Page 75 of Untamed Protector

“He’s involved with criminal groups and has been investigated a few times after some companies in the port accused him of theft and harassment. Somehow, he didn’t get fired; he got promoted instead, likely by pulling some strings and greasing some pockets. Now, about the car Lexi’s looking for… yeah, he could’ve either bought it or smuggled it in.”

“And how did he make Lexi’s complaint about the accident disappear?” Dominic asks.

“Anything is possible when you have money. I’ll find out who’s backing him in the police,” Damien says.

My phone shows a new notification—a message from Glitch. I read it, and my jaw drops. “No fucking way.”

“What is it?” Lexi asks.

I look over at her, finally understanding why she’s been so obsessed with the Maier family, why Lucas has been acting like a dick, and why Peter has been feeling guilty.

“Vargas used to work for Grain Inc. before he landed his first job in the port. He handled logistics and shipping for the Maiers. This was around the same time as the accident.”

“So one of their employees almost killed you, and they knew all along?” Dominic says in a low, menacing voice.

“Or maybe it was a Maier behind the wheel,” Lexi says, her voice shivering, her emerald eyes churning into a storm. Her expression is a storm cloud, a mix of shock, anger, and disbelief. Beneath all that, a flicker of fear. It’s clear she’s hurting and wants revenge.

***

“This is not the way home. Where are we going?” Lexi asks.

“We’re taking a detour. A small but important one.”

We all left my office at the same time. Dominic insisted on taking Lena back to the hotel so he could look after her. Once she realized Vargas had seen her with Lexi, which meant she was in danger, too, she reluctantly agreed.

Damien wants to dig deeper with his informants to learn about Vargas’s police connections. Mike’s in charge of getting surveillance teams together for the entire Maier family. Vargas is cornered—he’ll get sloppy and make a mistake. Perhaps he’ll try moving the car or ask the Maiers for help. I still have a few things that don’t add up yet. But with the help of Glitch and Mike’s team, I’ll soon find out if it’s just a hunch or if I’ve been played this whole time. Has Peter been putting on an act?

Lexi’s in the passenger seat, glued to the window, wondering where we’re headed. Dominic offered to take her to the hospital so his sister could check on her, but she said no. All she needs is a relaxing bath, a glass of wine, and some rest—preferably cuddled up with me, so I can make sure I don’t lose her again. But also, so she can see I’m serious about us. And for that, I decide to tell her about Iris.

I check the red dot on my phone app to see where Iris is. It’s late afternoon, and since she’s in school until five, we should spot her around the schoolyard or with her friends on the way to her grandma’s.

“I want you to know more about me, about my past. This way, you’ll understand the man I am today.”

“Your past… you mean, your life in the Navy?”

“No, not that past. Before that. My rebel teenager years.”

She throws me a questioning, curious look without saying anything. I’m grateful for it—it buys me some time to find the right words before we see Iris.

We turn right and pull up to Iris’s school. My phone app shows she’s not on the move, so I park down the street from the school entrance, facing the way Iris usually goes home.

“This is a school. Who are we looking for?”

“Bear with me. I’ll show you in a second.”

I spot Iris in the crowd leaving school. She’s always been popular, surrounded by at least three or four of her classmates. She bursts out of the school gates like a ray of sunshine. Her golden-blonde hair bounces in a high ponytail as she laughs with her friends, her ocean-blue eyes sparkling. A wide smile stretches across her face, so contagious it could light any of my days.

“Who are we looking at?” Lexi asks when she sees me staring at the group.

“The blonde girl, the one in the middle.”

“Is she your kid? Anything to do with the woman who came to your office?”

“That woman is her mother. And that’s Iris, a girl who doesn’t have a father because of me. He died in a terrible car accident before she was born.”

“Do you want to introduce us?”

“I can’t. She doesn’t know me either. She hasn’t seen me since she was five. I don’t think she remembers me.”

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