Page 25 of Protecting Christina

“Yes!” Gabby beamed, but I groaned a little inside.

“Did you say, ‘black knight?’” Will asked.

Gabby’s cheeks reddened. “It’s just a nickname Chrissy and I gave you.”

Christina closed her eyes.

“Chrissy?”

“Oh, sorry. I’ve known Christina since we were ten. I’ve always been Gabby to her, and she’s always been Chrissy to me.”

Will opened his mouth, and I knew what was coming next.

“Don’t even think about it,” I snapped.

He chuckled and put his hands up in surrender.

I couldn’t believe Will was our black knight. Ugh.

“Back to my nickname. Why black night? I thought the term was a white knight.”

Gabby seemed more than happy to answer his question. “Well, since you always swoop in after midnight and usually wear dark clothing, the black knight seemed more fitting and gave you an air of intrigue.”

He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Yeah. I like it.”

I rolled my eyes and leaned forward again. “Can we get back to why he’s here?”

“Oh, yes. Faye called last night. She said her husband was getting suspicious of her phone calls and she’s worried he might show up during your meeting tonight. He is supposed to be out with friends, but she said she has a bad feeling about it.”

I waved off her concerns. “It’ll be fine. Now that her leaving is getting closer to becoming a reality, it can be scary. I’ll talk her through it. Don’t worry.”

Gabby pursed her lips. “I don’t know. I agree that it’s better to be safe than sorry. Besides, Will’s already here and adds another layer of safety to the meeting. He’ll be your bodyguard for the night.”

My fists clenched in my lap. “I don’t need a bodyguard. I’ve never needed one when I met with the other women.”

“Those times were different. The men were at work. Besides, Will is already here and available.”

Will turned to me and winked. “Ready and able to protect you.”

I narrowed my eyes. He knew how much those words would piss me off. Yet, he still teased me. Ironically, him knowing my reaction softened the blow instead of making me angrier.

“As long as you know your place, then I’m fine with it. And you’re there to protect Faye. Not me.”

“Whatever you say.”

Again, I watched him suspiciously. “That sounds a little condescending.”

“Does it?”

“Yes, it does.”

Gabby looked at us. A wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows, but it quickly disappeared, and a grin formed on her lips. “How do you two know each other?”

“Will is Nikole’s husband’s—”

“I saved her from some duct tape.”

“You didn’t save me,” I cried. “You removed the duct tape and then left. That’s hardly—”

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