Page 50 of Stuck with My Bossy Protector

His smirk fades for a moment, and then he laughs again, shaking his head. “You’re something else.”

Noah is shoved through the bedroom door. He stumbles but manages to stay upright. We share a fleeting glance before the door is slammed shut behind him, and I’m left alone with Tim and the other man, whose name I still haven’t learned.

“Don’t you touch her!” Noah shouts and kicks at the door.

The man stares at me. “Scared?”

“Nope,” I reply.

“You’re lying. This little game you’re playing will not go over well with the boss. He prefers his women to be demure.”

“I’m not his woman. I don’t give a shit what he prefers.”

He laughs again. “I can’t wait to see him put you in your place.”

He opens the door and pushes me inside hard enough to knock me to the floor, nearly banging my head on the bed frame.

“Are you okay?” Noah asks.

“Fine. For now.”

“I’m so sorry,” he says.

I want him to hold me, but that’s not possible. My heart races, but I refuse to show my fear. The men outside are ruthless, but I won’t let them see me break. I look at Noah, my voice a low whisper. “What the hell is going on?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, tell me what is happening. Who are those men? Who’s Vincent?”

His head drops forward. He walks to the edge of the bed, which is nothing more than a box spring. I watch as he sits down and then looks up at me with sadness in his eyes—sadness and regret.

“I was hired to take a couple of guys to a property. It was vacant, but there was a boat dock. I just assumed they were fisherman. I never picked them up. I was only hired to fly them out. They were good customers. Paid well and tipped me. On one trip, I noticed one of them forgot a bag. They’d left in such a hurry; it must have slipped their minds. I looked inside, expecting to find fishing gear, maybe a wallet or phone.”

Noah pauses. He looks up at me, his eyes filled with guilt. “I found stacks of money and bags of...drugs.”

My heart drops. I feel sick as the truth slowly sinks in.

“I should have gone to the police,” he continues. “But I panicked. I thought if they found out I knew, they would come after me.”

I nod, taking it all in.

“I swear I didn’t know I was transporting drugs,” he goes on. “There was a sting operation, and I got busted. The DEA offered me a deal. I either gave them all the information I had, or they would send me to prison. Several of the men were arrested, but I was let go as part of the deal. I thought it was over. I thought they got them all. The day I flew you out here, I had my last meeting with the DEA. They told me it was handled. I was free to go. The investigation was done. I mistakenly assumed it meant they had them all in custody.”

His voice chokes on his words, his gaze not daring to meet mine. “I was wrong. Vincent was left. He somehow found out I was the one who gave them up.”

A desperate laugh erupts past my lips as I manage a bitter smile. “That’s quite the story.” As much as I want to be angry with Noah, I can’t be. He was sucked into something beyond his control and did what he felt was right in the moment.

The room falls silent as we each lose ourselves in our thoughts. The gravity of our situation is sinking in. “Are they a cartel or just local drug dealers?”

“I believe they might have some connection to a cartel, but I don’t know,” he shrugs. “I didn’t ask questions. When I got busted, I was shocked. When I saw the drugs, I was like, okay, just guys doing some shady stuff.”

“You kept flying them after you found the drugs?”

He looks ashamed. “Yes. I thought if I suddenly stopped flying them, they would know I knew, and they would come after me. On the last run, before we got busted, I told them I wouldn’t be able to fly them anymore. I told them I was going out of town. And then we got busted, so I’m pretty sure they figured it out.”

These men aren’t just after him—they’re after anyone associated with him, including me. “So, we’re both being hunted,” I say, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.

Noah nods, his expression pained. “I’m sorry. I thought it was over.”

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