Page 24 of Untamed Protector

“My dad and Lena.”

“Where does your father live?”

“Istria, forty miles from Tomis City, where Peter has a factory. You should know that already if you’re in charge of protecting his business.”

He doesn’t take the bait and keeps going, his tone bossy again. “Someone will stay with him for a while. You can’t visit him until this is all over.”

“He’ll be worried sick if I don’t see him. I need to talk to him before you send one of your hired muscles to his place.”

“Sure, you talk to him. And don’t worry about it. I’m sending Dean. You met him; he’s as innocent as they come.”

“From the neck up, maybe. Those biceps say otherwise. But sure, I guess Dean’s okay.”

“He’s got a special life story. He’ll enjoy spending time with your dad. What does he do now?”

“My dad used to work at Peter’s factory back in the day. But now that he’s retired, he’s taken on a whole new persona. He’s become a bit of a sage, you could say. Everyone in our little town loves him. He has this talent for reviving old things or fixing up broken toys. He’s turned our garage into his little sanctuary, where he chats with clients and works his magic on their items.”

“Yeah, that won’t work. I’ll talk to Dean and ask him to limit his visitors for a while.”

“Hell no!” The nerve of this man, to think he can control everyone! “Let me be clear. You’re not changing anything in my dad’s routine. Send as many men as you want, but let him carry on with his life as he wants. Oh, by the way, Saturdays are when he goes to the flea market to find old stuff to fix up. I usually go with him and help. I guess that’ll be Dean’s job now.”

My answer catches him off guard. His eyes widen, and a frustrated huff escapes him as he rakes his hands through his hair—a sign of his carefully constructed composure crumbling. This might be the first time I’ve seen him lose control. Score one for me, I guess.

“Okay, I’ll tell Dean. We’ll talk about it later,” he grumbles.

Like that’s going to happen! “There’s nothing to talk about. I just told you how it is. I do what you want. My dad does what he wants.”

He smiles. It’s like noticing a rare animal in the wild. “So, we agree you’ll do as I ask. We’re off to a great start. I knew you’d reconsider. You’re a smart woman.”

Why did that sound more like a backhanded compliment? Maybe I should dial it back a notch. This constant back-and-forth is precisely what he wants—to mess with me, to break my focus. Not this time.

“There’s also Lena to think about,” he continues. “You two are close, right? She could be in danger, too.”

Is he for real? Is he thinking of watching Lena, too? I’d like to see you try that, buddy.

“Good luck in getting Lena to do what you want. And I mean it. You’re going to need it.”

“Then I’ll get Dominic to watch her.”

“Please don’t. That’s the worst idea ever. They’ll kill each other within the first five minutes.”

“Why? I thought Lena was a fan of Dominic’s.”

“Hardly. You don’t know the full story. Dominic kicked her out of his club. She hates his guts. They absolutely cannot be in the same room.”

Gabriel laughs, and I realize that’s helping me loosen up a bit as well.

“Plus, why should Dominic have to deal with your client? Are your clients his, too?”

Gabriel raises an eyebrow and smirks. That’s an answer.

“Let me guess, another favor? Everyone seems to do you favors. And every once in a while, you return them. You return them, don’t you?”

“You know, this won’t work if you keep picking on me. Especially if we’re going to live together.”

Now, this is just too much! “First, I’m not picking on you. And when I do, I’m just returning the favor. Second, we won’t be living together. That’s not what this is. I’ll just be a guest at your house for a short while. That’s all.” I hope this clarifies it for him. Be careful with the wording, Mr. Ross.

“Sure. That’s one way to look at it,” he says. “To be clear, I’m not picking on you either. I’m just trying to keep up. Second, the living together thing, call it what you want. You’re going home with me. And you’ll do as I say. That was the deal, right? Remember what you said a few minutes ago?”

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