Page 27 of Protected By the SEAL

The plane will be here soon, and a decision will be made one way or another. This could be my last chance. I’m going to have to bite the bullet and find a way to just say it. I don’t have time to hold back. Even if my heart is in my throat and I can hardly breathe. Even if the little negative voice of self-doubt is warning me that she regrets sleeping with me and now can’t wait to get away. I don’t even know why I’m thinking that when she’s made it very clear that isn’t the case. Every single time I look at her, I feel emotions flowing deeply between us, reminding me that we mean the world to one another. That we are everything.

“C–Cassie,” I start in an attempt to get my words out at long last. I stutter a little at first. “I was just thinking that?—”

“How many of them do you think are still out there?” she interjects with a musing look on her face. “The gang, I mean.”

I don’t know if she just didn’t hear me or if she just doesn’t want to hear what I so clearly need to say, but this knocks me sideways a little bit. I’m stuck for words for a couple of seconds. “Erm, I don’t know. In Puerto Rico, do you mean?”

“I don’t know.” Her shoulders shrug rapidly. “Like, in the world, I guess. I know that a lot of them got arrested at the motel, but there must be a lot out there. Mexican Cartel, didn’t you say? That’s who they are all linked to? Well, there areloadsof them, surely. Which means it’s going to be impossible for me to ever feel safe again. I might always have them after me.”

Wow, now I really don’t know what to say. No wonder she isn’t keen on discussing me and her. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders. She’s trying to exist with the idea that she might never have safety again in her life.

“I… I don’t think that they will try anything with you again,” I declare in a half-hearted attempt to reassure her. “Or your family. This has failed epically on their part. I don’t think it would be worth the time and effort to come after you again.

“Yeah, I suppose so.” She pouts out her bottom lip. “I mean, they might not try and kidnap me again, but what if they want to kill me for causing so much trouble? I just don’t know anything about this world, but the criminals seem intense. I know you said that we’re going to be looked after, but that can’t happen forever, can it? I feel like everything is changed forever.”

I don’t think she’s actually looking for answers. She falls against me and leans into my chest. I don’t think that Cassie is crying this time around, but she’s drowning in emotions and I can’t stand it. All I want to do is pull her out of the water before it fills up her lungs and takes her from me completely. But she’s out of reach. I can’t grab onto her however hard I try.

“Oh, I think that’s the plane.” My heart sinks as I hear it. I’ve left it too late and now won’t be able to say anything. I pull back to look at Cassie and see the same amount of freaking out in her eyes. “You need to choose where to go.”

“Home,” she says quickly. “Or to my family. I suppose I have to see them, don’t I?” This is the moment where tears flood her eyes and she grabs onto my hands. “Or maybe I shouldn’t go there because I might be putting them in more danger. Maybe you’re right and I should come with you. At least at first. I’ll be able to speak to them if I do that, won’t I?”

“Of course,” I shoot back eagerly. If she comes with me, then I have more time, and right now, I need more time. “You can talk to them whenever you want now. Whatever happens, everyone will be protected. It’s going to be fine.”

The closer the plane gets to us, the more eager I become to get the hell out of here. We’re kinda still in the firing line when we’re here, which is a real issue for me. Cassie has got me thinking about how far the gang might stretch and how much of a target we could be while in the area, so I’m keen for us to get a move on and get out of here.

I pull Cassie back out of the way while the plane lands, and I can feel her trembling beside me. I don’t know if she’s fully contentwith her decision, but I think it might be best at the moment for us to get out of here. If once we land, she decides that she needs to get back to her family, we can make a plan for her then. Nothing needs to be set in stone. It’s fine. I’m just hoping that before she leaves me for good, I get a chance to speak to her at long last and I can make things right. I want her to go off with all the information to hand so that when she makes a final decision, it’s an informed one.

I chat to the pilot for a few minutes while Cassie gets herself seated to tell him the plan. I have one eye on Cassie the entire time, and I can see the anxiety gripping onto her increasingly by the second. Something is going on, something is winding her up, and if we don’t take action soon, I have a feeling that she might lose her mind once and for all.

By the time I climb in to sit beside her, a surge of determination overcomes me. I need to take control for the moment because it doesn’t seem like giving Cassie options is working out too well. It seems to stress her out even more.

“Right, we’re about to go now,” I tell her firmly, seriously hoping that the tone will calm her down. “Are you ready?”

“N–No,” She shakes her head hard and unclips herself. “No, Benji, I can’t do this. I can’t do any of it. I can’t…”

Before I can stop her, she tears off out of the plane and falls to the ground. Anxiety is crushing her, claiming her windpipe. I can see that before I even get to her. Poor Cassie is struggling so much and there’s nothing I can do to help her. I truly hate this uselessness overcoming me. Even as I crash out of the plane toward her, I know that I can’t take her from this place.

“Cassie, we can’t stay here,” I tell her quietly, trying a softer tone this time around. “We have to get a move on. I know that you’re worried about the gang members, but we’re more likely to run into trouble here than anywhere else.”

“I just can’t do it.” She curls up into the fetal position. “I can’t face the press. I don’t know if I can face my family either. After everything, I really just need a time out for it all. And I know that you said we can go to your place, but what if there are people there as well? The media, the gang, I don’t know anyone. It makes me too anxious. I want to go somewhere else.”

“Somewhere unexpected?” I ask her curiously, noting that she’s actually come up with a good idea. “We can do that.”

She pulls herself off the floor and stares at me in surprise. “What do you mean? We can go somewhere else?”

“We have a plane at our disposal and it can take us anywhere we want to. We don’t just have the two options. I was only putting them forward because I didn’t want to make it any more complicated than it already was. But if you want to go somewhere else, then I’ll come with you. Like I said, I can be your protection wherever we end up going.”

“But… but what about your work?” she stammers shyly. “I couldn’t ask you to do that for me.”

“It will still be work.” I laugh. “I’ll be protecting you right up until you don’t want me anymore.”This is it, now is the time to be a little clearer about what I was talking about before.“But I’m more than happy to give up the job if I have another purpose in life. You know that. I would give it all up for you. I’d give everything up. Hey, we can go anywhere you want, anywhere inthe world. And we don’t even need to stop at one place. Do you want to travel and see everywhere? Because I would love to.”

“That’s my dream.” She grabs onto me hard. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, but I haven’t had the chance…”

“Well, now you have it. So, why don’t we turn your nightmare into your dream, make this a positive memory?”

Cassie squeals and throws her arms around me, clinging to me tightly, making everything feel right with the world once more. It’s warm and sunny again, and I can feel that sense of joy which comes with Cassie being okay. I know that this is a risk. Falling for someone I should be working with is a massive hurdle to overcome, and all of this could cause drama, but sometimes, it’s worth it. I wouldn’t be the first person to fall in love with someone I’m working with from our company, anyway…

Max will miss me, I’m sure, but my focus is Cassie now. She’s the only thing I care about in the universe, and if I can make her happy and finally feel some kind of safety, then that’s awesome. With me, I’ll ensure that she feels safe at all times.

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