Page 21 of Guarding Her Heart
“I’m not afraid of you,” Richard sneers, his voice dripping with disdain.
“You should be,” Ethan replies, his tone ice-cold.
Without warning, Richard lunges at Ethan, his fists swinging wildly. But Ethan is faster, sidestepping the attack and driving his fist into Richard’s gut with a force that knocks the wind out of him. Richard doubles over, gasping for breath, but Ethan doesn’t give him a chance to recover. He grabs Richard by the collar, hauling him up and slamming his face against the side of the truck.
“You’re done, Richard,” Ethan growls, his face mere inches from Richard’s. “You ever come near Jenny again, and I’ll make sure you regret it. And tell Torres he’s done, too.”
Richard’s eyes widen with fear, and for the first time, I see the realization sinking in—he’s not going to win this. He’s not in control anymore.
“Fine, okay,” Richard gasps, raising his hands in surrender. “Just let me go.”
Ethan holds him there for a moment longer, his eyes blazing with fury, before finally releasing him. Richard stumbles back, clutching his stomach as he glares at Ethan with a mix of hatred and fear.
“This isn’t over,” Richard spits, his voice shaking. “You’ll pay for this, both of you.”
“Get the fuck out of here, Richard,” Ethan says, his voice deadly calm. “And make sure to give Torres my message.”
Richard hesitates, his eyes flicking to me one last time, before finally turning and staggering away. I watch him go, my body trembling with a mix of fear and relief. It’s over. He’s gone. At least for now.
As soon as Richard is out of sight, Ethan turns to me, his expression softening with concern. “Are you okay?” he asks, his voice gentle as he steps closer, reaching out to cup my face.
I nod as I rub my sore arm, the adrenaline still coursing through me. “I’m fine, thanks to you.”
“I’m so sorry. I couldn’t get here fast enough because of the heavy traffic. I got stuck behind an accident and I couldn’t get cell service,” he says, his voice filled with guilt. “I should have been here sooner. I should have protected you.”
“You did,” I say, placing my hand over his. “You got here in time to help me from whatever he had planned, Ethan. That’s all that matters.”
He pulls me into his arms, holding me close as I bury my face in his chest, the warmth of his embrace soothing the fear that’s been gnawing at me all day. I can feel his heart pounding against mine, a steady rhythm that grounds me.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he murmurs into my hair, his voice thick with emotion. “I promise.”
“I know,” I whisper, holding onto him tightly. “I trust you.”
We stand there for a long moment, just holding each other in the school parking lot, the world around us fading away.
Finally, Ethan pulls back slightly, his hand gently lifting my chin so I can meet his eyes. “Come on,” he says softly. “Let’s get you home.”
I nod, allowing him to help me into my car. As we drive away, Ethan following me, the tension slowly begins to ease, replaced by a sense of relief that he’s in this with me and I’m not alone.
As we walk up to my apartment, Ethan turns to me, his expression serious. “I’m staying with you tonight,” he says, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“No argument here,” I reply. The thought of being alone right now doesn’t sit well with me and I’m thankful he’s volunteering.
Chapter 9
Ethan
Eli came through with information about both Richard Sorenson and Vincent Torres. Word on the street is that Richard is in deep with Torres –Richard’s been laundering money for Torres through the bank, and he is under investigation for embezzlement and laundering money and is on the verge of losing his job, reputation, freedom, and possibly his life. But… I have no idea what any of that has to do with Jenny and me.
I’ve shared everything I know with Jenny. After Richard went after her yesterday in the parking lot of her school, I haven’t let her out of my sight for a second.
“Can you stop at the Bean & Bagel? I need a decent coffee.” Jenny asks from the passenger side of my truck.
“What’s wrong with my coffee?” I ask, offended. I’ve been making her coffee almost every morning and this is the first I’m hearing about it.
She laughs, “Awe… did I hurt your feelings?” she asks like I’m a child.
“Ah, yeah. You did.” I pout.
