Page 72 of Untamed Protector

I take my hands off him and quickly reach for Lexi. Mike comes over and stops next to Vargas, who’s still on the ground, struggling to get up.

Lexi clings to me, pounding her little fists on my chest as she sobs. Panic surges through me, a desperate need to hold her together, to make sure she’s okay. I wrap my arms tightly around her body and her head, almost leaving her out of breath. It’s a stupid move that could hurt her if she’s had an injury, but I can’t help myself.

“Are you in pain? Did he break your arm or something? Please talk to me.”

I softly kiss her forehead and bury my face in her hair. My hand throbs with pain, but I run my fingers through it anyway, wanting to comfort her.

“It’s okay. I’m here; it’s over now,” I whisper, waiting until she settles down and her body stops convulsing. She rests her head on my shoulder.

Mike stands between us and Vargas, reaching down to pull him up. Vargas growls and shoves Mike’s hand away. He scrambles on the ground like a hurt animal, finally getting to his feet and clutching his throat.

“You won’t get another shot next time, pal. You just caught me off guard now,” he shouts as he limps away.

“Next time we meet, I’ll kill you or handcuff you,” I growl back. I won’t shout or chase him down to make him swallow his words. Lexi is too scared, and we need to get out of this place.

“We’re going to the car,” I say to Mike. “Lena, are you okay?” She nods and straightens her clothes. They’re torn on one side where Vargas’s guy attacked her, but otherwise, she seems less shocked than Lexi.

We walk to the car, Lexi still shaking and leaning on me without saying a word. We get in while Mike takes Lena and goes searching for the girls’ car. “I’ll see you at the office,” I tell him before closing the door and starting the engine.

Before we leave, I text Glitch, our tech whiz who moonlights as a hacker, to dig up Vargas’s entire background: associates, family, work history, the whole nine yards.

“Sure thing, Gabe,” he replies.

I speed down the coastal road, the port lights streaking by. Every mile puts Vargas further behind us. Lexi sits beside me, her earlier tremors now replaced by a tight silence.

I know I can’t talk to her right now—she’s scared, and I’m furious. I almost choked the life out of that guy, and I rarely lose my temper when I’m on a mission to protect or rescue my clients. At work, I’m cool and calculated. Or so I was until Lexi got attacked in front of me, and everything went to shit. Fuck. I came close to a line I could never cross.

Vargas and I go way back. The last time we tangled, he ended up in the hospital with two cracked ribs, and I needed surgery for a broken jaw. Dominic had to pull us apart. It all started when he harassed a client’s teenage daughter at a bar. The girl had run away from home with her boyfriend. Vargas was wasted and looking for a fight. Her boyfriend got scared and called me when things got rough. I hardly ever throw punches, but there was no other choice then. Vargas… well, he only speaks one language—violence.

He’s become even cockier over time, working his way to the top of the port hierarchy through corruption and associating with criminals. He just landed the top job at the port after narrowly escaping the recent raids. I don’t get how this scum keeps slipping through the cracks, but someone powerful must be looking the other way.

I hit dial on Damien’s number. As soon as the call connects through the car’s Bluetooth, his deep voice fills the space.

“Yes, Gabriel.”

“Vargas assaulted the girls. Mike and I saved them just in time. Talk to Dominic, and I’ll see you at my office.”

“Lexi and Lena? Where were they in the port, and what were they doing there? Are they okay?”

I glance at Lexi. She’s focused on my phone, almost like she can see who’s calling through it. Good. She’s shaking off the shock, coming back to her senses.

“Lexi’s better now, and Lena’s with Mike. They’re looking for the car that caused the accident. Vargas is probably behind this. Get to my office as soon as you can.”

I hang up and turn to Lexi. Before I can speak, her voice cuts through the silence, barely a whisper, “How… how did you know about the car that hit me?”

“From your file. Damien found out the details. I was waiting for you to tell me when you were ready.”

“You’re right. It was Vargas. The tattoo on his neck matches the symbol on the car. Plus, he showed up right after we showed the picture of the car to one of his employees. That guy betrayed us, took the money, and disappeared, sending Vargas and those thugs after us.”

“We’ll get to my office in a few minutes to regroup, and I’ll take care of your hand. Does it hurt?”

“Please don’t get mad,” Lexi murmurs, rubbing her injured knuckle.

“I’m not. But you know you shouldn’t have gone there.”

“How did you find me?”

“I put a tracking app on your other phone, the one you keep hidden in your luggage.”

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