Page 10 of Protecting Christina

She escaped his grasping hands and ran toward the front door.

I held the man in a vise grip, my arms in the perfect position to snap his neck if I wished to end the son-of-a-bitch’s life.

“My car is outside. I’ll be right there behind you.”

The woman blinked several times as she looked between us for a moment. Then she clutched her baby tightly to her chest and ran out the door.

My fingers twitched to finish this. I’d come into these homes enough times to know it didn’t always end here. Sometimes the women came back, and sometimes the men found them. Sometimes, there was a happy ending, and it was those times that kept me from pulling my gun and ending it right here.

The man tried to kick behind him, but this wasn’t my first scrimmage. “You’re going to get yourself some help because you’re no good right now for her or your baby.”

“Fuck you, man. Who the hell are you, anyway?”

I leaned into his ear and whispered, “I’m that baby all grown up.”

Then I jerked my knee up and slammed his temple hard against it.

Lights out, asshole.

I closed the door behind me and hoped he got the message.

When I returned to the car, the baby slept peacefully in his mother’s arms. She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Creases formed around her mouth and a tear fell down her cheek.

“Is he all right? Did you… you know…”

A part of me wanted to. It always did.

“He’s fine. He’ll have a headache in the morning, but he’ll be alright. Just make sure you take care of yourself.”

She sighed. “I will.”

I nodded and hoped that was the truth. I hoped she would not return and give him another chance, not until he got his shit together. I hoped she and that baby would have a long future together because that had not been the case for me and my mother.

3

Will

As usual, I was the first one to arrive at the office. I started bodyguarding shortly after my special ops team had been dismantled. A few friends who knew me, and knew what I was capable of, recommended me to protect their high-profile clients. Word of my skills and reputation spread fast, and before I knew it, I’d more requests than hours in the day. So, I called my brothers from the special ops team—Jake, Christian, and Jager—and asked if they would join me. Not one of them had hesitated.

I placed my thumb on the fingerprint scanner and waited for the red light to scan my retina. Jager had installed several high-tech security devices as soon as he joined my team.

The sound of my boots crossing the foyer’s hardwood floor was the only sound in the three-thousand-square-foot building. I often came here at night to research some of the men I suspected of hurting their partners. If any of them had any outstanding warrants or were in violation of their parole, I would make a call to the police station and have them picked up. It was the easiest solution I could come up with in desperate situations. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always a long-lasting one.

Last night, however, I’d gone home after driving the woman and her baby to the shelter and fell asleep on my couch. I’d been too exhausted to even make it to my bed.

After a long hot shower this morning, I was ready to start the day.

Shortly after having settled in at my desk, Jake walked into my office.

“Morning, Will.”

“Morning, Jake.”

My friend frowned when I looked up. “Did you get any sleep last night?” he asked.

I shrugged. “A little.” Then, wanting to change the subject, I asked, “What’s on your mind?”

His frown remained but he didn’t press me further. We had an unspoken rule among my brothers. We didn’t talk about our past or press each other with our problems. Whenever one of us wanted help, though, we would be there.

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