Page 43 of Witness Protection

Cayden pulled out his cell phone and called Randy.

“Where the fuck have you been? I’ve been calling for days,” said Randy before he could get in a word.

“I’ve been ghosting. You have no idea how much heat is on me.”

“Oh, I have an idea. Half the damn city wants you and the girl dead,” said Randy. “Where are you?”

“I’m not trying to be an asshole, but I wouldn’t trust Mother Teresa right now. No one knows where I am, and that’s how I want it to stay.”

“What about the girl? She still alive.”

“Yeah, I have her. I think her bodyguard is dead. Things got ugly fast.”

“You know how much they’ll pay for her now?”

He took a breath. “Three million.”

“Did you get hit in the head? Turn her in and end this shit. Move to another country for a few years, if you have to. If her man is dead, there’s no trade.”

“I’m not turning her in. It would be a death sentence.”

Silence.

“Where are you, Cayden?”

“I’m not turning her in,” he repeated.

There was no way in hell he’d trust anyone at this point. Everyone was in it for themselves first. In his world, money was god.

“You make no sense. Explain to me why you’re keeping her?”

“Maybe I like her. Is it so wrong if I keep her for myself?”

Randy laughed on the other end of the line. “Are you sixteen? This isn’t a game. Shit, if you want a woman, I can get you twenty bitches twice as hot as her.”

“You wouldn’t understand. I don’t expect you to, because I don’t understand it myself. All I know is she’s different. I won’t trade her life for money.”

“You think she’d be as generous if the shoe was on the other foot, Cayden? She’s the daughter of Vasily Morenov. Whatever she’s convinced you of is a lie. Trust me on this.”

“This is the last time you’ll hear from me for a while. Take care of yourself, Randy.” He ended the call, squeezing the phone in his hand, feeling like the only man in the world.

He went outside and set up his perimeter tripwire and activated all his security measures. He hoped they wouldn’t be necessary. This place was in the middle of nowhere, owned by one of his anonymous corporations, and he’d switched cars shortly after putting Sophia to sleep to be on the safe side. He finally settled inside and checked the security and trackers on his phone.

“Hawk!”

Cayden ran up the three steps and slammed the door shut behind him. He rushed to the bedroom to find Sophia thrashing about, having some kind of nightmare. He straddled her body, pinning her wrists to the sides of her head. “Calm the fuck down.”

She opened her eyes, her chest rising and falling like she’d run a marathon. “Cayden,” she gasped.

His nerves settled, and he lifted off her, sitting on the side of the bed. “Sometimes there are side effects with that shit. You’ll be fine.”

She touched her neck. “You poisoned me.”

“It’s not poison. It just calmed you down. I use it all the time,” he said.

“Yeah, on people you plan to kill.”

He got off the bed and left the room. She followed him, grabbing the walls as she wobbled slightly on her feet.

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