Page 40 of Twisted Hearts

A tremor rolled through her, and—Screw this.I slid closer, and when she didn’t flinch from the nearness of me, I slid my arm around her and gently guided her closer until her head hit my shoulder. She burrowed into me, like she’d known and trusted me forever.

I struggled against groaning with pleasure as the softness of her skin brushed against my throat and I inhaled that soft, sweet coconut scent.

All of her was sweet.

And terrified.

My grip on her shoulder tightened as I held her to me and looked to Jaxon.

His face was steel, hardened with fury in reaction to seeing her upset, but I knew behind those dark eyes that could make a man piss his pants in a moment, he was already calculating.

“We’ll get a man on you. At all times,” he said. His voice rumbled like far-off thunder, hinting at menace sure to come.

“That’s not—”

“It’s necessary,” he finished for her. And hell yeah it was.

“I’ll do it.” It wasn’t a request. Perhaps I shouldn’t have tried to boss my new boss around, but as he looked at me holding her, he knew. Hell, he’d probably known I wanted her based on the way I had contacted him that morning, insisting he meet with us.

“All right.” He glanced at Addi. “That okay with you?”

She nodded against my chest and pulled back. I let her go reluctantly and removed my arm from her shoulders once she was sitting again, eyes red from tears, cheeks flushed either from the emotion of sharing what she had or embarrassment.

It didn’t matter. She was beautiful.

“Okay then.” Jaxon leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Now, tell us everything else. Every specific thing you can think of. I’m going to record it though, okay?”

She licked her lips and hesitated. “Okay. I did tell my mom I’d call when I was safe, though, and I haven’t done that. I haven’t wanted my new number to show up on her phone, so…”

“We’ll get you an untraceable one before you leave here today so you can do that.”

“Thank you,” she said, heaving a sigh. She glanced up at me, smiling a shaky smile that barely lifted the corners of her lips. “Thank you.”

“It’s our job.”

What she didn’t know but hopefully would learn soon was that I would do this for her even if it wasn’t. I was damn glad she’d come to me with this.

I’d make her safe. Secure. Protected. And I didn’t give a single shit if people had to die for that to happen.

I glanced at Jaxon, seeing the same resolve in his eyes, and then we got to work.

13

Addi

Idropped my head to the back of the couch in Shawn’s office where we’d come after talking to Jaxon. It was the same utilitarian and uncomfortable black leather as Jaxon’s, but I didn’t care. I could have slept for a week on a bed of rocks with as exhausted as I was after doing so much talking.

Through it, I slowly began to place my trust in both Shawn and Jaxon as they asked questions and with the way they handled my answers. Even when I was vague, I caught the looks the men shared. Bulls ready to charge anyone who came close to me was a pretty accurate description of the way they looked, nostrils flared, jaws tense, fury in their eyes.

I’d made the right choice in choosing to go to them.

I only hoped I didn’t regret it.

If anything happened to either of them because of me and my problems, I didn’t know if I’d be able to forgive myself. I’d known Daniel was an ass and his dad was equally horrible but I’d never anticipated them capable of violence until they day they forced our engagement and warned me what would happen if I refused to comply. Now, I had no idea what they were capable of.

“You doing okay?” He sat next to me on the couch, near enough that I could touch him or lean into him but far enough that I didn’t feel smothered. I appreciated the space. My senses were rattled enough for one day, even if I had liked the way he’d held me earlier and wanted more of it. “I know that wasn’t easy for you.”

“Tired,” I admitted, finding the energy to turn my head to the left and face him, though only barely. “But I feel better, especially after Jillian’s call this morning with Daniel and now knowing Matthew is already trying to find me.”

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