Page 12 of Protecting Christina

“Don’t worry, Nikole. Jake told me all about it.” I looked around the office, searching for the exits and escape routes should Christina ever need to use them.

The office wasn’t particularly big, but there were lots of windows and opportunities for people to break in.

She pulled on my sleeve to get my attention. “Will, I’m serious. I told Jake that I want you to look into it, but Christina has flatly refused any type of protection.”

“I understand.” I patted Nikole’s arm, and she looked at it pointedly. “I’ve dealt with situations like this before, and I know all about difficult clients.”

I winked and grinned widely to remind her that I knew all about what happened between her and Jake.

She didn’t return my smile. Instead, she crossed her arms and shook her head. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Nikole turned to walk away, but I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “Which one is Christina’s office?”

She sighed deeply and pointed to the one next to hers. “Perfect. Thanks.”

I walked back with her down the hallway. The offices were separated by glass only and while it was probably soundproof, it didn’t leave much in the way of privacy. Perhaps that was the point.

When Nikole entered her office, I continued next door to Christina’s.

A woman sat cross-legged at a glass desk in front of a silver laptop. Her straight black hair skimmed the top of her shoulders. I couldn’t see the color of her eyes as they were hidden behind glasses reflecting a blue light from her screen.

I knocked lightly on her door, and she looked up. Her lips, which were previously turned downward, curled up and she pulled her glasses below the bridge of her nose. “Can I help you?”

Brown. Her eyes were brown, and they sized me up from my head down to my toes as her red lips curled higher into a brilliant smile.

A simmer of electricity pulsed between us and I smiled back. “Hi.” My voice was deeper than usual, so I cleared my throat. “My name is Will Nash. I’m a friend of Jake’s and Nikole's.” I shoved my hands in my pocket, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. I knew at 6’4 and weighing more than two hundred pounds, I could come across as intimidating.

That flirty smile vanished, and in its place was a thin line of disapproval. She pushed her glasses up and stared back at her screen. “There’s been a misunderstanding, Mr. Nash. I do not require your services.”

Her cold response and dismissal immediately shut down any spark that was there just a moment ago. All that was left was a cold and awkward silence between us.

I cleared my throat again. “I understand the difficult situation you are in,” I began. “I want you to know that I am here to help you.”

I might as well have pleaded my case to a brick wall. She kept her face down and her eyes away from me. It was as though she hadn’t heard a word.

I approached her desk. “Christina—”

“Please step back, Mr. Nash. I haven’t invited you in. I have a lot of work to do and don’t have time to waste on redundant conversations.”

Redundant? We’d barely spoken for two minutes.

I tried a different approach.

“I understand your sister may be in trouble. I—”

“My sister is fine.” She finally looked up again. Then, leaning back in her chair, she crossed her arms under her chest, pushing her cleavage past the first button of her black blouse.

I immediately schooled my eyes up toward her face, ashamed of having been distracted so easily.

“I saw my sister and I’m handling the situation.” She ran her hand through her silky black hair, exposing a large bandage that had been hidden underneath a layer of hair.

“Is that how you handled it?” I asked, nodding toward her injury.

She yanked her hand down and fixed her hair over the bandage once again. “I said ‘handling’. It’s going to take some time, but I don’t need any help. So, if you don’t mind, please see yourself out.”

Her mouth tightened as she resumed reading on her laptop. My hand fisted at my side.

I should leave. She’d asked me to go. But I’d heard that many times before, even from my own mother, until it was too late. Something in my gut told me she was in over her head.

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