Page 6 of Her Remarkable Protector

I force my eyes open, locking onto his. For a moment, I see someone else—someone who could’ve been my big brother in another life. A high school football player who keeps bullies at bay, buys you ice cream, and teaches you how to ride a horse.

But he’s not that person. He’s a killer.

He killed my dad.

And I’ll never forget that.

2

CHASE SAMSON

Bozeman, Montana – present day

I give my hair one last swipe, then sprint out to meet my Red Mark brother, Huxley Cometti.

He leans against the car and lets out a theatrical whistle. “Well, don’t you look sharp. New suit? Told ya you didn’t need me to go shopping. You’ve got style—when you try.”

“Can we move?” I snap, yanking the car door open. “We’re late.”

“Youtell me, Mr. Fashionably-Late.” He slides into the passenger seat, throwing me a grin. “I take it last night went well? Is someone still in your bed right now? C’mon, don’t hold out on me.”

I groan, jamming the keys into the ignition. “Hardly. I was late because I spilled coffee on my tie, thanks for asking.”

The man I usually call ‘Comet’ or ‘Hux’ bursts into laughter. “Of course you did.”

“For your information, last night was basically the first day of kindergarten—but worse. I was man number seventeen, Hux.Seventeen.I talked to six women, and I’m pretty sure not one of them thought I was their type.”

Hux continues laughing. “Come on, you’re every woman’s type. Did you at least drop the SEAL card? Or the part where you rescue missing kids? That’s dating gold.”

“We didn’t even get that far.”

“Hey, maybe those women were the intellectual type—not easily swayed by good looks. Because let’s be honest, Chase, you should’ve gotten at least two proposals based on your face alone.”

“Wow. Thanks for acknowledging I’m handsome,” I deadpan. “I think I was too straightforward.”

“You? Straightforward? How?”

“I told them I wasn’t looking for anything serious. Just testing the waters, you know? Apparently, that’s a crime now. Whatever happened to modern women being all open-minded and go-with-the-flow?”

“Oh, Chase.” Hux shakes his head, sympathy written all over his face.

“Dating didn’t use to be this hard,” I lament.

He scoffs. “So, no one slept in your bed, huh?”

“Not unless you count me,” I mutter.

“Pathetic,” he says with an exaggerated shake of his head. “What’d I tell you? You should’ve used my ‘dog at the vet’ story. Works every time.”

I roll my eyes as we pull up to Red Mark’s shiny new Bozeman HQ.

‘Late’ is a relative term, of course. The bosses aren’t even here yet. Being late, even by my own made-up standards, grates on me. Head of Ops for Red Mark doesn’t do late.

We head inside, and I make another sweep of the place, checking that everything’s in order. No scuffs, no loose ends, no excuses.

Hux trails behind me, snickering. “You’re worse than my old drill instructor, you know that? Relax, Chase Bear. It’s not like Sam and Mark are gonna pull out white gloves and start checking for dust.”

“Dust won’t kill you. Being unprepared might,” I fire back.

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