Page 22 of Savage Protector

“No, boss. I guess not. I need to find somewhere safe for her to go, as she clearly can’t go back to her family.”

“I get that, but keep her stay as brief as you can. And the less she sees while she’s here, the better.”

I nod and close the door softly behind me.

Leila is seatedin the chair beside her bed, dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater, probably borrowed from Megan. She gets to her feet when I arrive.

“You came back.”

“I said I would. Are you ready?”

“Yes, but I don’t know what…”

“You’ll see. Come with me.” I extend my hand and.

I suspect as much to her surprise as mine, she takes it.

“Where are we going?”

“To visit a friend of mine.” Something of a stretch, I barely know Frankie. But I reckon he can do the job, and Ethan seems to think so, too.

Megan raises her hand in a wave as we leave. “Don’t forget, two hours and you bring her back. Right?”

“Right.”

Once outside in the open air, Leila halts to look around her. “Where is this place?”

“It’s called Caraksay. It’s an island, not far from where you…went overboard.”

“Where was that?”

“Out there.” I point to the south. “About a mile away.”

“You saw me? From here?”

“Frankie did. You have him to thank for raising the alarm.”

“He must have good eyesight.”

“Or a telescope. Come on, it’s this way.”

I take it slow. She’s still unsteady on her feet, and the terrain is somewhat uneven. She clutches my arm, allows herself to be led.

“I’ve been thinking,” she begins. “Maybe I should report what happened to the police. With that video, they’d have to believe me.”

I can’t argue with that, and I understand why this seems the natural course to take. Leila was brought up to be a law-abiding citizen, to trust the police.

“You could,” I agree. “And yes, the video is compelling evidence, especially if it was backed up by statements from us. All four of the men in the video would get lengthy prison sentences.”

She stops, startled. “Oh, no. Not my dad. It wasn’t his fault.”

“He may not have been the ringleader, but he stood and watched while it all played out.”

She shakes her head vehemently. “That’s not true. He’s never been able to stand up to Abdul, but he did try.”

Not that hard, as I recall. “The video puts him in the frame. I realise you want to protect him…” Though I’m baffled as to why. “But the police won’t see it that way. He’ll be arrested with the others and charged.” I don’t add that he’d fucking deserve it.

“I couldn’t do that. My family would be torn apart. The community…”

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