Page 24 of Merciless Protector

Many tears had spilled from my eyes before I finally left the bathroom, wrapped in a towel that hung from a wall. It seemed to be clean as if it had been washed recently. With it secured around me, I stepped into the bedroom. The door was closed as if Shawn hadn’t come back in, but there was a bag of clothes on the bed. I also heard faint voices coming from the other room. I wasn’t sure if he was watching TV or if we had company.

15

MATT

Unable to trust myself, I’d bolted out of the room before I did something like kiss her. Everything that had happened between us before was necessary. Now, I had to protect her and nothing more.

The excuse to make food wasn’t just an excuse. We needed to eat. Who knew what was in store for us the next few days.

There was a sharp knock at the door. At the same time, my phone buzzed. A check of the screen showed a preview of a text from Griff. I moved to the door and opened it without pause.

“Hey,” I said as we clasped hands and he came in for the half hug. Kelsey followed in behind him.

“Brought you something,” Griff said, holding up a bag in each hand. He set one on the counter and the other he held out to me. “For yer girl. I doubt she wants to stay in that dress forever.”

I peeked inside before nodding. “I’ll be right back,” I said before making my way back to the room Tayla was in.

The door to the bathroom was cracked open, and the shower was running. I fought the pull to go in there and share the shower. Her unspoken invitation before had been tempting. I looked away and left the bag on the bed before exiting the room, saving us both.

Griff and Kelsey were quietly conferring when I walked in.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“We know where Ruin is or where he was,” Griff answered.

I held out my hands. “Care to fill me in?”

“I tagged the car he arrived in. We tracked it to an industrial park south of town,” Griff said.

“We need to go now,” I said.

“He’s likely not there at this point,” Griff said. “I need to check again.”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s a lead,” I said.

“We can’t go in guns blazing. We need to think about this and what about—” Griff looked over my shoulder as Tayla walked in.

“Didn’t know we had company,” Tayla said, looking like a snack. The woman stole my attention whenever we shared space.

Griff turned on the charm with a grin that most women found enc. “Hi. I’m Griffin.” He held out his hand. But Tayla, stood firm in baggy sweatpants and a hoodie, and was still the most desirable woman I’d ever seen.

Her eyes bounced from him to me and then to Kelsey. She folded her arms. “You said you know where he is.”

She looked more determined than ever. I stepped forward. “We will get him.”

“Not without me,” she said.

Everyone jumped in at once. I held up a hand, silencing the room. “We just got you back—”

Tayla squared her shoulders as she pivoted and lanced a narrow-eyed gaze in my direction. “If you didn’t already know, I’m a trained FBI agent. I can handle myself.”

Griff’s brows shot up as he sent an amused grin my way. I ignored him while also not stating the obvious, that she’d been caught twice by Ruin. I was a hundred-percent sure she didn’t want to be reminded of that.

Before I could respond, Griff held up a finger, gaining our attention. He pointed at Tayla. “Weren’t you wearing that last night?” he asked.

I gave her a quick once-over because it was obvious she’d changed into the new clothes he’d brought for her. Then I spotted the lacy collar around her neck.

“If you don’t have the key, Kelsey can get bolt cutters from the van,” Griff added.

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