Page 37 of Rampage

The room goes silent, all eyes turning to him. My own widen at the sudden shift in his demeanor.

"It's just lunch, Reid," Meadow says, her tone carefully neutral. "Downtown. Public place."

"No." The single word cuts through the room. Reid stands, his presence suddenly overwhelming. "Frank knows where Lily is now. That officer yesterday proves it. She doesn't go anywhere without protection."

"We're not exactly defenseless," Elle points out, a slight annoyance in her voice.

Reid's jaw clenches. "This isn't about you. It's about Lily's safety." His eyes find mine, intense and unyielding. "I'm not letting you out of my sight until this threat is neutralized. Not negotiable."

Something hot and unexpected coils in my stomach at his tone, it's the same commanding voice from last night when he'd thrown me over his shoulder. I should be angry at his high-handedness, at the way he's making decisions for me. Instead, I feel a flutter of arousal that catches me completely off guard.

"Reid," Mason steps forward, his tone placating. "The girls just want?—"

"I don't care what they want," Reid interrupts, his voice dropping lower. "Lily stays with me. If they want lunch, I'll join them."

Lane watches the exchange with a calculating expression, saying nothing. Tiffany raises an eyebrow but remains silent as well.

"I think Lily should decide," Meadow suggests gently.

The men all start chuckling under their breaths. I look at them and they’re all nodding in agreement with Reid.

All eyes turn to me, expectant. Reid's gaze is the most intense, blue eyes darkened to midnight, challenging and protective at once.

"I…" I swallow, trying to ignore the heat spreading through my body. "Maybe Reid's right. After yesterday…"

The relief on his face is momentary before his expression settles back into resolute determination. "It's decided then. We'll all go to lunch."

Elle and Meadow exchange a look that speaks volumes, but neither argues further. Something about Reid's stance—legs braced slightly apart, shoulders squared, chin raised—brooks no argument. The alpha male energy radiating from him is palpable, filling the room.

"Fine," Elle concedes.

"It's a lot to take in," Meadow pipes in. "But these men, they're worth it. And they protect their own like nothing you've ever seen."

I glance at Reid, who watches the interaction with a slight smile. "You arranged this?" I ask quietly.

He shakes his head. "This was all Tiffany's idea.”

"We thought after the meeting, we could take you to lunch," Elle suggests. "Give you a chance to ask questions you might not feel comfortable asking the guys."

"Like how to handle their overprotective streaks," Meadow adds with an eye roll toward Mason, who pretends to look offended.

This gesture of inclusion, of being welcomed not just by the men who voted for my protection, but by the women who understand what it means to be connected to them, brings unexpected warmth to my chest. These women don't know me, yet they're reaching out, offering friendship when I need it most.

"What about Frank's evidence?" I ask, forcing myself to address the most difficult part. "The photos, videos… if we could find them, prove what he did…"

Tiffany's expression hardens. "If we could locate that material, we could not only dismiss the charges against you but bring serious ones against him. Child pornography, sexual abuse of minors in his care—he'd never see daylight again."

"Do you remember where he kept them?" Lane asks.

I nod slowly. "A lockbox in his home office. Behind a false panel in the bookcase."

Reid's hand tightens around mine. "That's good. That's something we can work with."

"But we'd need a warrant to search his home legally," Tiffany points out. "And for that, we'd need testimony from one of his victims."

"What about the other girls?" Mason speaks up from the doorway where he's been listening. "The ones before Lily?"

Tiffany nods thoughtfully. "If we could find even one willing to corroborate Lily's story, it would strengthen our position enormously."

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