Page 62 of Newton

"She's requested that you don't come along," Kincaid says as he approaches me.

"I--"

"I told her that we need you, but you'll stay out front of her," Kincaid explains.

I grind my teeth. "Since when does the client get to dictate what we do?"

Being in front of her and not being able to check on her well-being will be fucking torture for me and Kincaid has to know that.

"We're here to protect but also to make sure she's comfortable," Kincaid says. "Will there be a problem? Do I need to move someone else into your position?"

I pull in a deep breath, not bothering to look in her direction because she's made it very clear that she wants nothing to do with me right now.

"No, sir," I say.

"I can't have you distracted."

"I know what's at risk, and I will never put her in danger."

He nods before walking back across the room, and when Tug and Jinx enter the living room from the hallway, I know it's time to move. We're on the fifth floor, but we'll have people stationed on every floor despite having a keycard that keeps the elevator from stopping on other floors.

To some, it may seem like we're being extra or doing more than we should, but Nathan Adair has somehow managed to thwart every single case any organization has tried to build against him. The number of people who have disappeared is almost as many as those who have suddenly committed suicide or were involved in one-person fatal accidents.

We have reason to believe he'll try it here today as well.

I take the elevator down to the ground floor with Jinx and we stand to the sides as we send it back up to Kincaid and the others.

We're leaving early enough that the hotel lobby isn't very busy, but we're heading right into the Christmas holidays, and by the time we come back this afternoon, we'll have a different plan to help account for the influx of people here.

When the elevator doors open, Kincaid and Shadow step off in front of Brielle, and I can only imagine what it looks like to anyone watching.

I hate the sound of phones being pulled out and camera clicks. More than likely these people have no idea who she is, but they don't want to miss a chance at a celebrity sighting. They can do the research later to discover that rather than being a pop princess or someone in the entertainment industry, she's the stepdaughter of a vile man.

Every criminal in a hundred-mile radius will consider her a snitch. They won't even know and could possibly hate Nathan Adair, but anyone who has ever done something outside of the law will want to hurt her. It makes me hate the entire world right now.

A man walks up, and I know from the look of him that he's a fucking tourist, but when he steps in my path, phone up in front of his face to snap a picture, I shove him out of the way with more force than necessary.

He grumbles as he has to chase after his phone as it spins on the floor away from him.

"Asshole," I grumble, knowing everyone can hear me because of our connected mics.

Being in front also means I don't get to ride in the same SUV with her, and it kills me.

I nod at Deacon Black, owner of Blackbridge Security, as he and several of his men stand beside the row of dark SUVs.

Only half of Cerberus came to Ohio. The other half is back in New Mexico protecting the clubhouse where Kincaid ordered everyone to stay until we got back. I know it isn't the first time that this has happened, but knowing we're protecting Brielle from someone who has a history of going after families makes my skin crawl. It also makes me proud to be a part of this organization because a lot of people would've weighed their pros and cons and backed out. Kincaid isn't the type of man that will leave someone without help, but he's also responsible for so many people, I can't imagine it was an easy decision for him.

We don't pull away from the curb until Brielle is settled in the SUV that's two back from the one I'm in. City police escort us from the hotel and I know they were ordered to do so by the state's attorney, but their presence doesn't exactly fill me with confidence in our safety.

Brielle mentioned that coming back here would be a mistake. She said that Nathan had so many people on his payroll, but when Kincaid asked her directly for those names, she provided nothing. Nathan is so good with how he handles business even Wren with Blackbridge wasn't able to find anything that connected the crime lord with specific people in the police department.

When this trip was planned, I fully expected to be right by her side when she spoke to the state's attorney, but I know now that isn't going to happen. I'll work in whatever capacity I need to in order to keep her safe, but it still grinds my gears to watch her disappear into the prosecutor's office, leaving me standing outside.

She hasn't had a single conversation with the people inside since she came to the clubhouse, and from the lack of effort put into today on their part, it makes me wonder just how easily all of this is going to fucking fall apart. It's my girl's life they're fucking with and that makes me want to beat some fucking sense into every single one of them.

Chapter 30

Brielle

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