Page 18 of Her Redeemed Protector

Step by step, she clings to me. She once stood as a pillar of strength during our first encounter at the ranch. Now, in this charged moment, I embrace the role of being the support she so desperately needs.

As her steps become steady, the top of the slope within reach, her gaze lifts to meet mine. My heart hammers, stalls, then restarts with a ferocity that threatens to undo me. Amid the pounding beats, I understand that she has ensnared me. She needs me as much as I need her.

Without the noise of my flawed first impression, those eyes now challenge me to question what it truly means to move forward, to find that new shore I thought I’d been sailing toward. So far, I’ve failed because I am perpetually adrift in the sea of Valentina’s memory. But can memory exist alongside reality?

I won’t leave Savannah here. The thought of abandoning her to the care of strangers in an ambulance is inconceivable. But once she’s safe, where do I stand? Whatever the outcome, I’m poised to fall.

So, the question remains. Will I fall daringly, lowering my defenses and yielding to the desires of my heart, or will I fall while clinging to the familiar confines of the status quo?

Heaven help me!

I help her settle into the passenger seat of my car, still weak and closing her eyes. I hold her hand and ask, “Are you feeling dizzy?”

She nods.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be there in no time,” I assure her as I drive on. “If you need me to stop, just tell me, okay? I’m trained in first aid, so if you feel any pain, nausea, or anything else, let me know. Even if you just need a moment to get some fresh air, I’m here.”

“I think I’m good.” Her words are clearer. “Thanks for helping me. It all happened so fast. I almost hit a coyote, then I lost control.”

“Those creatures can be unpredictable on the road. It’s not your fault,” I say, hoping to reassure her.

After a few moments, Savannah breaks the quiet. “Earlier, you said you weren’t with the police. Are you a PI or something?”

“I’m with a company called Red Mark. We specialize in rescuing missing children.”

“Red Mark. That name rings a bell. Oh…weren’t you involved in saving the attorney general’s son? Years ago. A rooftop rescue, right?” Her eyes widen as she recalls the event.

“Yes, that was us. But it happened before I joined. It was actually my two bosses who carried out the rescue.”

“So you really are the good guys!” she quips.

I chuckle. “Well, we’re the type of decent where even our shadows pass background checks.”

She laughs heartily. Then another question comes up. “So, the police employ you guys?”

“Most of the time, it’s the family who hires us, but occasionally, the police do as well. Either way, we consistently collaborate with them. We handle the rescues while the police manage the criminals. Well, today was a little different sinceyoudealt with Lance Anderson.”

Her lips curl into a lively smile. I meant it as a way to lighten my own spiraling nerves, but now I find the situation spinning me around. It’s hard to pull my gaze away from her.

“Huxley, is that your first name or last name?”

I don’t blame her for not getting my surname when I introduced myself while she was still high on her horse. It’s an Italian name, anyway, one that’s not so common. “First name,” I clarify. “My last name is Cometti.”

Her full face, now smitten, finally emerges. My pulse drums against my skin, racing against my brain that’s already trying to conclude something it shouldn’t.

“Ah, okay. Huxley Cometti,” she says it perfectly.

“Yeah. I’d still like you to call me Hux, though.”

A spark is visible in her eyes as she leans back. “Hux is good. It sounds like?—”

I wonder what my short name sounds like to her, but the thought seems to dissolve before it takes shape. And asquickly as the spark came, it fades, her eyelids drooping, her energy waning.

“Savannah! Savannah, stay awake.”

Her response is sluggish, her voice a whisper against the weight of exhaustion. “I’m…so…tired.”

Alarms ring in my head when I see her hand creep to her chest, clutching her heart. An ominous sign.

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