now your turn, how’s it going?” Max asked.

“She spiraled into agoraphobia.”

Max was silent. “Raiden,” Max started slowly. “Based on who she is, her job and everything, I’m surprised that one incident sent her that far off the rails. After all, the woman I saw in Mexico was such a goddamn fighter.”

Raiden had thought the same damn thing. He in no way, shape, or form wanted to belittle the trauma Lisa had suffered at the hands of the animals in Mexico. God knew that could knock a lot of people, man or woman, into a hell of a spiral, but this had taken him by surprise.

Until he had heard her dream about Damon.

“Max, I’m not going to get into any of Lisa’s personal business with you, okay?”

“Sure. I wouldn’t want you to,” Max replied immediately.

“But I’m not sure this is the first trauma she’s gone through.”

“Ah fuck,” Max breathed out. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“Exactly.”

“Goddammit, Raiden. What in the hell can I do to help?”

Raiden turned on his blinker and pulled into the Italian restaurant’s parking lot.

“If I think of anything, I’ll let you know.”

For the longest time, there was silence on the line, so long that Raiden thought the call had been dropped.

“Max, you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. Can I say something?”

“Shoot.”

“I’ve got to say, with all this swirling around this woman, she couldn’t be in better hands.”

Ah hell.

“Gotta go, Max. You stay safe, you hear?”

“Always.” He could hear the grin in his Lieutenant’s voice.

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

* * *

Lisa pulled the cardigan tight around her body against the fresh, cool evening air and looked at the food in front of her. Raiden hadn’t left it in a Styrofoam container—he’d put it on a paper plate and had plenty of napkins, and four different beverages available for her along with a cup to use. Then there was the camp lantern. The man had gone all-out.

“You doing okay?”

She nodded and pulled the sweater even tighter as she sat on the edge of the chair. Raiden was relaxed as he sat lower on the side of the lounge chair.