Page 35 of Savage Protector

I shook my head. I had to finish it. “That wasn’t enough for my father. He had to make sure that his daughter would follow any command he gave. Three months after my mother’s death he decreed I was to be engaged to one of his business partners the following week and as soon as possible after my twenty-first birthday we would wed. When I refused to comply, the next day he left a newspaper article on my bed and forced me to read about a young man’s body being discovered on the shores of Lake Washington. Tony’s body.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Evil,” I cried. “I don’t know how else to explain it. This is why I need to get out of Seattle as soon as possible. The longer I stay the more at risk we both are. If he finds us together—” The panic of reliving those memories had begun to set in and I was afraid a full blown anxiety attack would soon follow.

“Take a deep breath, Princess.” Houston leaned forward and grabbed one of the water glasses and tipped it right side up. He then poured a few splashes of liquor into it and pressed it into my hands. “Drink it.”

I didn’t need to argue. I recognized a need to stay calm. He then picked me up and carried me over to the bed and settled me into a sitting position with my back against the headboard.

“You’re not going anywhere right now. Not without a plan.”

“But—”

He grabbed my empty glass and placed it on the table next to the bed. “Seriously, Izzy. This isn’t up for debate. I totally get that you need to leave. I’m not going to fight you on that. But you have to be smart. You can’t run blindly into the city and hope for the best. Let me help you with this. I have connections all over the country.”

“Why? Why would you want to do this?” This renewed sense of fear made my voice shake and I hated it.

“Fuck, Izzy. Because I’m a human being. And a Marine. First though, we both need to get some food and relax. Between that fucked up story and that little visit at our door, we’re both strung tight as hell. We’ll need a clear mind later to get everything ironed out, but for now, I say we get fucked up. We deserve it.”

If he thought I was going to object, he was dead wrong.

I also liked how he thought. I was in no condition to go anywhere quite yet. I was sore, hungry, and greedy for just a little more time—with him.

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