Page 21 of Untamed Protector

I force a nod, but Peter’s behavior is off. He’s usually composed and organized. Now, he seems on edge, almost paranoid. I don’t want his attitude to get to Lexi. It’s not making things better.

“Peter, I think you and I can discuss more later. I’ll call you or stop by if I have other questions. Right now, I’d like to talk to Lexi. Alone.”

He nods, avoiding my gaze. “Just… keep her safe,” he mutters. “Call me for anything, Gabe. I want to say I really appreciate the help. I know you rarely do this,” he says before walking out. Something’s fishy here, and Peter being all secretive just makes me more suspicious. Whoever is behind these threats is not fooling around, and I need to identify them quickly.

Before he leaves the room, Peter gives Lexi a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. Her response, however, is puzzling: a seemingly involuntary flinch as her eyes dart between me and the window. A moment of confusion followed by a deep sadness settles on her face. Is she reliving a painful memory triggered by his touch? One thing’s clear, though. She’s not comfortable.

How she came to work for Grain Inc. here in the city is clear, but her connection to the Maier family remains a mystery to me. I only know that Anita doesn’t like her. But that’s hardly surprising. Anita doesn’t like any woman except herself. Men, however, she devours them. I’ve kept my distance from her venomous bite.

I get up and push the door shut again. Peter already closed it, but I want Lexi to understand that it’s just us now. Working with her would be much smoother if I could recreate the connection we had last night at the Casino. But first, I need to break down her defensive walls. This entire setup—being stuck with me—is clearly unwelcome. I feel I’m in her way, and I can’t figure out why. Not yet, at least.

“Hey, it’s just you and me now. We can take our time to talk about this. There’s no hurry.”

“Really? Don’t you have other things to do? Who’s paying for these protection services you’re offering me?”

“I’m doing Peter a favor.”

“A big favor, by the looks of it. How come?”

“Peter is very generous with some projects that are important to me.”

“I see. One hand washes the other.”

“I wouldn’t put it like that, but yeah. That’s not something for you to be worried about. But you should worry about those threats and take them seriously. Especially after what Peter said.”

“Do you think so? If they wanted me dead, you and I would’ve never met.”

That felt harsh. The thought of losing her, even after such a short time, stings. I can’t bear the idea of failing to protect someone I care about. I have to wake her up to the reality.

“What happened to your car last night was way worse than some letters. You get that, right? You were with Lena last night, so she was in danger, too.”

“Do you know who it was? The car behind us? You said I shouldn’t call the cops. I guess you have a reason for it?”

“It’s a dead end. Someone hired two thugs specifically for this job. All we know is a man called them. We’re trying to track the phone number.”

“When were they contacted?”

“Two days ago. They followed you around, waiting for the right moment.”

“What were they hired to do?”

“Just to give you a good scare. Like a message, sort of. But because they were a bunch of amateurs, they could’ve caused a major accident with multiple victims. You got lucky this time.”

“And next time I won’t?”

“Next time, you’ll be with me or my team.”

“Is that how it’s going to be from now on? No privacy? Or consent? Is that how it works? Are you constantly going to be spying on me? Like that bug you planted last night?”

“Why do you see it as spying? It helped us figure out you got attacked. We sent Dean to follow you, but when he heard your conversation, he called for backup so we could help you and deal with those bastards at the same time.”

She’s pissed because of the microphone. Maybe she’s worried about her privacy, or maybe she’s hiding something else. Which one it is?

“I know Peter is your employer. That’s why I asked him to give us space to talk alone. From now on, what happens to you, to us, is none of Peter’s business. I’m responsible for you; he’ll just know I’m taking care of things.” My words should reassure her if she’s worried about Peter or losing her job.

“You think that makes me feel better? Taking care of things could end up badly for me. I know nothing about you. You barge into my life, you invade my privacy, and now you want me to trust you. How do you expect me to do that?”

She’s right. It’s all happening so fast for her. There are moments when she’s fiercely defensive. It’s as if she’s protecting a secret. And I just stormed into her life without warning.

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