Page 59 of My Grumpy Billionaire Protector

Sienna’s voice breaks my thought process, and I find myself staring at her face, tight with worry.

“I’m okay. Don’t worry.”

“How bad is it?”

My stomach tightens as I lower my legs onto the floor. “The two of you need to be careful. These people are dangerous, and they’re not fucking around.”

“You’re the one who needs to be careful, E,” TJ insists before setting his mug down. “I know you want to help—”

“I’m being careful.”

And even if they do suspect I am snooping, they don’t seem worried.

So long as I am their prisoner, any access I have to the outside world is monitored and supervised. Anything I know isn’t likely to be of any use to anyone, least of all my family and friends. Out of all things I have learned, I haven’t even come close to scratching the surface, much less finding something I can use as a bargaining chip.

In time, I hope my luck changes, and I might stumble across something good enough to get me out and take them down in one fell swoop.

For now, it is like chipping away at a brick wall with my fingers.

* * *

I placemy hands on either side of my thighs and suck in a huge mouthful of air. “So you’re telling me that what you said before about not crossing certain lines is real? Bullshit.”

Riley slows to a halt next to me and rubs her hands up and down her arms. “No, really. I know it sounds insane because of Isaiah’s behavior, but he does have a very strict set of rules, and no one is allowed to break them.”

I lift myself up to my full height and pretend to scan the horizon, noticing how Felix and Hayes linger, as always, a few yards away. “Like what?”

What are the odds that I am being fed this information on purpose?

And is it to keep me in check or make sure my grandfather knows who he is dealing with?

Either way, it doesn’t matter.

Riley ticks off on her fingers. “No murder, no human trafficking, no targeting children or babies.”

I tilt my head back and scan the sky. “So, you’re really telling me that one of the most notorious businessmen in the country, someone who is probably on the FBI watchlist, I might add, really sticks to these rules?”

“Yup.”

“Even when it’s bad for business?”

“Especiallythen.”

“It doesn’t make any sense.” I lower my head and look directly at her. “I’m confused.”

Riley shrugs and tosses her ponytail over her shoulders. “I was too, but I don’t question it. What’s that saying? Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth?”

“There’s also, ‘Beware of the wolf in sheep’s clothing’.”

Riley runs a hand over her face. “I know who he is, Evie. I know what he could be capable of, but I also know what I need to do in order to make sure my father and I are free of him.”

I tilt my head to the side and study her. “Aren’t you worried about the price they’re making you pay until then?”

Riley can pretend all she wants, but by the time it is over, she is not going to be the same person who walked, willingly, into the eye of the storm. More importantly, neither would I, but I’m not wasting any time trying to convince myself of a different narrative.

A part of me wants to wrap both my arms around Riley’s shoulders and shake her for whatever good that will do.

Isaiah Gallagher might operate differently than any other corrupt businessman. Hell, he might even hold himself to a higher standard but being the lesser of two evils doesn’t make him any less evil. Everyone around me is willing to overlook that, but I’m not.

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