Page 16 of My Secret to Protect

I follow Mrs. C up the stairs, and we head into my small office. I close the door, and the click of the latch seems to reverberate in my head as I wait to find out what she needs—what she needs me to do.

‘I’m sorry to come to you, honey, but I’m kind of at a loss here.’

She sits, and I lean against the desk.

‘What do you need?’

‘Protection.’ My eyes widen, and I stiffen. I know she’s still under the protection of the motorcycle club I used to call home, or at least she should be.

‘Somebody threatening you?’ They’ll wish they were never fuckin’ born if they are.

‘Not me,’ she holds my gaze, ‘my granddaughter.’

My jaw ticks, and I clench my back teeth together as she presses her lips into a hard line and waits for my reaction.

‘Which one?’ The expression in her eyes says it all, and I push off the desk to pace away from her. ‘Mrs. C.’ I groan as I turn to look at her.

‘I know, honey. I know.’

‘She’s a cop.’

‘So is he.’

He, fuckin’ who? Protectiveness I wish I still didn’t feel bubbles up inside me as my mind runs ahead of what she’s saying.

The worried look in her eyes is one I haven’t ever seen on her. This woman is as tough as steel. Nothing shakes her.

‘Somebody hurt her?’ My back teeth grind together. I have my issues with Bree Campbell, but the idea of someone putting their hands on her... I can’t let that slide.

‘Not physically. She’s being stalked.’

‘By a cop?’ I ask, my voice pitching in surprise, and she nods, and my blood boils.

‘She has hardly slept in months, Arlo. She’s exhausted. She’s terrified. He knows where she lives and has no issues letting her know he’s watching her.’

It’s been a long time since I laid eyes on Breanne Campbell, but she doesn’t doterrified. She’s got a bigger pair than all the men I grew up with in the club, so if this son of a bitch has her scared, there’s a reason, and the thought alone has me wanting to bury the bastard alive.

‘She’s not going to let me help her.’ I lean back against the desk and shake my head. We didn’t part on good terms at all.

‘She’s desperate, Arlo. She’s breaking.’

I don’t want to do this. I made a promise to myself and Mrs. C that I’d stay on the right side of the law, and I don’t ever want to see Bree again. I promised myself I never would, but I know can’t say no to this. Mrs. C needs me. Bree needs me.

‘What do you need me to do?’

‘Date her.’ I drop my head, releasing a single humorless laugh. ‘Don’t get your panties bunched, I don’t mean for real. Pretend to date her.’ Raising my head, I meet her worried gaze. ‘Arlo, you haven’t seen the messages. He thinks she’s his, calls her princess, and he’s watching her all the time. He scolds her if she leaves a window open and even left a birthday gift for my great-granddaughter. He’s getting too close, and she’s terrified of what’s next if he truly believes she’s his. If he sees her with you, it’ll draw him out of the goddam shadows, I know it, and we can stop the son of a bitch.’

‘Why me? She’s not going to agree to this, not with me.’ My history with Bree is ancient and ruined, and I know neither of us wants to revisit the past.

‘Because look at you, you’re a goddam mountain.’ She shakes her head and drops her gaze. ‘You’re the only one I trust to keep her safe, Arlo. I can’t let her brother know about this. He has a family, and if he knows about this, he’ll act impulsively to protect her, but he has two little girls to think about. You’re smart, you’re strong and unafraid, and you may not have given me too many details of your life back then, but I know you can do whatever needs to be done. I hate asking this of you, but the only other option I have is to drive up to that club you used to call home and ask them.’

‘No.’ I pinch out as little more than a growl. I may not want to do this, but I want a member of the club to get up close with Bree even less. Taking a deep breath, I consider this...fuck.

‘The law won’t help her. She’s given years of her life to protecting and serving, but they aren’t protecting her. They’re protecting him, their buddy.’ Mrs. C’s voice trembles, and I swallow hard. I’ve never heard her like that, and it hits me in the chest.

‘Does she know you’re here?’

The expression on her face says everything I need to know. Bree doesn’t even know her grandmother is still in contact with me at all, let alone in my office right now.

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