Page 37 of Untamed Protector

“Not yet. But we will. Soon.” Then he continues, turning away from me and leaning back in the driver’s seat. “There’s a bag with your things in the back. Someone brought it from the hotel. Lena packed it before she left the house. I’m guessing it was difficult for her to do that after the assault. If you’re missing something important, we can take care of it tomorrow.”

I sneak a peek back at the seat. My travel bag looks like someone stuffed a hippo in it. Did he go snooping? I can’t stop flicking my eyes between the bag and him, like we’re playing some weird game of hot potato. I can feel him watching me out of the corner of his eye, too.

Then I hear the engine start. “Buckle up,” he asks. “And just so you know, I didn’t look inside.”

He waits until I click my seatbelt in before starting the car. I try to stay calm, but my stomach’s doing backflips as panic sets in. If he can read people like a book, there’s no way I’m fooling him. Being on guard is going to fry my brain. Here I am, fumbling with this dumb seatbelt like I’ve never buckled up before, my hands shaking like crazy.

A jolt shoots through me as Gabriel leans in to buckle me up. Our hands brush when he takes the belt, sending a spark up my arm. As he fumbles with the buckle, my head bumps against his bicep. Heat floods my cheeks, and my heart starts hammering into a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I only spent half a minute close to Gabriel, and already I feel like a tangled mess of nerves. How will I be able to live with him for God knows how long?

It’s a relief when he starts the engine, and we slowly take off. He’s focused on the road, hands on the wheel. That gives me time to get my act together. I’ve never had a man turn my life upside down like this guy has, practically overnight.

Twenty-four hours ago, Gabriel Ross was accusing me of crashing his event. Now, we’re driving over to his place, where I’ll be sleeping in his bed and hearing him shower or see him sleep… naked. Shit. Half-dressed Gabriel will probably become a household staple. My new mission: suppress blush, swallow, and stare.

“Is it a long drive?” I ask, struggling to break the tension. And then it hits me: he hasn’t said a word about where I’ll be staying. I’m guessing he has a place downtown that’s easy to reach and close to where he needs to be. Probably close to his buddy, Dominic.

“There’s hardly any traffic. We’ll be there soon enough.”

Hmm, he’s being cagey. Soon enough? What does that mean? Did Lena remember to put that burner phone in my bag? I need to talk to her before bed.

“Do you live alone?” I blurt out and immediately clamp my mouth shut, wishing I could take it back.

“Yeah.” Clear and concise. He probably thinks that’ll shut me up, but it just gets me going. I deserve at least a little heads-up.

“I know this must annoy you, but everything feels so out-of-control right now. It’s like I’m not even making my own choices anymore. I just… I need to know where I stand and what’s happening. You’re just moving me around like some luggage, and I don’t know when or where.”

“You don’t annoy me. I’m the one who offered to take you in. It makes the job easier.” He takes his eyes off the road for a second and turns to me. “You have all the information you need for now. We still need to talk about what’s going on, but I don’t want to push you. I’m used to these situations. You’re probably not.”

I don’t answer. I don’t want to lie if I don’t have to. But I’ve been through way worse than this guy thinks. I just need to avoid talking about myself. At all, if possible. But I’m curious to know more about him. I looked him up online earlier. All I found was his company website and Facebook account, but nothing personal. He’s not on social media, and I only found a few boring pictures on the company accounts of some stuffy events he attended. I tried dozens of search terms: Gabriel Ross’ girlfriend, Gabriel Ross’ fiancé, ex-wife, mistress, scandal, friends—anything to figure this guy out.

But there’s literally nothing about him online. It’s like he has a special talent for erasing his digital footprint. Gabriel Ross doesn’t exist outside his company—no home address, no vacation photos, and not even a hint of any hobbies. The only thing I found was the Casino video of the two of us that the tabloids grabbed, probably because Lucas was in it, too.

It’s nine p.m., and the streetlights cast a warm glow on the city. From what I can tell, the car is going north. Okay, so he clearly doesn’t live downtown. He probably has a place in the newly built neighborhood by the sea. That makes sense. Why didn’t I think of that from the start? With all the business he has, he’s probably loaded and lives in a fancy villa.

The car keeps rolling down the road, and neither of us says a peep. Gabriel’s eyes are glued to the road like he’s trying to memorize every bump. But every few seconds, he scrunches his face up in a frown. Did something bad happen today? Something he doesn’t want to tell me? We’re way past all the exits that I know, practically zooming out of the city. My palms are sweaty, and I have no clue where we’re headed.

“Gabriel, where are we going? Why are we exiting?” The city shrinks in the mirror, replaced by darkness. What if this is a trap? What if Gabriel’s hiding something… something dangerous? My breath catches. No one will even hear me if he takes me to some sketchy area and I need to scream for help.

“We’ll be right there.”

Hell, he doesn’t even try to comfort me. Damn it. I’m not going to let this happen. I deserve to know where we’re going, who he is, where he lives, anything that might affect me. I’m not some kid. I’m a grown-ass woman.

“Pull over. Pull over now, Gabriel!” I raise my voice, and it comes out screeching. Good. Let him hear that.

“Pull over, I said.” Ignoring the rising chorus of beeps, I unbuckle my seatbelt.

“What happened? Let me look for a spot to pull over. I can’t just stop anywhere. Are you all right?” Worry cracks in his voice. He yanks the car off the road, stopping near a bus shelter.

“Are you okay? Why did you shout?”

“No, I’m not okay. I don’t know where I’m going, I don’t know who you are, I know nothing about the situation I’m in. I’m not going anywhere unless you talk to me. Not until you tell me everything.”

“We don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to. Tell me where you want to go, and I’ll take you.”

Streetlights blur by as I stare out the window. I need a plan. Where do I even want to go? Before I tell him, I need to get my head straight. I always figure things out. I’m a survivor—I’m the child who didn’t die, the one who survived. I got a new chance at life, so I can’t give up.

My first instinct is to tell him to take me to Lena’s. But that won’t work. The house is a mess, and Lena is at Dominic’s hotel. I could stay with her, but that would only put her in more danger. Same if I go to my father’s. I’ll put him at risk, too.

Nowhere. There’s literally nowhere else to go. The weight of that truth presses down on me, suffocating. I’m a danger to everyone I love. Isolation, I can handle. Being disliked… that’s an old wound. But this hollow ache, this desperate feeling of not belonging anywhere… it tears a fresh gash in my heart. My throat tightens, and I swallow hard, trying to keep the tears at bay. They’re welling up, and I can’t stop them from slipping down. I wrinkle my nose, desperately trying to hold them back. Gabriel is a stranger and shouldn’t see me like this, but he’s the only one who can give me a safe place to sleep tonight.

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