Page 42 of Fiercely Protective

A sudden chill swept over me. “Is everything alright? What’s happened?”

He looked up from his phone. “Nothing that can’t be handled.”

I walked closer and peeked inside the takeout boxes and felt my stomach rumble at the smell of the chicken fried rice. I sat down and grabbed some chopsticks. “Aren’t you hungry?”

“No, I’m going downstairs to make a call. You will be safe here; no one can access the elevators that come up to the penthouse without a special key card. Rogue and I are the only two people with one, and I will be watching. Eat, watch television, take a nap, do whatever you wish. Just be ready to leave for the gala by eight. There is a dress waiting for you in the bedroom. Rogue had it delivered while you were out.”

I rolled my eyes as I took another bite. “Will I ever be able to make my own decisions? Does he not trust me to do something as simple as picking out a dress?”

“It’s not my place to say, little one. But it’s good to see that you are still set on complaining.”

I looked around for something to throw at him, but before I could find something, he was gone. I took another bite or two of the Chinese food. While it was delicious, I just wasn’t hungry anymore. I walked back into the bedroom that I had shared with Rogue and found a garment bag lying on the bed. A part of me wanted not to care what was inside, but my curiosity got the best of me, and I unzipped it.

Inside was a stunning one-shoulder silver beaded gown. I ran my hand over the silk. I might be angry at having my decisions taken from me, at being forced to marry a man I barely knew, but I was still a woman. A woman who had never had the opportunity to own clothes this extravagant. Living in a small town in Colorado didn’t exactly put me in the midst of high-class social circles. Never having the money for fine things growing up, I couldn’t help but be a little excited at having the opportunity to wear a dress that looked like something I would have drooled over in a magazine or seen an actress wearing on the red carpet. I zipped the garment bag back up and climbed into bed. Exhaustion seemed to sweep over me. Stress tended to do that. And I couldn’t remember a time when I had been more stressed than I am now. My eyes grew heavier as I nuzzled into the thick down comforter and incredibly fluffy pillows. The sheets were the softest I had ever felt. Knowing this was his bed made a part of me want to rebel against the contented feeling it gave me. I inhaled deeply, the scent of sandalwood with hints of oak lingered. I knew I should probably rest before tonight, andI was so tired, but the fear of knowing that Tony was in Chicago looking for me might trigger the nightmares to return.

For several months after the attack, I had terrible dreams almost every night forcing me to relive that terror. It was almost as if I could feel his fists hitting me until I was too weak to fight back any longer. I could feel my clothing being ripped and torn, his hands rough and hard against my skin. I fought harder when he tried to force my legs apart. I knew what he was after and even barely conscious I knew I had to keep fighting. That’s when I would wake up. Covered in sweat, tears streaming from my eyes, and shaking almost uncontrollably. Allison had suggested that I see a therapist, but that was just another luxury I couldn’t afford.

Gradually the nightmares became less frequent and shorter until they disappeared completely. But now with being faced with the possibility of Tony finding me, I felt like I was right back in that night. Sure, Rogue Delaney had married me to protect me, but once the danger he was facing passed, I was sure he would tire of me. Even his friend Blaze said he had never seen him with a woman for more than a night or two. And once he was through with me, I would be on my own again. Only this time if Tony found me, I knew he would kill me.

Rogue

I looked at the two men tied to chairs in front of me. The one with the gunshot wound in his shoulder was beyond asking questions, while the one unfortunate enough to still be conscious was crying so much that I was tempted to slit his throat just for some peace and quiet.

I walked around his chair slowly as I held his phone in my hand. From what I had discovered and from what he had willingly spilled on his own without me having to use any means of force confirmed exactly what I suspected. These two were members of a small-time inconsequential gang here in Chicago. Nothing that I would have ever deemed a threat or given two thoughts about. They were more concerned with selling drugs on the streets and petty theft. Nothing that involved me or any of my business dealings. But from the texts I had read they weren’t there for me, they were after Bri. A mistake that would cost them dearly.

I moved in front of the man and stared down as he continued to weep and beg for mercy. It was truly nauseating to see someone with so little courage.

“I want to know why you and your piece of shit friend were following me.”

“We weren’t, Mr. Delaney, I swear.”

I stood back as one of my men stepped forward to emphasize that I expected an answer to my question.

“Now, I will ask again. If I don’t get the answers I want, I will have my associate start taking you apart piece by piece.”

“We were told to follow your car, but just to see if the girl was still with you. We were just told to find her. Some guy came to our boss and wanted his help in finding her. The guy we work for owed him a favor.”

I didn’t have the time for this nonsense.

“Who was the man that wanted you to find her?”

The man’s lips trembled pathetically. “I don’t know. We were just told to find the girl. Once we found her, we were told to report back with her location. That’s it. We weren’t supposed to take her or hurt her, just find her.”

I looked back to my men standing around the warehouse. They would kill both of these idiots if I commanded it, but they weren’t the ones I wanted. I wanted the man who had hurt Bri, the man who had tried to take what was meant for me.

“I want his name and any other information your boss has on him. Tell your boss he has until tomorrow night to appear at my club with the information I want. If he doesn’t show or chooses not to share what he knows, I will shut down his entire operation. It won’t even be difficult.”

The man was sweating profusely, but he nodded in understanding. “Yes, sir.”

“Take them back to the church. Drop them there.” I walked away and Jason, one of my men, followed me. “After you drop them off, follow them. I want to know where they go.”

“You don’t trust their boss to show up at the club?”

“Trusting people is not how I got where I am. Follow him and report back to me, and if you find the one that paid them to find my wife….”

“Kill him?”

“No, I want him brought to me. Killing him quickly would be too easy.”

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