Page 51 of Untamed Protector

Damien’s the quiet observer type, so he never misses a thing. He has a sixth sense about people and can figure anyone out in a heartbeat. When things get messy, Damien’s your guy. He takes his time and thinks things through, but gets it done fast, with just pure gut instinct and street smarts. The teammate you want by your side, no matter what.

My phone rings. It’s Peter, who probably wants to talk about the stunt Lucas just pulled. He hired me to take care of Lexi, but now I feel like I have to protect her from their whole family. Peter will always have his kids’ backs, but Lexi only has me. I’m not going to pick it up. Sorry, Peter! I need to figure out what to do next, not babysit that jackass, Lucas.

“Let’s call Damien and debrief about what we found out,” Dom proposes.

“There’s one more thing I need to take care of before we talk to Damien. I’m not done with Lucas yet. That video was the last straw.”

It’s Saturday, so not all my guys are operational, but this is a top priority. When Dean’s out, Mike takes over, so I decide to call him.

Mike picks up immediately. “Hey, Gabe. What’s up?”

“I need you to send a couple of our guys down to Lucas Maier’s yacht. I heard he’s throwing a party tonight. Oh, make sure our agent Glenda goes there. Tell her to bring her A-game style—Lucas won’t know what hit him. And remind her to keep her phone close when she’s next to him. I’ll talk to our hacker and have him brief her about what to do. They’ve worked together before. Once she’s done with the job and leaves the yacht, give the cops a heads-up about the drug use. Talk to your friends. I want the yacht raided by midnight. Okay, Mike?”

“Got it, Gabe. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Thanks, Mike. And one more thing.”

“I know, boss. It’s Saturday, so everyone will be out partying. It’s already taken care of. I got a guy to watch over Iris. If she goes out tonight, she won’t be alone.”

“Did you check that other thing I told you, Mike?”

“Yeah. That boy’s parents are clean, not even a parking ticket. I think they’re just hanging out, being kids.”

“I sure hope so, Mike. Thanks, great work. Keep me posted.”

Dominic plops himself down on the couch, but I’m way too wired, pacing like a lion in a tiny zoo.

“Man, I’d never want to get on your bad side,” Dom says with a smirk.

“Wait, I’m not done. I still need to brief our tech wiz,” I say, pausing to make the call. “Hey, Glitch. Can we talk, or is it too early?” It’s almost noon, but these guys are night owls.

“It’s okay, Gabe. What’s up?”

“I want you to take Lucas Maier off all social media. Shut down all his accounts. Glenda’s going to his party. You guys work together to make sure she gives you access to his phone. He posted a video today, some bullshit about one of our clients. I want it deleted from everywhere. And I want you to cut off his signal for twenty-four hours so he can’t call anyone, and if someone calls him, make sure it’s redirected to a call center or something like that. You got this? By midnight.”

“Sure thing, Gabe. My pleasure. The guys’ a tool.”

“I want this guy totally cut off, so all he can do is go on the yacht deck and howl at the moon. Oh, and go through his phone and see what other shit he has in there. I think he might’ve sent some threatening letters to our client, too.”

“Okay, boss. When you say client, do you mean like a… woman client? What about your rule? I’m just saying…”

“Just take care of it, Glitch, and leave the rest to me.” I hang up. My team knows me well. Well, rules are there to be broken. Or at least bent, sometimes.

“Yeah. Keep saying that if it makes you feel good, buddy,” Dominic answers. Shit. I said that out loud.

***

Next, we get Damien on the phone. He says he’s been digging up information on Lexi. Nothing significant, except for a complaint she filed five years ago about a car accident in her hometown that left her father seriously injured. She got banged up, and the driver ran away. It looks like they half-assed the investigation. Some documents are missing from the file, and the statute of limitations will expire in three weeks if the police can’t find the driver, the car, or any evidence for further investigation. The pages that describe the car are missing from her statement. Yet another secret Lexi is keeping from me.

Before hanging up, I ask Damien what he knows about her family and if her parents are biological. He says he needs more time to investigate and will get back to me.

“Do you think she’s adopted?” Dominic asks.

“Did you see her reaction earlier when we talked about throwing her a birthday party? That was strange. It’s the only reason I can think of. She’s obviously keeping things from me, so I need to check.”

I text Dean and tell him to find a quiet spot and call me. My phone rings a few minutes later. “Hi, Gabe. Is this about the last update report I sent?”

“No, but I want to know more about Lexi’s father’s health. What problems is he dealing with specifically?”

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