Page 39 of Nanny for the Bodyguard
Ihaveto protect her, to make sure this shit doesn’t happen again.
“I’m already in, Hazel. I’m in. I need you to talk to me. Whoever that guy was, he almost…” My throat tightens, and I have to clear it. “…almost killed you. This is serious, and you need my help.”
“I’ve been dealing with this on my own, Easton. You…” She looks up at me, her eyes going glassy again, and I hate to see her like this. “…you left. I respect that. I’m not trying to guilt you into, well,anything.”
“Hazel,” I take both her hands, refusing to let go, “I do feel guilty. You were attacked. In my town. The one I’m supposed to be keeping safe. And you matter. You’re not…”
There is so much I want to say, but I just can’t. Our history is too long, and the idea of trying to dive into all that right now is too much. I just need to be sure that Hazel is safe and that this can’t happen again.
“I protect people for a living, Haze. Just let me help you.Please.”
Tension lingers in the air, but Hazel looks at me, really looking into my eyes, searching. I try to give everything I can just through my stare.
You need to let me help you. Ineedto help you.
“He…came for me, Easton. That man…he came here on purpose.” Tears stream down Hazel’s face. “He…attacked me to send a message.”
My heart squeezes, and it feels like the wind just got kicked out of me. “What message?”
Hazel is shaking, and I wrap an arm around her, pulling her against my chest. I just try to breathe, to let her feel me breathing to calm her own.
“H-He was wearing a Halloween mask. I’ve…I’ve seen them used before. T-Two years ago…”
For a minute, Hazel doesn’t finish. She doesn’t fill in the blanks. I don’t want to push her any harder, though. She’s lying in a hospital bed, for fuck’s sake.
The idea of causing her more pain makes me sick to my stomach.
After a shaky breath, Hazel nods to herself, her eyes tracking down the length of the bed.
“Two years ago, I was living on my own in LA. We’d…we’d already been broken up for a while. I was…Jesus, I was actually going on my first date since. I thought…I thought it was a good match.”
The machines beep in the background as Hazel gathers up her strength for the next part of her story. I’m already on edge, not liking where this story is going in the slightest.
“I went to a restaurant. The guy was running late. He called, and I stepped outside to take it because it was so loud in there. As I was standing on the back patio alone, a black car pulled up. It…it happened so fast. I was just standing there, and then thenext second I was yanked inside, and a bag was shoved over my head.”
“What the fuck? You…you werekidnapped? Christ, Hazel, are you…” It was stupid to ask if she was okay. None of this was okay. “I’m so sorry.”
A sharp, sarcastic chuckle leaves her, and I wince. Hazel is clearly furious about the entire situation, and it’s not like my apologies are going to do anything.
“Yeah. It was common for this group, I guess. They’d use dating apps to lure women to some place of their choosing. They’d figure out that we were alone, had no family, and were attractive. At least that’s what the cops told me.”
I’m at a total loss for words, my eyes wide as I listen to Hazel continue.
“They wore Halloween masks to hide their identities. I was knocked out pretty quick, and I came to in a warehouse with other girls there. They…they were going to traffic us.”
Holy shit. They were…Hazel was…sold?
“I got a good look at the ring leader, though. Neil James. I, umm, I wanted out. We all did, and I knew…I justknewthat if I could get out of there, I could go to the cops with what I learned. I could put him away. It…it got me through the days that I was there until I managed to slip a hand free of my cuffs and get out.”
Hazel’s stare is distant, remembering the past, and she’s covered in new wounds as the scar tissue from the others is irritated.
“I ran all night until I got to a road. Someone picked me up and…I testified against him. Heglaredat me…it was terrifying. Every news report said that if it weren’t for my testimony, James would have walked. It’s safe to say hehatesme.”
Realization clicks, and I clench Hazel’s hand as I put the pieces together. “You think he sent someone here to hurt you. The guy who attacked you. You think that?—”
“I know, Easton.” Hazel’s stare finally returns to mine, and I will never forget the horror I see in her eyes, the way she clings to my hand, deadly serious. “I know it’s him. The guy…he said he had a message for me.”
A sob chokes her, and Hazel tries to force it away as her expression goes angry—but still radiating tremendous fear.
