Page 124 of Ruined By Protection
Not anymore.
I straighten my spine against the leather seat. In a few hours Elliott will face consequences for what he did to Melissa, to me, to who knows how many others. And I won't be playing dumb when it happens.
CHAPTER 39
Hazel
The car slows as we approach the Montgomery country estate. I've been here dozens of times but today everything looks different. The sprawling property with its manicured hedges and pristine white columns feels like a beautiful prison rather than the luxury retreat Elliott always called it.
Thomas punches in the code and we glide through the wrought iron gates. The driveway curves gracefully through oak trees that have stood for generations. I press my hand against my chest, trying to calm the tumult inside.
I scan the property quickly. No security personnel visible. No extra cars in the circular drive except Elliott's Bentley. He's alone, just as we expected.
Elliott never needed security guards. He was just a businessman—at least that's what the world saw. His power came from money and connections, not muscle. He never imagined anyone would come after him. Why would he? Men like Elliott think they're untouchable.
Thomas retrieves my bag from the trunk as I step out of the car and the Texas heat wraps around me like a blanket. The sweat trickling down my spine has nothing to do with the temperature.
I know Matteo and the others are close by. I'm not alone. But standing here, about to face Elliott again, my body remembers the fear. My ribs ache with phantom pain where they were once cracked by his fist.
The front door opens and Elliott appears.
He looks exactly the same—tall, handsome in that conventional way that graces country club brochures. His smile is superb, expert. To anyone else he'd seem like the dream husband welcoming his wife home.
I know better.
"Breathe," I whisper to myself. "Just breathe."
Thomas sets my bag down at the entrance and drives away, taking my last connection to the outside world. I'm left standing on the bottom step facing the monster who nearly destroyed me.
Elliott's smile stretches. "Welcome home, darling. I've missed you terribly."
I force a smile that feels like it might crack my face as I say "I missed you too," forcing the lie from pinched lips.
I focus on putting one foot on the step above, reminding myself this is the final performance I'll ever give for Elliott Montgomery.
Elliott remains standing in the doorway, arms outstretched, waiting for me to come into his embrace. His smile doesn't reach his eyes—those treacherous, cunning eyes that have relished watching me shrink into myself for the last two years.
My heart is galloping so fast I can barely inhale. The bruises Elliott left have faded but my body remembers his every touch. My skin crawls at the thought of being in his arms again.
Then I remember: I'm not alone. Not anymore.
Matteo is here. Noah and Daniel too. They won't let anything happen to me.
I continue upward, setting my face into a mask of submission—the perfect, dutiful wife returning to her husband. Elliott's smile morphs into smugness, clearly believing he's won.
I'm close enough now that I can smell his cologne—a sandalwood scent with an unbecoming touch of fruit he always wears. He reaches for me and as he does, one hand raises, ready to strike.
"Touch her and you will end up in pieces, asshole."
Matteo's voice penetrates the dusk, savage and lethal.
Elliott freezes, his mask falling to shards of confusion as he realizes he's not alone with me.
He spins toward the voice just as Matteo's fist connects with his frat boy jaw, then another to his gym-flat stomach. The impact drives the air from Elliott's lungs with a satisfying whoosh. He doubles over, gasping.
"What the—" Elliott wheezes, face contorted in shock and pain.
Noah materializes from behind, grabbing Elliott's arms and yanking them behind his back. My husband—the man who terrorized me for months—struggles against Noah's powerful grip, his face turning red with effort.
