Page 26 of The Devil Within

‘No. Witness protection is a joke. You can always find a cop to buy off. And if they can’t, you have something that can be leveraged.’

Sarah stared, wide-eyed. What did she have?

‘Your family. Your friends.’

Everything went silent, save for the sound of her breath between her ears.

Alex blew air through his lips. ‘You have family, Sarah. People you care about. The Devils will do whatever it takes to protect themselves. Your family and people like Heather will just be collateral damage.’

Mum! The sudden image of her mother startled her. Sarah had not given her family a single thought in the last forty-eight hours. Her mother was not a strong woman. She’d gone from serving Sarah’s father to serving her only son. Her lack of contact hurt, but Sarah would never do anything to put her life in danger. Or her brother’s. Even if he was an asshole.

No, she couldn’t risk it. She couldn’t put anyone else in danger. She was on her own.

Except for Alex.

ChapterThirteen

What a fucking mess.

Alex watched Sarah as she processed the information. Was he wrong? Maybe the British police could keep her safe. But even if that were true, it still left her family and friends vulnerable. If The Devils thought they could get to her, and therefore him, through anyone in her life, they would.

He wished he could go back in time and make things different. But where would he start; the night they met? The thought of never having known her love was too much to bear.

A knock sounded at the door. Sarah jumped.

‘That will be room service.’

He got up and opened the door, signing for the food with an eligible scribble. He set the food on the table. He’d ordered roast chicken with lots of side dishes. They needed to eat real food.

‘Sarah?’ He pulled out a chair, breathing an internal sigh of relief when she joined him.

They ate in silence. Sarah kept her eyes on her plate, but she ate well. He polished off his portion of chicken and two helpings of each of the sides. Alex decided to be grateful for the little things for now.

He cleared his throat. Sarah glanced in his direction.

‘I need to have a shower.’And I need you not to run away again.

She nodded. He didn’t move.

‘I’m not going anywhere,’ she murmured.

Sarah raised her chin and their eyes locked. Alex saw what looked like resignation in hers. He couldn’t be with her every second. If she was going to run, then she would find a way.

His limbs were heavy as he pushed himself up from his chair and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He turned the taps in the shower, undressing as the water heated. Stepping under the steady stream, he let the water massage his aching muscles.

Alex had spent most of his life alone. Surrounded by people, but always alone. He avoided crowds and stayed on the sidelines when the club hosted their gatherings. As a kid, he’d quickly learnt the world was a dangerous place, and only the strong survived. Connection to others made him weak. If he wanted to live, he needed to cut himself off, be self-sufficient in every way.

He’d been successful at it to - until he met Sarah. She changed everything. She made him want more than life had given him so far. He wasn’t sure he deserved more after everything he’d done, but she gave him hope that maybe he had a chance.

He steppedout of the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist. Sarah was sitting on the sofa, but stood up when he entered. His head felt lighter seeing her still here. He was going to ask her if she felt like ordering dessert, but she’d crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him before he could get a word out. She lay her head against his chest and Alex closed his eyes and dropped his lips to her wet hair, breathing in the scent of the vanilla bath soap and the soft, sweet, purity that was innately Sarah. He tangled a hand through her hair, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and murmured another apology. God, he loved this woman.

Alex felt her breath hot against his skin, sending sparks of desire right to his core. His heartbeat kicked up a notch. He tried to take a step but found her hand against his chest, keeping him in place. Slowly, she raised her face until her eyes peered up at him from under long lashes.

Fuck, she was breathtaking.

His cock twitched. With a gentle hand, he smoothed her hair back, losing himself in those eyes. Allowing himself to forget, for just a second, what had brought them to this moment.

‘Sarah… ?’ The question hung in the air. Her eyes had darkened; her tongue wet her bottom lip.

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