Page 80 of When He Protects

“What?”

“You look like someone just stole your best friend.” Kane glowered. “Stop that shit. I’m right here.”

Tyler shook his head.

“I’m right here,” Kane repeated. “You’re right here. But the woman you’re supposed to be protecting? She’s walking out of the house. Alone. Not to tell you how to do your business…but this ain’t it.”

No, it wasn’t. And he needed to get past the shock and grief and rage and go after what fucking mattered. He rushed for the door. Shoved Kane back.

“That’s more like it,” Kane praised.

Tyler ignored him. He bolted out of the house. Bounded down the steps. Esme was in front of him, walking with her head down and her shoulders hunched, and she looked so sad and broken that it made his heart shatter all over again.

He didn’t know what in the hell he was supposed to do with Esme. But letting her go? Not an option. No matter how fucked up and tangled their pasts might be. “Esme.”

Her shoulders stiffened. But her steps didn’t slow. If anything, they sped up.

So did his. “Esme!”

She took off—running away from him.

Oh, the fuck, no. He chased after her, but, surprisingly, Esme was super fast. Only maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised by that discovery. How could he predict anything about her?

She beat him to the house. Rushed inside first.She’d had the key, after all. But he caught her just steps past the entranceway. His hands flew out to curl around her, and he hauled her back against him. “Esme.”

“I don’t want to hurt you!” Esme cried out. “That was the last thing I wanted. It couldn’t be him, don’t you see that?It couldn’t.Because it wasn’t before. He didn’t do it. It was her. Everyone was wrong, but he took the suspicion. He took it all those years and covered for her. He was good. No one ever knew. Just me. I knew what he was doing.I knew.”

Tears were on her cheeks. “I hate your tears.” One hand rose to cup her cheeks. To swipe away the tears.

“You hate me,” she breathed.

He shook his head.

“You do. How could you not? If he killed them…if my father ordered the hit,how could you not hate me?” The darkness of her eyes was almost painful to see. No, it wasn’t the dark that was painful. It was the pain in her stare.

And, suddenly, Tyler felt as if he was truly seeing Esme for the first time. Not blinding bravado. Not some brilliant mask that hid a thief or a criminal. He saw Esme. Beautiful. Broken. Trying to hold herself together and fix the world around her. Trying toprotect.

“You wanted to watch the video before me,” he said, understandinghernow. “And you were going to deliver my parents’ killer to me, weren’t you?” She’d known so much more than she revealed.Tricky Esme.

“It was going to be a thank you for your help. You can’t protect me without some kind of payment.” Her lower lip wouldn’t stop trembling. “But it’s all wrong. He wasn’t supposed to…” Her words trailed away.

“Who did you think was going to be on the USB drive, Esme? Who was going to be guilty?”

“One of the Feds. Someone in power. Someone I could take down.”

“Thaddeus.” He had been on the video. And Louis had thought the guy was dirty. But…I don’t fucking know Louis. I don’t know a damn thing about the man except that he was in love with Esme.

Tyler’s Esme.

“Louis said it was my father. Someone killed Louis to stop him from talking.My fatherdid it. He was right there. He was so furious with me after the bombing, so angry every time he visited me in the hospital. As if it was all my fault.When he’d done it.” Her words came so fast and held so much pain. “And now everything I ever wanted isgone.I’ll never have it. I’ll never have what I want?—”

“What did you want?” Tyler demanded. If another tear slid down her cheek, he would lose his mind.

Another tear slid down her cheek. “You.”

He shook his head. No way had she said what he thought. And his mind was utterly lost. Mind, heart, everything. Lost toher.

“I wanted you, Tyler. I wanted the good guy, for once. I wanted someone like you to care about someone like me. But you can’t. You won’t. Because someone like me—I wreck your world. I wreck you.” A hard shake of her head. “This is over. The protection detail is done. I don’t care what price is on me. I have to get away from you.” She broke free and rushed for the stairs.

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