Page 130 of Forbidden Protector

Quick as a flash, Roisin thrusts something at the man’s neck.

I watch as a familiar rigidity takes hold of the man’s body. He leans forward into Roisin as if holding himself up before the driver maneuvers him into the back seat of the car.

Kate pauses and rewinds the footage. She stops at the point where Roisin jams something into her assailant’s neck and plays through it frame by frame.

“Damn,” Kate curses when she finds the frame she was looking for. “She’s tougher than she looks.”

There, for a fraction of a second, the camera picks up on the silver knife protruding from the man’s neck.

“I hoped she’d never had to use it,” I whisper, transfixed by the distant look on Roisin’s face as she pulls the knife free, unable to fully comprehend the action she’d just taken.

“At least whoever saved her seems to be an ally of sorts,” Kate says as she plays through the remainder of the footage again. “I’ve sent the plate details to our tech guy. He should have the results in a few hours.”

“Hours?” I give her a frantic look. “We need to start looking for hernow.”

Kate looks me up and down with a grimace. “No offense, but you look like someone chewed you up and spit you back out in the sewer.”

“How is that not offensive?”

“My point is, you were passed out for three hours. You need to rest and reset. You’re no use to her in this state,” Kate says firmly. “We’ve missed the window of opportunity to catch her in transit. Our best bet is to pin down her location and infiltrate if necessary.”

I shake my head. “They could be doing anything to her right now.”

“Or they could be friends,” Kate counters. “I know this is emotional for you, but you have to be smarter about this.”

“So, what?” I groan. “You expect me to go running back to Connor and tell him I lost his sister? There’s no way I’m coming out of that conversation alive.”

Kate runs a hand through her hair. “I’m going to regret saying this, but… I think you better come with me.”

***

The car ride with Kate is polite at best.

At some point, she turns on the radio to diffuse the stony silence, only for me to change the channel two seconds later.

“Hey!” Kate moans.

“My car, my music,” I recite easily.

I see Kate give me the middle finger in my peripheral. “It’s the second left here.”

The Lamborghini takes the corner as smooth as butter, bringing us in front of a large apartment complex.

“I thought Jack said you guys had a bunker?” I grumble as I roll up to the sidewalk.

Kate brings out a set of keys and presses a button.

I watch in awe as the sidewalk in front of the building begins to open up. Trash cans, bike stands, and even greenery are pushed to either side as the entrance seems to appear out of thin air, revealing a slope that leads into pitch darkness below.

There’s no stopping the low whistle that escapes my mouth.

I make a mental note to message my contractors when this is over.

“Got any more sarcastic comments?” Kate croons over to me.

By way of replying, I drive into the opening, unable to shake the feeling that the ground is swallowing us whole.

As the ramp takes us lower and lower beneath the city, the sunlight begins to disappear, and we are solely guided by rows of flickering lights. That is, until suddenly, we’re greeted by a huge garage door.

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