Page 40 of Protecting Bianca

I stood up. “Let’s go,” I said.

Jager threw his white napkin onto the table, grabbed my hand, and led me through the other dining tables.

He didn’t stop when we reached the foyer, but a pair of shoes clicked behind us.

“Bianca, wait!”

River.

I turned and faced my brother.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I can’t stay there with her for another minute. I’m sorry, River.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Jager said beside me. His voice was deeper, as though he fought back some emotion.

River looked at him, but then put his hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to fix this.”

“I know, and neither do I. But I can’t sit there any longer.”

“I get it. Go.” He squeezed my shoulder, but then dropped his arm.

I nodded, turned around, and didn’t look back.

As the rush of the cold air hit my face, I inhaled the fresh air greedily. It was as though I’d been locked inside a coffin, buried alive in there. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, and couldn’t eat.

I thought facing her would make me stronger, but I felt stronger the further away I was from her. If that made me weak, I didn’t care. I would not allow her to affect me another minute. Not for Amy. Not for River. Not for anyone. I was done trying to make others feel comfortable at my expense.

Jager broke through my mantra. “Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere but here.”

He stopped and dropped his gaze over my dress. “You look too damn good to go home. How do you feel about a charity gala? My brother Will is hosting one tonight.”

“You don’t have a brother.”

He smiled. “Yes, I do. I have four, actually.”

The load on my chest lightened at his smile, and the pain eased a little. “Well, then I’d love to meet them.”

10

Jager

She held her shoulders higher, and some color returned to her cheeks.

I couldn’t believe the effect her mother had on her. The vibrant, happy, and amiable woman I knew became what looked like a beaten-down dog in the presence of that woman, and I couldn’t sit there any longer and watch it happen.

My fingers gripped the steering wheel as I recalled how her mother had transformed Bianca with only her domineering presence. It was rude for her mother to ignore her, but I hadn’t expected Bianca to respond to the affront like she did physically. What had that woman done to affect her like this?

“Is this the place?” Bianca asked, looking up at the hotel in front of us.

“It is.” I parked the car. “Wait for me.”

I walked to her passenger side and opened the door for her. It was a small gesture I wanted to do because I couldn’t express what I was feeling. Hell, I wasn’t even a hundred percent sure what I was feeling, but I wanted her to know that I would take care of her if she needed me.

Her soft hand slipped into mine as she climbed out of the car. A smooth thigh, revealing her shapely form, caught my attention, but I raised my gaze to her face instead.

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