Page 57 of Off Limits Billionaire Protector

She starts the car and we’re off on the streets. I ponder for a moment and realize her focus is a little off.

“Our goal right now isn’t Alex, Martha, it’s the act of charity itself. You heard what Gail said: we can’t repeat ourselves. And you also need to keep the tenants anonymous.”

“Gotcha!” She salutes me in confirmation. “Now tell me… Is it true that you are dating Alex?”

She takes her eyes briefly off the road to look at me, and I feel like I am in that nightmare where you are naked at school, red and ashamed.

“Who told you?” I ask, carefully.

“Bella, before she bailed,” Martha says, “She wasn’t happy about it.”

“Oh, she’s still not happy.” I crack the window open. “But she seems to have softened a bit. We met in person last week. She’s more worried that I’ll break her brother’s heart because she doesn’t believe I’m taking this relationship seriously.”

Martha turns right, going down a gigantic hill. As she does, she asks me yet another question, “Are you?”

I just nod my head, solemn.

“I took the leap. He asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes,” I tell her. “If that is not taking him seriously, I don’t know what is.”

“Atta girl, Liv!” Martha laughs, slapping me on the shoulder. “Next thing you know you’ll be engaged!”

“Um, let’s not rush things…” I say, awkwardly.

We arrive at Helding Heights to see a bunch of cars and the entrance of the neighborhood. The address is right there, close to the community center, so familiar to me, but almost unrecognizable due to the amount of people around.

A feel a shudder run through me. I haven’t been here since Simon pulled that gun on me. I take a few deep breaths and feel better knowing that police offers are everywhere.

But they were there before, and it still happened.

I shake the obtrusive thought aside and clench my jaw, determined to be brave. I’ll just make sure to be extra alert.

My companion parks the car behind a police cruiser, and we climb out, making our way toward the apartment building where the renovations are happening.

“Oh, God, Alex must be pissed,” I confide to Martha as we climb the stairs.

“Why?” she brings the hand with the pen to her mouth.

“He wanted to keep the tenants anonymous,” I say, gesturing around. “Now it’s a circus! Hopefully they are still able to do that.”

“Eh, this shit tends to happen when you’re a public person,” Martha shrugs. “He could be a recluse billionaire, but he chose to be charitable, and people like it.”

“Yeah, they take more interest and want to know more about him,” I recognize, nodding.

A construction worker walks by us, placing a wooden board in the middle of the stairs. Right after him, comes another one carrying a wheelbarrow full of drywall debris.

“Um, sir!” Martha runs to him, pen and paper at hand. “Do you mind giving us a brief interview?”

“At the bottom of the stairs!” the man says, carrying the wheelbarrow down.

So, it begins. I take my camera out of the case and start taking pictures, but contrary to Martha, who went back downstairs, I go up and inside the apartment being renovated.

The first thing I see getting there is Alex, wearing the same protective gear as the construction crew. It sends goosebumps over my body seeing him like this. I like this sexy construction man look on him.

He is holding a mallet and tearing down a wall.

While he doesn’t notice me, I take advantage to snap several photographs — just for myself.

“Liv!” he sees me and stops his work to wipe the sweat off his brow.

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