Page 40 of Challenging Her Protector

A slow song hummed through the open space, and he wrapped his arms around Vee drawing her close. She brought her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek to his chest. He loved this woman with every fiber of his being and planned to tell her that soon. She’d never truly understand the light she’d brought him. The second chance at a full life. She’d reunited him with his family and spoke to his mother frequently over the phone. They were planning to spend a few days visiting over Thanksgiving. They swayed slowly to the music. Content in each other’s arms and the knowledge that each of them was exactly where they wanted to be.

Chapter Sixteen

Vivienne tucked herphone between her ear and shoulder as she unloaded a few bags of groceries into her trunk. She’d been researching recipes and wanted to try to make something to surprise Iron when he got home. Her salads, minus lettuce, were becoming a regular staple and a joke they shared between them. Hannah had called just as she was checking out her purchases to tell her their parents had been taken into custody. The relief in her sister’s voice matched what she was feeling. Her old cell phone had been strangely silent for the past week with Scott stopping his messages all together, according to Iron. Now she could breathe easily knowing her parents were being held on bail, and hopefully Scott had slid into hiding out of fear he would be somehow linked to their labor-trafficking crimes.

“Watching you and Iron dance last night gave me butterflies, Vivi.” Hannah sighed.

“Do you think it’s too fast with everything that’s happened?” She put her foot on the grocery cart to keep it from rolling away as she straightened one of the reusable bags in the back.

“Everything that’s happened might’ve fast-tracked your relationship, but the chemistry between the two of you makes me think it all would’ve happened regardless. If it feels right, don’t question it. Just enjoy. Branch and I moved fast too. It feels like just yesterday when I was pushing him out of my house, afraid of having a life of my own outside of raising Collin and being a flight medic. Now that I think of it, Ransom and Brynn, Sam and Joker, and even Jacob with his girlfriend Cora didn’t waste much time. I guess our guys just know a good thing when they find it and hang on tight.”

“I certainly plan to.” She grinned thinking of how they’d barely gotten in the door before Iron had her stripped out of the dress she wore to the wedding.

“I really love him for you.” Hannah sighed happily on the other end of the phone.

“I really love him too.” She stepped back, then closed the trunk, turning to push her grocery cart toward the return corral.

Her breath caught and the phone slipped from her grasp, clattering to the pavement. Time seemed to slow as she stared at Scott, who was waiting just out of sight at the side of her car. He must’ve snuck up when she was distracted on the phone. A cruel smile formed on his lips.

“Who do you really love, Vivienne?” From afar, his grin might seem friendly, but she knew better. Her heartbeat was sluggish, and it was difficult to draw in a breath. She should scream, run, anything besides standing here staring blankly at a man whose eyes promised revenge. “It’s not me. I was left at my own rehearsal dinner. Imagine my embarrassment when the caterers had to be canceled. The venue. The goddamn priest!” He kept his voice low, almost conversational until those last few words.

He chuckled, pursed his lips, and blew out a long breath. “You sure know how to make a man feel appreciated.”

There was a break in the parking lot traffic, and she slowly moved her foot to the right. She would shove the cart in his direction and run.

“Oh, and I wouldn’t do anything rash. Unless you want Thalia to die. She’s in the trunk, where she’ll remain safe if you come with me.” He moved his shirt to the side and sunlight glinted off the pistol at his hip. “In the car.” He jerked his head toward the vehicle next to hers.

Vivienne swallowed hard. The last thing she should do was get into his car, but if Thalia got hurt, she’d never forgive herself. Then again, would she be more useful to her friend if she ran and called for help? Once Scott had her in the car, she had no delusions that he would let either of them go. Plus, he could be lying about Thalia being in the trunk. Iron’s friends had gone over the border into Mexico because they believed they had enough evidence that suggested Thalia had been unofficially deported.

“What are you waiting for?” Scott questioned with a bored expression on his face. One that was all too familiar when they were running late for an event, and he was sick of waiting for her. Iron’s precious face flashed through her mind. If she went with Scott, Iron wouldn’t stop searching until he found her. Imagining Iron discovering her lifeless body and what it would do to him solidified her decision. She gripped the cart and drove it forward into Scott, then she ran.

*

Iron stared atthe butterscotch-colored seashell Vee had given him and smiled, remembering his shock when she handed him the ocean treasure she’d discovered on his beach a couple of weeks ago. He couldn’t wait to get home and give her a surprise of his own—one that came in the form of good news. He had just finished debriefing with Sully and Red, and they’d located Thalia in Colima, Mexico. They were devising a plan to get her out of the country, but she was safe with the two SEALs. He’d just hung up when his cell phone vibrated in his hand. He glanced down at the screen to see Hannah’s name on the caller ID.

“Hello?” he answered with a smile on his face. She was probably calling to grill him about his relationship with her sister, but the winks and thumbs-up she kept giving him across the dance floor at the wedding made him confident she was at least partially accepting of the relationship.

There was muffled breathing on the other end of the phone, and he was instantly on alert. “Hannah?”

“Iron, something’s wrong. Vivi’s in trouble.”

He grabbed his keys off his desk and sprinted out of the collision center. He heard his name being called behind him but didn’t stop.

“She was at the grocery store, there was a crash. I don’t know if she dropped the phone, or something hit her.”

“What grocery store, Hannah?”

“She said she was at Maritime Market. I think that’s Central Street, right?”

“Yeah.” He yanked open the door to his SUV, jumped in, and started the vehicle. “I’m driving now, probably about ten minutes away.”

“Oh, thank God. Iron, maybe this is my imagination—”

“What is it?” He didn’t know what Vee’s sister was about to say, only that the blood pumping through his veins had run cold.

“I thought I heard Scott’s voice.” A whimper broke from Hannah’s lips, and he heard a male voice in the background.

“You’re somewhere safe?” he asked, fighting a wave of dizziness at the thought of Vee being in a dangerous situation.

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