Page 42 of Bad Boy Billionaire Protector

I made my way towards the door, wanting to run away. Andrew stepped in front of me, blocking my exit.

“No, you don’t. Amber, listen to me, you need to sit down and listen. You can’t just run out and go around telling everyone about this."

I looked over at the man I had fallen in love with, shock and fear filling me up. He stepped forward and took hold of my arm gently. I shook him off.

“No. Don’t touch me.” I didn’t want to be held. Not by this…stranger, this man who had deceived me for weeks about who he was.

“Sit down,” Andrew commanded.

I went to the couch and slumped down.

They looked at one another, worried. Andrew knelt in front of me.

“I didn’t want to tell you any of this. You weren’t supposed to know any of this information. Not yet anyway. But we’ve had a few…issues with Adam in WITSEC. It’s coming up to the one-year anniversary of his ‘death’ and he’s getting antsy. He’s talking about coming out of WITSEC early to come and see you. He’s already put in a request to the US Marshals to come out early. We’re worried he might try to come and see you and put himself…and you in danger. So, Mason thought it was time you were brought in on what’s been going on, which is why we’ve told you now. But you have to understand that this is all classified information. You can’t let anyone know that you know Mason’s real identity or that Adam is alive. This is still an active investigation and it’s even more important now that we’re so close to breaking the case wide open.”

“I understand all that,” I whispered, hoarsely. I couldn’t take any more, I had to get out of there. I couldn’t breathe. “Will you please let me leave now? I want to go home.”

Christos – I mean Mason – stepped forward. “I’ll walk you home.”

I looked up at him, dazed. “No. I want to be by myself.”

“It’s too dangerous out there.” His voice was filled with emotion.

“My dorm is less than a mile away!”

“I don’t care if it’s across the street! I’ll walk you home.”

I didn’t have the strength to fight. I closed my eyes and nodded my head as I stood up and went to the door. “I’d like to go now, please.”

Mason followed me to the door. He turned back to Andrew. “I’ll take her to her dorm. I won’t be long.”

Andrew nodded. “I’ll wait here.”

We left Mason’s apartment and walked the short distance to my dorm room. We didn’t say anything to each other as we walked. I had so many questions but they all got stuck in my throat. I couldn’t bear to look at Mason, to see the face of the man I had fallen in love with.

We arrived at my building and Mason took a good look around before he let me go inside.

“It seems like it’s safe enough for you to go inside. I can walk you to your door if you like?”

“No. I can manage on my own. Besides, no one can enter without a passkey.”

“I don’t really know what to say to you Amber, I…I’m so sorry…”

“Please. I can’t,” I burst out, tears streaming down my face. I turned on my heels and ran into the building and up the stairs. As soon as I got into my room I collapsed on the floor.

Chapter 20 – Amber

Adamisalive.

My mind was quite literally blown. So many questions came flooding through my brain. How was he alive? I had been there when the hospital told his family that he was dead. How could this be? Why, oh why, had I run away from Christos’ – I mean Mason’s – apartment when there were so many unanswered questions.

I had spent the last year mourning Adam, yearning for him. Now I’m told that he’s been alive this whole time.. Chris – I mean Mason – knew that, and yet he let me believe he was dead.

Hot tears of anger rolled down my cheeks and I made a keening noise that sounded like an animal in pain. I hugged my arms around my body and rocked back and forth. My brain just couldn’t take it all in.

The person I had loved back then was alive and the person I was now in love with had lied to me all along. Was any of it ever real? I felt so stupid. Was he just using me to get information all this time? Oh God! I felt like I was going to be sick.

This was just too much for me to take. I sobbed. Ugly cries tearing out of my body as I struggled to deal with the pain welling up inside of me.

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