Page 67 of Merciless Protector

My intruder finally emerged from the building, where he was approached by plainclothes cops and herded into a black SUV.

“Nothing,” I said.

“Why California?”

“Well, we both know your wife would not survive in a small town. Other big cities are risky. California, specifically Los Angeles, is the perfect mix of urban but ritzy enough for her.”

“Was this a hunch, or did you have information?”

I scoffed. “Information? I’m a leper in the PD. I don’t have the same contacts as I used to.”

“What good are you to me?”

“Alive? If I’m killed, they will pin it on you. And not being dead means they are spending some resources trying to indict me and not all on you.”

“Maybe. Besides, your kid dealer will likely take care of you for me when he finds out you cut a witness free. Bye, Shawn.” And he hung up.

Finding out if he and Ruin were working closely together hadn’t been clear. He knew enough to confirm they were acquainted with each other. Time would tell on the rest. But as long as Tayla stayed in New York, the longer I had to deal with the Ruin problem.

My phone signaled a call. I closed the burner and retrieved it.

“Griff. What’s up?” I said.

“You’re not going to like this.”

I blew out a long breath. “What?”

“Tayla’s on her way back to Chicago.”

Fuck.

29

TAYLA

Though I truly believed that Ruin wasn’t looking for me, my anxiety was still at an all-time high. Having Bailey’s cooking saved the plane ride. Barbeque pulled pork, mashed sweet potatoes, and oddly delicious crisp green beans kept my worried thoughts at bay. When we finished eating our fill, I cornered Kelsey on something I’d been wondering about.

“Are you ever going to tell me what’s going on with you and Griffin?” She had been a little more than annoyed when relaying that Griffin was playing security guard to some young up-and-coming movie star. But I hadn’t wanted to corner her about it in front of Lizzy and Bailey. Now we were alone.

Kelsey shifted in her jump seat that lined the cargo plane and stared out at nothing as the plane shook slightly with turbulence. I could tell she was hesitant to talk, but I wasn’t going to let her avoid the conversation any longer.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me,” I said, placing a hand on her arm. “It’s none of my business.”

“It’s complicated,” she said, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

“Complicated how?” I pressed, my curiosity piqued.

She sighed heavily, finally turning to face me. “He’s my boss, and he’s made it clear he won’t cross that line.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Did you make a move first?”

“Not exactly,” she admitted, her cheeks flushing slightly. “We almost kissed, but he stopped and then made that announcement. Things have been weird since.”

I nodded slowly. “But you have feelings?”

Kelsey looked at me with a mixture of sadness and frustration. “Yes, I do. And it’s not just a crush or infatuation. I really care about him. But it’s like I can’t do anything about it because of our professional relationship. I don’t want to lose my job, you know? And I don’t want things to continue to be weird between us.”

I could see the internal conflict written all over her face. She was torn between her heart and her mind. I didn’t envy her position.

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