Page 63 of My Grumpy Billionaire Protector

Shane has always been a little too arrogant and slick for my taste, but I couldn’t have imagined this path for him. On the rare occasions when I had thought of him, the last thing I would have pictured is him being complicit in my kidnapping and being held hostage.

Yet, a small part of me is beginning to believe Shane really did have nothing to do with my current predicament.

“I was kidnapped,” Shane reveals after a lengthy pause. “Those biker guys I used to hang out with? It turns out they were part of an underground human trafficking operation.”

I sit up straighter, and fear pulses through me. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

Shane shrugs and drops onto the bed, turning so he is facing me. “It’s not your fault. I should’ve paid more attention, but all I cared about was sticking it to my parents and being cool.”

I swallow. “I’m still sorry.”

“When they found me, it had been months since I’d seen the sun. Now and again, a ‘client’ would express interest in me only to back off at the last second. Still, they refused to let me go. A year later, when I was rescued, Cory was the one who stood by my side and helped nurse me back to health.”

“And your parents?”

Shane stares at a fixed spot on the wall over my shoulder. “They moved on without me. Had another son. He’s a prodigy, you know.”

I open and close my mouth several times. “I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s okay. It’s for the best. My parents… they wanted something from me that I wouldn’t have been able to give them. Jason will be able to make them happy, and they get to live vicariously through him, just like they always wanted.”

His words make my stomach twist in response.

Shit.

“It’s their loss anyway,” I offer, forcing my lips up into a half-smile. “They’re missing out on who you are.”

“A part of me always thought they’d be proud of me for starting my own company and making it what it is today.”

I swallow. “I’m sorry they’re not.”

Shane tilts his head to stare at me. “Are you saying that to get me to go easy on you during a game of monopoly?”

I snort. “Oh, please. Your good luck is going to run out eventually, and when it does, I’ll be waiting.”

SHANE

Cory falls into step beside me, and the two of us make our way down the brightly lit hallway and only stop outside of the gym. There, I set the laptop down on the far side of the room before kicking off my shoes and taking my place in front of the punching bag.

Now and again, I see my captors instead of the punching bag, and when I do, my breathing is sharper and harder. The ringing in my ears grows more pronounced the harder I punch until his face sharpens into focus, and all of the fight leaves me.

“You okay?”

I nod. “Yeah, I’m just done for the day. I’ll catch you later.”

At the top of the stairs, I hand the laptop over to Pierce. I brush past him and take the stairs two at a time, the sound of my heavy breathing echoing inside of my head.

On the opposite end of the hallway, I go into my room and kick the door shut behind me. Still, I see his face as I let my clothes fall into a heap and step into the shower. As the smell of soap fills my nostrils, all I can see is him and those small eyes, set against a wide face.

When I emerge, a thick mist trails after me. I change into a pair of clean clothes and pick up my tray of food. Everything tastes bland and flavorless until I wash it down with a cup of ice-cold water and enjoy it as it trickles down my throat before settling into the pit of my stomach.

Later, I hop onto the bed and switch on the TV, but I can’t seem to focus. Cory and Pierce are on the other side of the room, heads bent together in conversation. The harder I try to outrun the memories, the quicker and more painful they become until I can smell the dirt and sweat and hear the sound of his croaking whisper as if it is directly in my ear.

I sit up, my heart pounding against my chest and curse.

Rafael.

I haven’t thought about him in years, or at least I try not to. Now and again, he comes to me, but I immediately shove the memory and banish his face to the back of my mind. There, it gathers cobwebs and lingers, waiting to be released.

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