Protector (Grim Legion MC #1)

by Brook Wilder

  “Let’s get this over with.”

  I waited for her at the back of the car, watching as she walked past without looking at me. The sudden brush-off caused me to fall in line behind her, staring at her damn ass again.

  It was going to be a long day.

  And it was. Nat dragged me from store to store for what seemed like hours, making me wait as she tried on clothing that cost more than anything I owned. With surprising haste, she piled the bags up, one right after the other, without so much as a blink of the eye, and I wondered what it would be like to have that kind of money, to never worry about where the next buck was coming from. Once, she tried to hand them to me; I told her real quick that I wasn’t her lackey.

  I wasn’t getting paid for that service.

  Finally, after two hours of shopping, she stopped in front of a men’s clothing store.

  “You have to have a new wardrobe if you are going to be seen with me.”

  I looked down at my clothes.

  “There’s nothing wrong with what I am wearing.”

  She shook her head, pursing her lips. I was finding out that she did that when she was thinking about something.

  “No, they won’t do. I insist.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “I don’t work for you, Nat.”

  “Yes, you do,” she stated, walking into the store.

  I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face before following her, where the clerk was falling over himself to reach us.

  “Ms. Zebrovskaya. What a surprise to see you here. Something for your father, yes?”

  “No,” she stated, looking at me. “I want him outfitted, now.”

  The clerk looked over at me, his nose wrinkling. I wanted to punch him in it.

  “Ah yes. Your fiancé?”

  The look on Nat’s face was priceless.

  “What? No, he’s… Well, he’s a friend, and I can’t be seen with him dressed like that.”

  I hid my grin. Like I would ever have a girl like her again.

  “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

  “No, no!” the clerk announced, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the dressing room. “I’ve got just the thing.”

  Nat followed us as the clerk showed me a dressing room.

  “Take it all off. I will be back.”

  I watched him go before looking at Nat, who was watching me with rapt attention.

  “You gonna watch me undress?”

  Surprise flickered in her depths.

  “O-of course not.”

  I arched a brow, grabbing the hem of my t-shirt. If she was going to make me go through with this, I was going to enjoy it.

  “Then you best turn around.”

  She spun so fast that I nearly burst out laughing, pulling my shirt over my head. Even though I had hated every second of the shopping, she hadn’t acted like the spoiled brat I had anticipated her to be. She had been unfailingly polite to those that assisted her, carrying on a decent conversation with more than one person while in the store.

  “Ah, yes… Here we are!”

  I shook out of my thoughts, frowning at the leather pants and light green shirt he was holding out to me.

  “No.”

  Nat turned around, an exasperated sound escaping her.

  “Will you just put it on?”

  I eyed the pants.

  “I’ll put the shirt on, but not the pants.”

  I wasn’t some sissy.

  Nat threw up her hands, snatching the clothes out of the sales assistant’s arms and shooing him away.

  “You are worse than a kid,” she mumbled, handing me the shirt. “I will not have my bodyguard looking like he wallows in grease.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with my clothes,” I countered as she held out the shirt, motioning for me to put my arm in.

  Her eyes slid over my bare chest, and I was surprised to feel the white-hot heat of her gaze shoot through my body. What would she do if I pulled her into this dressing room and pressed her against the wall? Would she slap me, or would she allow me to enjoy that lush body?

  What the hell was I thinking? She was another man’s fiancée, a job, nothing more. Sliding my arm into the shirt, I shrugged it on.

  “That’s better,” Nat said softly, shooing my fingers away so that she could button my shirt up instead.

  I swallowed at her closeness, the sweet smell of her perfume overpowering my senses as her nimble fingers worked on the buttons.

  From her closeness, I could see the dark blue-purple highlights in her hair, the translucent skin at her throat where her pulse bounded. Her features were petite despite how tall she was. Every damn thing about her was perfect.

  The perfect woman. As long as she kept her mouth shut.

  Her fingers missed a button and grazed my chest instead, snapping me back to the present. She was too close.

  I was thinking about her far too much.

  “I got it,” I said roughly, stepping out of her reach. “But I’m not putting on those damn pants.”

  “O-okay,” she stammered, looking flustered all of a sudden. “Just, hurry up, will you? I’m ready to go home.”

  Surprised at the sudden turn of events, I watched as she walked out of the dressing room, her steps clipped. Surely, she hadn’t felt… No, she wouldn’t have. She and I were like oil and water, and it was the sudden closeness that had us thinking crazy things.

  I finished buttoning up the shirt, grabbing my own t-shirt and stalking out of the dressing room. This job hadn’t started off very well, and if it hadn’t been for the obscene amount of money I was getting, I would have walked away.

  Nat was waiting by the door, her arm loaded with packages.

  “Come on,” she said.

  I stopped, seeing the nervous look in her eyes.

  “You alright?”

  She heaved a sigh, and I took the opportunity to grab some of the packages, feeling bad about her having to carry all of them. Call me a sucker.

  “I-I think someone is following us.”

  My body went on high alert, scanning the surroundings.

  “Where? What did you see?”

  Her arm touched mine before it slid into the crook of my elbow.

  “I-I think they’ve gone. Can we just go, please?”

  The trembling hand stopped me from pursuing it further.

  “Yeah,” I said softly, tucking her closer to me. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter 5

  Nataliya

  I looked about the room, satisfied with what I saw. The hotel ballroom was lavishly decorated like old Hollywood glamour, using golds and blacks to give off an air of opulence. One thing I did enjoy was throwing parties, especially when they were for a good cause. The local hospital was looking to build a new children’s wing in the upcoming year, and I had been nominated to be part of that board to make that happen.

  What better way than to throw my family name around and throw a party to do so?

  And they had come out in droves. If nothing else, my family was known for its parties, going over the top to ensure that not only did we serve good booze, but also that, at the end of the night, what they had just experienced would be on everyone’s lips.

  Tonight was no different.

  I took a sip of my wine, allowing the fruity taste to slide over my tongue. I was not a dry wine type person, so tonight everyone was drinking a nice dessert wine and in the most unique of ways. The caterer I had hired had decided that my form was the perfect one for a wine tower or two, using blocks of ice to form the free-flowing sculptures. I had to admit, they were very good, even if the wine was coming from my feet.

  But that wasn’t the only thing they had done well. The finger-foods were fabulous, and the band was even better, sticking to the old songs of Sinatra and the Rat Pack that kept the crowd entertained. In a few minutes, I would go up and thank the crowd, urge them to donate money to our cause, and my night would be complete.

  Fox would be excited to hear that.


  Thinking of my bodyguard sent a shiver down my spine, a delicious shiver that had me quite confused. Bryan had declined to come to my party, deeming the charitable event something he wouldn’t be interested in. I hadn’t argued, not really wanting to hear him complain all night.

  But Fox, he had been a surprise. Where I had expected to see his usual jeans and t-shirt, he had instead worn a pair of dark slacks and the green shirt I had bought him, looking too delicious for his own good. My heart had fluttered in my chest when he had shown up to escort me here, and I had been unable to utter a word to him during the ride over.

  Also, more than once I had caught him staring at me. I had picked a traditional glamour dress, the gold sheath hugging my body in all the right places, with a long slit up one leg. Fox hadn’t said one word, choosing to stand along the wall so that he could see the entire room.

  After yesterday’s events at the mall, I was kind of glad he was here. The sensation of someone watching me had been the worst feeling ever, my inability to do anything about it even more concerning. By the time Fox had come out of that dressing room, I had wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there. What had been so surprising was the way Fox had handled the situation, getting me out of there and back home without so much of a word that I was imagining it.

  He had believed me.

  Blowing out a breath, I located my bodyguard not far from me. Fox. I desperately wanted to know his name, his real name. He had not lied about the reason he had taken this job, and I couldn’t blame him. I had found out the payment and was surprised myself that my father was willing to throw that kind of money down on my safety, to make sure I would get to the altar.

  Any man would be stupid not to take this job.

  But why did he need the money? What was his story? Why had he backed away from me like I had burned him? I hated not knowing the answers to my questions.

  Swallowing the rest of my wine, I walked over to Fox, who watched me approach with his usual stone-cold expression.

  “Enjoying yourself?” I asked lightly, giving him a smile.

  “If I said ‘yes’, would you believe me?” he answered softly, his eyes searching mine.

  I laughed.

  “No, but it would make me feel better if you did.”

  “Then I am enjoying myself, yes,” he said.

  My chest tightened, and I fought the urge to stand next to him against the wall for the rest of the night. Fox had to be the realest person in this room.

  “Do you normally shoot wine out of your toes, or is that just a trick you keep secret?”

  I gave him a grin, a real one that wasn’t fake.

  “You saw that too, huh?”

  His eyes twinkled with laughter, though his expression did not change.

  “It could be worse. They could have had the wine come out of your breasts or between your legs.”

  “I guess the feet were the only option,” I added, enjoying the conversation. “Would you like a glass?”

  He shook his head. “I’m a beer kind of guy.”

  “I can get you one of those too,” I answered, wanting to keep that twinkle in his eyes.

  When had I realized that Fox was a hottie? He wasn’t my type, too unrefined and brash for my normal tastes. That was one reason I liked Bryan. He could hold his own in any situation, be his charming self and no one would be the wiser.

  But I was rapidly starting to think that Fox could do the same. I mean, he looked like he belonged here tonight, a quiet air about him that would command the room no matter what he was wearing.

  “I’m good thanks,” he said.

  I nodded, knowing I should mingle with my guests. Why was I worried about him being over here, all alone anyway? I didn’t want him, I didn’t want a bodyguard.

  I wanted my money.

  “Have you tried the food yet?” I found myself asking.

  Fox looked at me, not through me but at me.

  “Go enjoy your party, Nat. I’m fine.”

  “Alright, fine,” I answered, turning to go.

  The music stopped, and I put on my winning smile, knowing it was time for me to speak my piece. Walking through the crowd, I accepted the hand of one of the party attendees, to be helped onstage, where I gave the crowd a moment to calm down.

  “Thank you all for coming tonight. As you know, this cause is very near and dear to my heart, wanting the children of this community and the state to have a place where they can heal, where miracles can happen. While you enjoy the food and wine, please consider giving, to make this dream a reality. I know I will be supporting the project every step of the way, and I urge you to do the same.”

  A smattering of applause greeted me, and I started to step down, finding Fox looking up at me with his hand outstretched. There was no expression on his face, but I felt my stomach do a funny flip as I slid my hand into his, allowing him to guide me onto the dance floor. The music started, and Fox didn’t step away; instead, he pulled me into his arms.

  “What are you doing?” I hissed through my teeth.

  “I’m dancing with you,” he simply said. “You are the only one who hasn’t danced tonight.”

  I swallowed my retort, my heart softening. He had been quite observant.

  “You don’t miss much, do you?”

  He chuckled.

  “Not much, though you haven’t been the easiest to track tonight.”

  “I had to mingle to garner funds,” I answered, feeling his hand on my waist.

  It was light, but the touch still felt like it was burning through the material, right onto my skin.

  I didn’t want him to let go.

  Fox looked at me, his eyes solemn.

  “You really want this to be successful, don’t you?”

  I nodded.

  “I might seem like a bitch, but there are some things I do care about.”

  I cared about the children in this community, about their families and the medical care they were receiving.

  Fox’s hand gripped mine lightly, and I forgot to breathe, the sensation sizzling down my arm.

  “My real name is Adam.”

  Oh boy.

  “Where does ‘Fox’ come from?”

  He cocked his head to the side, his lips lifting in a small grin.

  “Isn’t it obvious?”

  I looked at his features, my thought process apparently on point. Actually, I had thought far too much about the man before me over the last two days.

  “Are you sly as well?”

  He spun me around as the music swelled.

  “That is for you to find out, Nat.”

  Oh, he was sly. I could see it in his eyes. My gaze dropped to his lips, and I self-consciously licked my own, wondering what it would be like to taste Fox aka Adam. This was crazy.

  A scream filled the air, and I nearly stumbled. Fox pulled me closer to him, as I tried to find out what on earth was ruining this perfect night.

  “I-It’s blood!”

  My own blood froze in my veins as my eyes located the source of the commotion. The white wine that had been flowing out of the sculptures was now a rich, dark red, the metallic smell overpowering the room.

  I gagged at the sight, nearly losing the little bit of food I had eaten right there on the dance floor.

  “Shit,” Fox swore, his arm wrapping around my waist. “We have to get out of here.”

  “I-I don’t understand,” I stammered as the crowd started to panic.

  This didn’t make any sense to me. Why was I being targeted?

  Just then, a loud boom filled my ears, and I grimaced. Fox pushed me to the ground, his body on top of mine. Someone screamed, and I realized it was me screaming as chaos ensued around us. Fox put his arms over my head, holding me against him as the party goers stampeded toward the door. I clung to him, tears streaming down my cheeks, scared about what was happening and why someone would target me.

  I was in no doubt that it was me who was being targeted.

  �
��Come on Nat,” Fox finally said in my ear, tugging me to a standing position.