Page 23 of Protected By Saint

“I’m nervous,” Kyle whispers from behind me, and I can’t help but chuckle. He’s acting as though he’s about to go on his first date or something.

“Okay, here we go,” I say with a smile. The door creaks open when I punch in the code Saint gave me on the keypad, revealing a spacious area filled with not just one motorcycle as I was expecting, but five, each one a work of art. The scent of oil and metal fills the air, and when I turn around to look at Kyle, I find his eyes wide with awe.

“I…I can’t believe it,” he breathes, stepping closer to a stunning black bike with chrome accents glistening under the overhead lights. “He owns a black cruiser!”

“Is that the one you were talking about?”

Kyle doesn’t spare me a glance as he shakes his head. “No, this is the Harley Davidson Soft Tail Slim, and it’s an absolute beast,” he chokes out, and is that a tear?

I watch with amusement as he moves from one bike to the next, stating some random fact about each one that flies right over my head, but I humor him, and an hour and a half later when I suggest heading back to the house, his expression falls like a child forced to leave a candy store empty handed.

We walk out and I close the garage, deeply humored as we make our way back to the front door, but Kyle grabs my hand and stops me halfway to the door. He quickly positions himself in front of me, and my brows knit in confusion until a familiar voice calls out.

“Jade?”

A chill runs down my back and my heart threatens to stop. “Please leave, this is private property,” Kyle calls out, his voice steadier than I’ve heard it before.

“Hey, I’m a friend of Jade’s, and I was hoping I could speak to her. Jade?”

I lift a trembling hand to Kyle’s shoulder before stepping to the side, and there she is. In a tight red dress with lipstick to match. Her long blond hair is styled in waves, and she looks like something out of an old Hollywood movie.

Natalie is stunning. I always thought so. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, but those eyes are cold. For the first time since meeting her, I realize that all her beauty is surface level, and I question how I never saw the darkness in those stunning blue eyes.

“Why are you here, Natalie? H-how did you find me?”

She offers me a smile. “I was worried. I’ve been calling you, but your phone kept sending me to voicemail,” she says, taking a step forward. “So, I went to the club, but no one was there except for a few guys in leather vests, and it was completely boarded up.”

Saint!

The name pops up in my head at her words. Did he close down the club? Does he have the power to actually do that? Maybe the police were called and raided the place. There are a hundred explanations of what could have happened that do not involve Saint, and yet, something tells me that the man is responsible.

I am more dangerous than any of those men looking for you, but I am no danger to you, Jade. I will stand between you and anyone who dares come close.

“I don’t want to see you, Natalie, please leave.”

Hurt crosses her expression, and she takes another step closer and then another. “W-why would you say that? We’re friends!”

I don’t see it coming, and I imagine neither does Kyle by the looks of it. We both miss the taser in her hand until it’s pressed against Kyle’s chest. I catch the loud crackling sound first before watching helplessly as Kyle jerks and convulses, his entire body seizing up before he falls to the ground. I stare at him in disbelief, my feet frozen and unable to move. Before I can reach down and try to help him, Natalie grabs my arm and jerks me away.

“What the hell Natalie!” I cry out, yanking myself from her grip, but she’s stronger than I would have given her credit for and it’s impossible to break free.

“Stop fighting and follow me, or you are next.”

“I’ll go, but please, let me make sure that he’s okay,” I plead, unable to stop the tears from forming. This is my fault. Kyle getting hurt is my fault, and I can’t just leave him lying on the ground alone. “Natalie, please.”

“It’s just a small taser, he’ll be fine in a few minutes,” Natalie snaps, but true to her words, Kyle groans. and I notice him struggle to open his eyes. “See, good as new!”

Kyle’s eyes find mine, and I can’t help the tears that spill. I see him try to get up, but his muscles won’t let him. This time, I let Natalie drag me away, afraid of what she’ll do to Kyle if he gets up before we’ve left.

For the first time, I notice the car parked a few houses down, and the second we reach the street, it comes speeding down the road. My heart falls to my stomach when I notice Buck’s guard from the club in the driver’s seat, a cigarette in his mouth and those dead eyes filled with so much hate, it gives me pause. He stops the car next to us and rolls down the window, running steely eyes over my body and scoffing at me dressed in the oversized hoodie and a pair of shorts Saint got me.

“Get in, bitch!” he barks, and I can’t tell if the words are directed at me or Natalie, but she opens the back door and pushes me inside before getting in after me. “We need to get the fuck out of here before that fucking animal gets back,” he shouts, and the tires screech as he tears away from Saint’s house.

I bite hard on my lip to stop the tears from falling as I wonder if I’ll ever see Saint again. If the last memory I have of his voice is from the phone call we had earlier.

Nothing in or out of that house is more precious than you, Jade Purdy.

The tears fall, and I use the sleeve of the hoodie to wipe them away. “Why?” I ask, turning to look at Natalie. “Why are you doing this to me?”

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