Page 9 of Challenging Her Protector

“Don’t. I want this thing off. I don’t care if you have to tear it into pieces.” The mental image of doing just that made his hands tremble as he reached for the next button. He’d never hurt or take advantage of her, but he was still a man, and his body was reacting to something purely physical. He glanced away from the mirror and to her bare back. He was finding it difficult to draw a breath with her sweet scent in his nose and the close proximity. He was nearly at the base of her spine when the buttons ended. Her bones were too pronounced to be healthy, like a fragile bird, and for the first time in a very long time, he wanted to take care of someone other than himself.

“I’m going to step out and give you privacy to change. Silver got some loose shorts in the store that you can pull over the heels, then I’ll help you take them off.”

“Thank you for helping me.”

He quickly exited the bathroom, got the Walmart bag of toiletries and clothes, and slipped them into the bathroom before closing the door.

“I’m all set,” she called out after a moment.

He opened the door slowly to find her sitting on the side of the bath with her back against the wall. She chose to put back on his shirt instead of picking a new one from the bag. He wasn’t sure what her reason was, but the idea that she felt comforted by him in some way was appealing.

“I’m going to apologize in advance. I’m going to be as gentle as I can.” He turned on the faucet and sat opposite her on the side of the tub. He lifted her ankle and placed her whole foot, shoe and all, under the running water. If the blood had dried up, taking the shoe off would be extremely painful. At least wet, he could ease her foot out and wash away some of the debris. “Hang on, sweetheart,” he said after a moment. He wiggled the heel, but it was stuck on tight.

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I know it’s not going to come off easily.”

“Tell me more about Thalia.” When he’d first asked about her, he’d been trying to takehismind off his attraction. Now he was trying to takehermind off the pain. “When did you last see her?”

“She helped me get ready for the rehearsal, but before that, she’d made a scene so I could get out of my room and sneak a note to Hannah. I think my parents realized she’d helped me in some way, because just before I was supposed to enter the ballroom of the country club, my father demanded she go with him. Scott said she was going to get deported, but I don’t see how that could be possible. Surely, they’ll see that she’s been living in the country for years.”

With her foot still under the running water, he gave the heel of the shoe a sharp tug, removing it. Vivienne winced but she quickly schooled her expression. He did his best to mask his reaction, but her skin was torn to shreds, and already the tissue was swelling up even more.

“What do you know about the country she came from?” he asked turning off the tap.

“She said her family was from Mexico. That they wanted her to come here for a better life. She didn’t like to talk about them because it made her sad.”

“Do you know where she went after her shifts?”

“Until she was eighteen, she stayed in the house. Then she said she was able to buy a small place with the money she’d saved.”

He doubted that was true, but he kept it to himself. Everything about Thalia’s situations screamed labor trafficking, from the age she first began working, to her lack of education. From what Vee had told him, it seemed like Thalia was trying to protect her from the reality of her situation. He had a friend, Red, who had been working to assist Mexico’s military by offering training from a new special operations headquarters in California. He’d even been in the country to help take out big players in the rampant drug war. After he was done tending to Vee, he’d call him up and see what he could learn.

“How long does the deportation process take? Is there any way to stop it?” A shiver shook her slight shoulders.

“The system is backlogged. It could take anywhere from a few weeks to years if it’s done legally. Silver’s made some calls.”

He placed her foot on a fresh towel between his legs where he was straddling the bathtub. He had one foot planted in the tub right along with hers and his prosthetic on the other side. “I’m going to put some topical medicine on your foot to numb it. Then I can work on cleaning out the wounds.”

“Thank you.”

He squeezed some lidocaine out of the tube and carefully swept it over the jagged soles of her feet. She flinched slightly but let him work.

“I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”

She was perceptive. Whatever learning impairment her parents had suggested at was bullshit. She was smart and had proven brave and resourceful. He knew many kids, like Collin or his old teammate Ransom’s brother who also had disabilities, but that didn’t mean they weren’t intelligent in their own ways or less than anyone else.

How many people had shielded Vee from the outside world so she could focus on doing things that made them money and strengthened their social standing? “There is but right now those things are just theories. Will you give me a couple days to get more information?”

She studied him, then nodded. “I trust you.”

There it was again. That slow burn through his chest, a mix of satisfaction and self-reproach. After he’d cleaned her cuts, he put ointment on her foot and wrapped it in gauze before repeating the process on the other side, which was just as raw and chewed up as the other, if not more so. When he was done, the bathtub was stained with blood. It took some maneuvering to stand, and when he lifted Vee, the limp in his gait was a reminder that he would never be anyone’s hero. He wouldn’t allow it.

Outside the door, there were four knocks in a distinct rhythm, letting him know that Silver was back. He’d just placed Vee on one of the beds when there was the sound of a key card being scanned and the hotel lock disengaging.

The door swung open, and Silver stepped inside with a large take-out bag in his hands. The scent of fried onion rings and grilled burgers drifted into the room, and his stomach grumbled. Silver immediately turned to lock the dead bolt, along with the chain lock. “Sorry, that took so long. The drive-thru must be the only gig in town. It was mobbed even though it’s past midnight.” Silver’s gaze went to Vee’s wrapped feet dangling over the bed. “How are you feeling, darlin’?”

“Much better now since Iron put medicine on my feet.” She offered him a smile, then looked longingly at the brown paper bag he carried.

“We’ll have to keep a close eye on them. Watch for infection.” Silver’s gaze shifted to his and Iron dipped his chin, acknowledging his friend’s warning. Feet were often hard to heal. With the amount of time she’d spent with dirt caked into her cuts in the swampy Texas heat they could easily become infected. He’d spent time making sure the wounds were thoroughly clean, though, and Vee was young and healthy, aside from needing to add some weight to her slight frame. As if reading his mind, her stomach grumbled loudly, and her cheeks reddened. “Sorry. I guess I’m really hungry.”

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