Page 56 of Protected By the Billionaire Ex-SEAL

But again, Raven surprises me when she clings tighter and finally responds.

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

* * *

I get a call from the sheriff and it’s not a good one.

“Shit, Christian. He posted bail. I had an emergency with an altercation between my father and father-in-law, so another cop handled the process with Sam. I didn’t think he would post bail tonight and didn’t brief anyone about his special case. I tried to track him down as soon as I found out, but he already skipped town. I’m sorry about this. I can have my men keep tracking him out of town…”

Curses ring in my head, regretting my decision to stay here. But I can’t regret it fully, not when it’s Raven who asked me to stay. I work on keeping calm and shake my head before I remember we’re on a phone call.

“No. I’ll call others to keep track of him. I’ve already set one of my agents to look for the hacker who helped him.”

“Are you sure? This is my fault. I already alerted the Nashville authorities to be on the lookout. But if he comes back to Sweet Haven…”

“You’ll handle it yourself now, I know. Thanks, Chuck.”

“No problem. I’ll brief all my men about the situation now, but this should never have happened…”

It shouldn’t have, but there’s not much I can do.

“It’s fine. Do what you need to do within your regulations. And keep me in the loop. I’ll make some calls.”

We hang up and I get busy.

I call my connections. I call the one in Nashville, asking my favor, then call everyone I know in every city where I think he might head. The bastard might think he’s home-free, especially since he was able to roam freely outside of California, but I’m going to make sure he has nowhere to run this time.

My last call is to an ex-soldier in San Francisco, who I know has connections to the cops there. As soon as I explain the situation, Jason is amenable.

“I’m on it, man. Don’t worry. We’ll keep watch over this bastard and close in on him. He’ll regret ever stepping back here.”

I thank him. It’s not the perfect solution and not what I want, but it’ll have to do. It’s difficult, but I know tightening the noose around his neck includes letting someone else deal with him—and it’s better that it’s someone else, otherwise my violent side might not be able to hold back.

As soon as we hang up, I check in on Raven, who’s at her corner nook and listlessly staring out the window. She glances at my approach, her face still shadowed.

“Raven…”

As if reading my mind, she shakes her head. “No. I’m not pressing charges.”

“Why not?”

She’s silent before she leaves her corner and walks over toward me. She meets my gaze, so I take her hand.

“I want to understand, Raven. Help me understand.”

She hesitates, but I can see her gathering her courage before she speaks.

“I want him behind bars, especially after what he did.”

I can sense a but coming. “Okay…”

“But I also feel bad for him.” I probably look unconvinced because she squeezes my hand. “Deep down, I know he has a good heart and is just…lost. Troubled. And the look on his face when you threatened him…he was scared, Christian. Truly scared. I know him enough to know that. I’m hoping it scared him enough to leave me alone for good and move on with his life. When he makes bail…”

“He made bail and skipped town.”

Her hand stiffens, but she takes a deep breath and shakes her head. “It doesn’t change my decision. I’ve had enough of harshness, and that includes dealing it out.”

My mind agrees, but my emotions are a different matter. I know victims tend to empathize with their abusers, and I hate that she’s too kind. At the same time, her kindness and compassion are her core characteristics, and I don’t want to take that away from her, either.

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