Page 39 of Under His Watch

Ha.I felt halfway crazy from wanting her and even more insane with the determination to let her come to me, to give her the right of way to initiate anything more.

And if she does, I’ll take whatever vanilla simplicity she can handle and deal with it.

I sighed, then nodded at them. “We’ll check in more often soon.” This cabin was so remote, and the surveillance at the gate would alert me to anyone coming on the path. Other than the one road toward this place, thick brush and steep slopes prevented anyone from trespassing too close. Besides, no one would be able to easily link this cabin to a Constella family member.

Franco left first, and then my father left with Nina and Eva. I ignored her teasing looks she gave me in parting, but I had to wonder what kind of girl talk those three had gotten up to while I stepped out with the others.

“I’m going to do a quick perimeter check,” I told Tess.

“Okay.” She nodded, looking up from where she perched on the couch with a new paperback Nina must have brought for her.

“Remember—”

“If I feel like anything is wrong, grab the gun and hide,” she finished for me.

I smiled, glad she hadn’t forgotten what I declared to be the first rule here. After seeing her with that dinky steak knife at the other place I hadn’t finished renovating, I planned to prepare her with lessons of real defense. She admitted to not being familiar with guns, but she seemed all right with holding it and knowing how to use it in a general sense.

As soon as it’s safer to move around, I’m arranging for lessons. Self-defense, too.I would spare her nothing. Tessa would learn to kick ass, even though I’d handle that for her.

Checking the perimeter was a task that needed to be done, regardless of the surveillance tech and equipment set up out here. It never made sense to cut corners, and every time I checked the perimeter, I felt better for seeing firsthand that we weren’t in danger.

I needed the moment to clear my head as well. Being cooped up and in close proximity in the cabin was wearing on me. I felt like she was suffering from the same longing and desire I resisted, but until she told me how she felt, I wouldn’t dare assume.

Maybe she’s just shy.I furrowed my brow as I scanned the woody path, looking out for anything that seemed off at the same time that I thought about Tess. I recalled clearly how she was quiet before we had sex. And timid, like she was learning how to kiss. When she admitted that she was a virgin before those men raped her, anger streamed through me and I had to control my temper. But in telling me that, she was conveying how clueless she was.

I wonder if she would know what to say or do to initiate anything further…

A sharp blast of pain hit me in my arm, and I spun from the impact. Agonizing throbs and stings of tingling numbness radiated from the bullet hole. I was shot. Ihadlowered my guard thinking about Tess. It was as if my fucking father and cousin had jinxed me.

I turned, clapping my hand to the wound as I dropped to the ground. Behind me, I saw a sniper take off from a thick clump of brush.

You motherfucker.I got up to sprint after him, but with my head pounding and blood streaming too fast from the wound, I staggered to a stop.

No.

He was running away, prompting me to chase. The asshole ran in the opposite direction of the cabin, and I worried that it was a diversion to get me separated from Tess.

No!

I refused to let anything happen to her. When I told her and promised her that I would do anything and everything to helpher and keep her safe, I meant it with every fiber of my being. I couldn’t be so stupid as to fall for a ploy. If one sniper was here, then others could be lurking near as well.

Gritting my teeth to the pain, I lowered my bloody hand so I could run with both arms low to swing. I pumped my legs as hard as I could, dashing back to the cabin. Birds still sang. Leaves flittered to the forest floor. Bugs buzzed. All seemed normal and well, like this was any other ordinary day out in the vast wilderness, but it was not.

Fear charged me to go faster yet. Riding the high of the adrenaline rush, I felt less of the pain from being shot and more of the bitter panic and fury lancing through me.

I had to protect her. I had to get there in time. There were no excuses, not a single fucking one, for her getting hurt on my watch.

At last, I reached the cabin, coming up on two men trying to bust in a window. One raised a club-like stick, and the other looked around, scanning for any threats. Through the window, I made out the shape of Tess holding the gun up at the window as she backed away. With frightened eyes, she noticed me past the two men at the window.

They must have noticed her looking at something behind them, because the one with the stick nudged at the guy on lookout. In unison, they turned their heads and sought me out.

My chest rose and fell so fast, heaving for air as I tried to catch my breath. Already, I was getting dizzy and lightheaded from losing so much blood. My T-shirt was damp from warm blood, and I felt the numbness spread along my arm.

Before these fuckers could break the window or try anything with me, I narrowed my eyes and lifted my non-dominant hand. I’d trained with both, just for shitty situations and circumstances like this.

Aiming my gun precisely, I shot one dead between the eyes. He dropped back against the window, and as he dropped, blood smeared on the surface.

“Fuck,” the other said. He lurched to the side to run for cover, but two more shots from my gun removed any function his knees might have once had. Crying out and cursing, he pounded his fist to the ground as he strained to roll over.

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