Page 34 of Untamed Protector

“Is this the client I pulled the official file for?” Damien says, throwing me a smile as he picks up on Dominic’s cue. He walks over to the espresso maker, waving Dominic off and grabbing a cup for himself.

“That’s the one,” I reply.

Dominic catches up to him, blocking his way to the machine and motioning for Damien to sit down. “Let me show you what good coffee is all about. Not the gross stuff you usually get from vending machines. Or that crap you have at work.”

Damien hurls himself into an armchair without answering. This isn’t their first time playing this game. Dominic once offered him the job of heading up security for his business, but Damien said no. He wasn’t done settling some scores, and the shadows of his undercover days lingered.

“But why is there so little information on her?” I ask.

“For fuck’s sake, Gabe. She’s twenty-four,” Dominic cuts me off. “She’s been stuck in a tiny town her whole life, bored out of her mind. Of course, there’s not much information. And when she finally makes it to the big city, she somehow pisses off a bunch of people. That’s one way to put yourself out there.”

“Really?” Damien reacts. “What did she do? And why are we dealing with this case? Is she okay now?”

I nod, which only earns me a questioning look and an eye roll from Dominic.

“Yeah, Gabe. What did she do? Tell us all about your girlfriend.”

It grates on me every time Dominic calls Lexi my girlfriend. But there’s a spark, an undeniable connection between us. Maybe if I weren’t such a coward hiding behind technicalities, I’d find a better label for it. A label that explains why I spent the night dancing with her, why I brought her home instead of some safe house. Maybe I should rip the band-aid off and embrace this new girlfriend situation.

The three of us settle around the coffee table, where I lay out the menacing letters Lexi received, and they flip through them with furrowed brows.

“And that’s not all, unfortunately. She told me her dad got a similar letter today. The message was: You’d better keep your daughter close. She doesn’t belong in the city. Unless you want empty chairs at the dinner table forever. It’s a clear sign they’re willing to target her family, too. So, I thought it could be the Cartel.”

Damien’s face goes dark, his jaw clenching so hard that his teeth practically grind. His fists ball up at his sides, and his voice drops to a low growl. He’s trying to hold it in, but you can tell he’s furious. “Who the hell do these guys think they are, sending crap like this? What a bunch of gutless bullies. But hold on, this doesn’t feel like the Dark Sun’s style. Their threats are way gorier and, well, way more believable.”

“Damn it, Damien. You sound just like Lexi. She also didn’t think these guys were dangerous, but her car got hit last night and almost crashed. Maybe that would’ve made it bloodier.”

“Don’t get mad. I get that she’s your girl. I’m not saying she’s not in danger. What I mean is whoever is behind this is a whole different level of crazy. They could be even more dangerous if they like to toy with her. Definitely sociopathic.”

“You know what? Fuck you guys. You’ve been driving me nuts with this crap about her being my girlfriend. Are you seriously going to listen to Dominic?”

“I always listen to Dominic when it comes to women. Don’t you?” Damien says, laughing.

The harder I try to convince them, the more they’ll think the opposite. “Whatever. So, my girlfriend… So, Lexi needs help. I think Damien’s right about the author of these letters being some deranged lunatic. A madman’s threats are just as deadly. But we need to gather more intel. Are you guys in?”

“Always, brother,” Damien replies.

“You know I’ve got your back. No need to ask,” Dominic replies. “I teased the heck out of you, and all I got was a fuck you. Which makes me think something is happening between you two. You don’t have to save every green-eyed woman out there, but she might be the one. Come on, fill me in. Let’s get to work. What do you need?”

Just as I’m about to spill the whole story, I hear my phone buzzing frantically in my pocket.

“Sorry,” I say, taking a look. “Dean? Aren’t you supposed to be on your way to Lexi’s dad’s?”

“I am, Gabe. Just a few miles left. I got a call from our guy who tailed Lexi’s journalist friend today. Something happened at the girls’ house.” I put the phone on speaker while Dean continues. “So, her friend went to her place today. Our guy stayed outside, watching from a distance. When she entered the house, a man wearing a mask over his head ran out quickly. Our guy didn’t follow him but went inside to check on the house. The girl had been pushed against the wall and had a nasty scrape on her forehead. It probably needs stitches. They trashed the place and broke things. And there was a message on the mirror, written with lipstick: Tell that bitch to go back home.”

***

Things have gotten out of hand. Assault, injury, vandalism—these are calculated moves by someone who knows Lexi and her circle well. She stumbled into a viper’s nest, and the snakes were waiting to strike.

“Dean, rush over to her father. I’ll take over things at Lena’s place. Send me her number and the number of our guy there.”

“Okay, boss.” Dean hangs up, and soon I get the numbers I asked for.

Dominic stands up and heads to his desk, where he searches through his stuff, grabs the phone and dials a number. “I’ll take care of Lena; I’m calling her now. The house, too,” he says.

He stops for a second, his worried look turning into a comforting smile. It’s like he can imagine Lena right next to him. “Lena, hey. It’s Dominic Monti. I heard what happened. I’m sorry. Look, I’m with Gabriel. He told me everything. Is your head bleeding badly?”

He pauses briefly, waiting for Lena’s answer, then continues. “Keep applying pressure to the wound, okay? I’m sending someone from my hotel staff immediately to help you pack. They’ll take you to the Minerva Hotel, where you’ll be safe. My sister, who’s a doctor, will also be there to check on your head injury.”

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