Page 111 of Ruined By Protection
"Elliott touched Evelyn," Enzo continues, his eyes cold. "Noah wants his piece."
I nod once, accepting the inevitable. "Fine."
My phone buzzes in my pocket, cutting through the tension in Damiano's office. I check the screen and see Javier's name.
"I need to take this," I say, stepping away from Damiano's desk. "It's my contact in Austin."
Damiano nods, already turning back to the blueprints with Enzo.
I move to the corner of the office and answer. "Talk to me."
"We've got a situation," Javier says, his voice tight. "Two men tried to enter the Taylor house about twenty minutes ago."
My blood runs cold. "Are they okay?"
"They're fine. We intercepted before anything happened." Javier's voice drops lower. "The men had clear orders. They were supposed to rough up her father, make it look like a home invasion."
"Fuck." I run a hand through my hair, turning away from Damiano and Enzo who are now watching me with interest. "Where are they now?"
"Secured in the warehouse off Route 71. My guys are with them."
"Did they say who sent them?" I know who did but I need them talking to us.
"Not yet but they don't need to." Javier pauses. "One of them had a text from Montgomery with specific instructions:Make sure he can't walk to his next surgery."
The rage that floods my veins is so intense I have to grip the edge of a bookshelf to restrain myself.
"Keep them locked down," I tell him, my voice deadly calm. "I want to know everything they know about Montgomery's operation. Who else he's hired, what other plans he has."
"Already on it."
"And the family?"
"Shaken but unharmed. We told them there was a gas leak in the neighborhood and we needed to evacuate them temporarily. They're at a hotel now with two of my men watching."
Smart move. The last thing we need is Hazel's family panicking or calling the police.
"You'll need to stay put for a couple more days," I tell him. "Montgomery might send more men when these two don't report back."
"Not a problem. I've got enough guys to rotate shifts."
"Good. Send me photos of the men you caught. I want to run them through our system, see if they've worked for anyone we know."
"Will do. Anything else?"
I think for a moment. "Yeah. Make sure Hazel's family has everything they need at the hotel. Whatever story you need to tell them, make it convincing. I don't want them going back to that house until this is over."
"Understood."
I end the call and turn back to find both Damiano and Enzo watching me intently.
"Montgomery?" Damiano asks, though it's not really a question.
I nod. "He sent men to Hazel's family home. They were going to permanently hurt her father, make it look like a robbery."
Enzo's expression darkens. "Fucking coward can't even do his own dirty work."
"Javier's men intercepted them. The family's safe, moved to a hotel for now."
