Page 122 of My Damaged Protector

When we're both seated, I wait for her to speak.

“I'm here about Peter.”

Yeah, I saw this conversation coming miles away.

“What about him?”

“I need to know why he tried to take my daughter or how he even knows about her existence.”

I have a pretty good theory. About why he tried to take Olivia, not how he found out. I can't really say I know anything about that. Men like that have a way of getting information.

As for the attempted kidnapping, it's blackmail. He wanted to hold onto the girl as a bargaining chip for Sarah to help their father, which brings me to the very genesis of this whole thing.

I have no love for her father, and if it was up to me, I don't care whether she helps him or not. But she agreed to help him for a reason and then suddenly she backed out using some bullshit about her blood when I know it's nonsense.

Something happened in that meeting with the doctor, and she won't tell me. I don't even want to know at this point. But I have to if I'm going to be able to help her. I can't very well fight a battle when I have no idea what's at stake if I lose.

“What happened at the hospital, Sarah?” I ask her.

She instantly looks away, her walls going up.

Nodding, I decide to change the topic.

“I think he wanted to use her to blackmail you,” I say with a sigh.

Her walls crumble at my words, her eyes shooting to me.

“Oh my God, you're right. It's the only reason that makes sense. What am I gonna do?”

More than anything, I wish I had an answer or solution for her. But it's a little too early for that, especially when I still don't know why she refused to save her father at the last minute.

Throwing caution to the wind one more time, I ask her again. “What kind of complication was detected in your blood?”

She shrugs and looks away from me before she speaks. “It's not only the blood complications that made me back out. I was scared, too. Of the side effects.”

She's lying, and I know it.

I drop the topic and decide I'm not going to say anything on the matter again.

If she wants me to help, I will to the best of my abilities. But if the whole thing blows up in her face, she won't have me to blame.

She'll have herself to blame. And as much as that hurts me to realize, it's the truth. She wants me to help her and still control the situation at the same time. I guess it's because she's been so used to having to make all the decisions for herself.

If only she could just give the reins to me completely and trust that I'll do everything in my capacity to bring the win home to her.

If only.

36

SARAH

“I don't thinkit's wise for you to go out.”

She doesn't think it's wise for me to do anything except sit on my ass and pray Peter gets tired of hunting me. Or better yet, tell Ian I'm pregnant and hope everything works well.

She's not said it since we got here, but the look she gives me every time Ian's name comes up is every indication.

She thinks she knows him. That he's a perfect man and doesn't deserve the truth to be kept from him. Well, I do know he doesn't deserve the truth to be kept from him, but he's certainly not a perfect man.

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