Page 119 of Never Quiet

Governments around the world ignore human trafficking. I won’t ignore it. Keep coming, Winston Winters. Come get me yourself, you pathetic coward with rotten insides. I’m not hiding.

Tawny stopped the video and handed her back her phone. Amanda took it with shaking hands and worked to upload it to various social media. She tagged as many news and entertainment outlets as she could and then made it live.

The phone slipped from her fingers and her body quit.

* * *

It was dark when Amanda opened her eyes and she blinked in confusion. She was in her bed and the bathroom light was on. Hayden’s body pressed against her back.

“I love you, Amanda.”

Tearfully, she whispered, “I love you, too.”

He rolled her over and held himself above her. One hand smoothed through her hair. “Ash kept himself high enough to protect your head. Had his center mass, protected by a Kevlar vest, not been there, you would have taken two bullets to the back of your skull. The caliber would have been slowed by bone, and likely wounded but not killed me as the bullets exited your face.”

Shaking, she didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t know that anyone has ever loved me so much that they would calmly step in front of me, ready to die.”

“I could name half a dozen people who love you that much, Hayden.” Tears slipped into her hair. There was no doubt Tawny spoke to him about their earlier conversation. “I know you have questions but I’m begging you not to ask them yet. I need you to trust me, to let me verify facts. Then, you have my word that I’ll speak to you.”

His silver-gray eyes didn’t blink. “You think you’ll lose me?”

Struggling to breathe through the pain, she whispered, “I think that’s a likely outcome.”

“I won’t…”

She kissed him and said against his lips, “Don’t make an unkeepable promise, Hayden.” Relaxing against the bed, she added, “I estimate it will take eight months to drive Winston Winters from his public-facing life, to the point where he’ll be forced into some form of hiding. He’ll still have the money to honor the bounty, but I wonder how much attention his business associates are going to tolerate. After all, the organization already loses them billions annually.”

Holding his face, her tears fell faster. “As long as I have a bounty, you’ll feel too many conflicts about walking away from me.” She tried to smile. “I don’t want that for you, Hayden. I don’t want you to be worried about my life as well as my heart. Help me destroy him while I solve a puzzle.”

Without a word, he stripped them both and made love to her. With every kiss, every touch, every stroke of his cock inside her, he made promises to Amanda anyway.

Promises he’d never be able to keep.

How she loved him for trying.

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