Page 69 of Untamed Protector

“Of course, I’ll come with you. Call security so they can let us in.”

Fuck! I totally forgot about parking access. I take a few seconds to think things through before I answer. “I’d better not. We shouldn’t make a fuss about this. Just leave your car somewhere close. It won’t take long.”

There’s something Mike doesn’t know (and I hate myself for doing this to him), but the restroom by the front desk has a secret exit straight to the supply elevator. Once I’m in there, getting to the parking lot and Lena shouldn’t be a problem.

Mike finally agrees, parks on a side street, and walks me to the Grain Inc. offices. Once we’re in the lobby, he ensures the others don’t recognize me and act up, giving me time to slip away unnoticed. I left my phone in Mike’s car since I had brought the burner phone Gabriel didn’t know about. All I need to do now is let the front desk know I’m here to see Susanah and ask them to tell her to come down. Then I quietly sneak to the bathroom and, from there, up the back stairs to the parking lot. Mike is in the lobby, but I have to move fast. He might get suspicious and come looking for me soon.

I leave the parking lot and spot Lena’s car nearby with its hazards blinking. Once I get to her, I quickly throw myself into the passenger seat, slamming the door shut behind me. “Step on it!” I shout, my voice catching in my throat. “Let’s make sure no one follows us.”

Lena snorts with laughter as she takes off. “What did you do?”

“I mean it, step on it. Let’s get going, and I’ll tell you more.”

Minutes later, we reach the port. Lena parks the car and then gets right down to business. “You know what’s confusing to me? Why bother with this when you can just tell Gabriel and have him go all out to find that damn car you’re so obsessed with?”

“I have so many reasons that I don’t even know where to begin. First, he’ll say it’s dangerous and won’t involve me. After all the suffering and research I’ve put into this, I deserve to be part of this investigation.”

“You really are obsessed with this car. You know, you could lose Gabriel. He’ll get pissed about you running away today.”

“He always gets pissed. Only what he does is right. And what’s he going to do, give me a spanking and send me home?”

“You could lose him. That’s all I’m saying. This man likes you and is on your side. Remember how he jumped to defend you at the hotel and how affected he was to see you in pain?”

“Lena, listen,” I say, my voice shaking a bit. “Gabriel is not protecting me, but an illusion—the image of a woman who’s scared and in danger. He doesn’t know I’m here to get revenge against someone who belongs to his world.”

I pause, taking a deep breath to steady myself. “I’ve seriously thought about it—what if the car belongs to one of his clients? Do you think he’ll expose them? If he betrays a client, his reputation will be ruined.”

My voice gets harder. “I’m not here to play nice, Lena. Someone made a mess of my life, and until I find who was behind the wheel, I can’t trust anyone, not even Gabriel.”

“You forget he put Lucas in jail.”

“For a short time. He knew he’d get out. Plus, it was personal. That idiot Lucas insulted him in the video.”

“I think it was more like him punishing Lucas for what he did to you.”

“Lena, I’m just a small-town girl, like that bitch Anita keeps saying. I somehow got caught up in their world, and now I’m messing it up by throwing a snobby, wealthy coward in jail. Of course, none of them could possibly like me.”

“I think you’re being unfair to Gabriel. He’s different.”

“See, Lena,” I sigh, “it would be nice to believe he’s completely on my side. But no matter how hard I try, there’s this distance between us. He dodges my questions, you know? It’s like I don’t even know the real him. And I can’t risk believing he’d pick me over… whoever he has in that world of his. I’m not one of them. No one ever chooses me. I guess I’m just alone in this.”

“You have to take a chance, Lexi, if you want to be happy. It’s the scary part of being alive, but it’s worth the risk. You’ve been through a lot, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the good stuff. Go for it! Grab whatever life throws your way. And if it shows up like a Greek god with a hot ass and soft lips… that’s just a bonus.”

“When did you become so wise?”

“Maybe I could use a happy ending. My job can get really dark sometimes.”

“Come on, you love your job.”

“I do. Just not every day.”

“Oh, by the way, what did you say to Dominic? Why don’t you want to go to the boat show with him? The guy was actually pretty sweet, if you think about it.”

“Dominic’s a total control freak, and he’s just full of himself. He took advantage of the house break-in to patronize me.”

“But seriously, what did you tell him?”

“That he’s a womanizer.”

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