Page 76 of Saved By the Boss

“Who was it?” I demand. “What did he look like? I’m coming to you, we’re going to figure this out.”

“I can’t tell you,” she whispers hoarsely. “I just need you to stay away, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Not happening,” I say firmly. “Where are you?”

“Declan—” she tries to protest, but I cut her off.

“Tell me where you are,” my voice is sharper than I intend, but I don’t care. She’s in trouble, and I’m not about to let her handle it alone.

She hesitates, and for a moment, I think she’s going to hang up. But then she says, “I’m at work. At the hardware store.”

“Stay there,” I tell her, though I feel more like I’m begging. I need her to stay put until I can get to her. “Don’t move. I’m coming to get you.”

I don’t wait for her to respond. I hang up, already starting my truck and pulling out of my driveway.

The drive feels like it’s taking forever, every red light and slow-moving car testing the limits of my patience. My mind is racing, running through worst-case scenarios. Who threatened her? Why? And why the hell does she think I should stay away? The idea of her being in danger, of someone hurting her, makes my hands tighten on the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white.

If Patrick has somehow found her and threatened her, I’ll kill him. I don’t care if he is my brother, I’ve already lost one woman I care about because of him. I’m not going to lose another. But the longer the drive takes, the more I can calm down a bit and see reason. Of course Patrick isn’t involved. He’s not here yet. And even if he were, how would he even know about her?

This is something else, something that happened prior to me.

As I grip the steering wheel, another thought creeps in, one I’ve been avoiding. If Jade’s in danger, if someone’s coming after her, she deserves to know the truth about me. About my past. I’vekept it buried, locked away, but maybe it’s time to let her in. She’s already in my head, my heart. If I’m going to protect her, she needs to know where I’ve come from and what my family is capable of. I just hope that it won’t scare her away.

When I pull into the parking lot, my eyes immediately scan the area. She’s standing outside the store, her arms wrapped around herself, her head darting from side to side like she’s expecting someone to jump out at her. My chest tightens at the sight of her, small, vulnerable, and terrified. I throw the truck into park and barely have time to open the door before she’s running toward me.

The moment she reaches me, she throws her arms around my neck, and I hold her tightly, feeling the way she’s trembling. Her breaths are quick, shallow, her face still wet from her tears. My arms tighten around her, as if I can shield her from whatever’s out there, whatever has her this scared.

In my arms, it feels like no time at all has passed. I feel exactly the same way I did when we were together for the first time. Whole.

“It’s okay,” I murmur against her hair. “You’re okay now. You’re safe.”

She pulls back just enough to look at me, her eyes wide and the tears running down her face.

“Declan, I…”

“We’ll talk in the truck,” I say gently, cutting her off. “Let’s get out of here.”

She nods, climbing into the passenger seat. As I pull out of the parking lot, I keep an eye on the rearview mirror, scanning foranyone who might be following us. Jade keeps glancing back too, her anxiety palpable. I reach over and place a hand on her knee, trying to steady her.

“You’re safe with me,” I say firmly. “No one’s going to hurt you. Not while I’m here.”

Her lip trembles, but she nods, her hands twisting together in her lap. I can tell she’s holding something back, something big. But I don’t push her. Not yet. Whatever it is that’s going on, she’ll tell me when she’s ready. The most important thing is that she’s here with me, and I know that nothing will happen to her. I won’t let anything happen to her.

I glance over and notice her face is paler than normal, apart from the splotches of red from where she’s been crying. Her hands are trembling still and I grab the one closest to me, pulling it to my lips and kissing it. I can’t take her pain away completely but damn it if I don’t want to try.

She finally calms down enough to stop crying, her breath returning to normal as she wipes her face with her sleeve. Though her small hand is still slightly trembling in mine, it feels as if she’s stilled a fraction. I’d like to believe that it’s because she feels safer with me.

As my cabin comes into view, I grab my phone to activate the security system. The cameras light up, and I set the motion sensors to high sensitivity. If anyone so much as breathes near this place, I’ll know about it.

I gently help her out of the car and guide her inside, where I turn on all the electric locks and set the inside security system so that no one else can get in without setting off a million alarms. It may take the local police a while to get here, but I do have a fewfirearms hidden around just in case. Old habits and all that.

This is my fortress, a shield from the outside world and the dangers of my past. Now it’s hers, too.

19

Jade

The drive to Declan’s house passes in silence. I’m too upset to speak, but he doesn’t push. He just sits beside me, grabs my hand and provides his presence as a balm to soothe my pain. I’m reminded of how gentle and kind he was at my cabin, and it helps relieve the fear a bit. Still, the stranger’s words replay in my head on a loop, his cold grin burned into my memory. The fear rises to my chest, but I breathe through it, feeling safer with Declan next to me, even though the last thing I want is to drag him into this.

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