Billionaire's Protest: A Complete Romance Series

by Kira Blakely

  But because they’d had a deal and technically she still had almost seven months left on that agreement. Damn him.

  Still, she did what she did best, kept moving forward. School and work didn’t stop requiring her presence because she was upset, so she got up early, showered and dressed for the day and then she packed her bags and left. Today, though, she was free of both obligations and the only thing on her schedule was to find a place to live.

  So, with her car packed full of all her worldly belongings—for the second time this week—she set out to see the first apartment. It was a one bedroom behind the old strip and the price was more than reasonable. Unfortunately, it was about as seedy as the place she’d just left, which was probably why they didn’t require an application or a credit check. Moving on, she reminded herself and set out for the next place circled in the paper.

  Gage called again, and she ignored the call and the subsequent message. They had nothing to say to one another and anything he had to say she was pretty sure she wouldn’t want to hear. She’d heard enough on the island. While she’d been busy helping him land the deal of a lifetime and thinking they’d at least become friends—if not something more—he’d never thought anything of the sort. He still thought she was just a fortune hunter, and worse, one who would lay with any man for the right price.

  I knew getting involved with him would bite me in the ass. And it had. Spectacularly. Now she was homeless, and soon she might be jobless, which was why she’d taken on a double-shift to make as much as she could before that happened.

  The next apartment was better than the last, so she put in an application and went to the next place. A dancer was in a show that would spend the next nine months traveling North America, and she didn’t want to lose her place. It was a great place with a laundry room and gym, a pool and a balcony to enjoy long desert nights.

  “You’re not in any trouble, are you?” the girl asked.

  Shawna smiled, because of course it would seem that way. “Not at all. I have a job and I attend UNLV, but I’m trying to make myself hard to find because I have an ex who won’t let go.” So maybe it was two exes; she didn’t need to know the gory details.

  The girl nodded and gave her a commiserating smile. “I know how that goes, so if you get the place I’m fine with you paying the bills in my name, as long as you pay them.”

  “Of course. I just need some place clean and safe to keep me between classes and work.” In that moment, Shawna felt that she hadn’t come quite as far as she thought from her days living in shitty apartments and scraping to get by. They shook hands and the woman promised to get back to her as soon as possible.

  “I look forward to hearing from you and if I don’t, break a leg!” Shawna refused to get her hopes up as she went back to her car, digging for her keys as she went and stopping a few feet away when she noticed someone leaning on her car.

  “Things didn’t work out so well with Steele, I guess?” Pearce smiled at her, looking every bit the smug, sleazy bastard he was. “I knew he’d tire of you soon enough. But the good news is that I’m willing to take you back. All you have to do is ask.”

  Ignoring him, she took the long way to her driver’s door and yanked it open quickly. “No thanks.” She’d had her fill of men in general, but specifically rich guys who only thought of themselves.

  “We both know you’ll come back to me, Shawna, and the longer you make me wait, the more I will have to punish you.” He laughed. “After all, those curves will soon turn to blubber and who will want you then?”

  “I will,” she spat and pulled away. Arrogant fucking bastard, who did he think he was? Miserable prick who was used to getting his way. He and Gage are two sides of the same coin. Disgusted, she merged into traffic and put Pearce out of her mind.

  At least she’d tried, and she would have been successful if he hadn’t been following her. Just to be sure, she made a few unnecessary turns to see his path and sure enough, he was following her. “Crazy bastard!” She couldn’t go back to her hotel and that was really the only place she could go. Letting him follow her around while she viewed apartments would only guarantee that she didn’t get any of them. So, she drove. And drove.

  And drove until she was ready to explode. What did he hope to achieve by following her? Shawna had no idea, and if she were a betting woman, she’d say Pearce didn’t know either. He followed her for close to an hour, leaving a polite distance of one car length between them.

  And then he seemed to snap, tailgating her through the strip and then bumping against her fender aggressively. She sped up and he sped up, giving no regard to drivers trying to change lanes or obey traffic laws. When she floored it through a yellow light, Shawna was sure she would get rid of him, but the sound of blaring horns and skidding tires caught her attention and she saw the cherry-red Mercedes barreling toward her at least eighty miles per hour.

  Eyes back on the road, she pushed her little POS as fast it was capable of going, but she knew in another mile there would be no traffic lights and very few stop signs. Without the aid of modern technology, she had no hope against the sleek sports car. Time to think smart now, Shawna.

  Without taking her eyes off the road, she reached for her phone and called 911. “Yeah, I just passed the Stratosphere, and I’m headed west on 159. There’s a red Mercedes following me. The driver is Pearce Worthington.” She screamed the last part as he rammed her again and tears began to fall, blurring her vision further.

  “Ma’am, can you safely pull over?”

  “No! He’s been after me for weeks and my crappy car can’t outrun a Mercedes,” she told the operator as her future became clear now. She would die at Pearce Worthington’s hands. “I can’t stop because I don’t know what he’ll do, but whatever happens, now you know.”

  “I’ve dispatched several units to find you, miss, just hang on, all right?”

  She nodded, knowing the nice woman couldn’t see her. “I’m turning on Arville to get back to the 589 and hoping for the best.” Then her whole life flashed before her eyes. Pearce rammed her again just as the light changed to red, which sent her careening into the intersection, where her engine stalled out. With no hope of making it out in time, she braced herself for the impact of the green pickup truck. Too bad she didn’t see the car coming from the other side until it hit her.

  Then everything went black.

  Chapter Fourteen

  A week had passed since Gage had returned from St. Lucia to find Shawna had cleared out of his house. Which he’d kind of expected. What he hadn’t counted on was that she would go to great lengths not to be found, including having a few of the part-time girls cover her shifts. His team hadn’t been able to find a trace of her except for one grainy image on a security camera and even that was just dumb luck.

  He’d called and called but she never answered and she never called back. Never responded to his messages. The situation was completely out of his control and that was un-fucking-acceptable. She hadn’t been to work in three days and not even Evie had heard from her. Gage was furious. And worried.

  “Come in,” he growled at the door, his frown deepened when TJ entered the room. “What is it?”

  “I think I’ve found her.”

  “What do you mean you think?” The last thing he needed when he was so close to losing his shit was false hope.

  TJ closed the room and took a seat across from Gage, sliding his phone closer and hitting the play button on the screen. “This came to me early this morning.” He showed Gage a picture of Shawna’s car, smashed almost beyond recognition. “My contact at the PD said that a 911 call came in from her right before the wreck. She said Pearce Worthington was chasing her.”

  “Enough. Where is she?”

  TJ sighed. “That’s the thing. I can’t get any information from the nurses or doctors. I’m not family. And neither are you,” he added when Gage opened his mouth. “Ryker is on it, and we think she’s at LV General, since it was closest to the crash site.�
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  Gage was out of his chair and storming out of the office. He would find her and he would take care of her, dammit. Whether she wanted him to or not. By the time he arrived at the hospital, his anger and worry had pooled together to make him an emotional mess, snapping at nurses and policemen alike. “You mean to tell me she’s in there injured and broken and you won’t let me in?”

  “She has no emergency contact listed, no next of kin and she has a living will. There was no need to contact anyone,” the nurse snarled right back at him. “And there’s the fact that she told us she had no one to call.”

  That took all the anger right out of him. He had inspired that mistrust in her. She’d been gravely injured—he assumed, since no one would tell him anything of her injuries—and she hadn’t even thought to call him. To ask for his help. Because you would have thrown it right back in her face, his conscious reminded him. Yep, that’s exactly what he would have done. No wonder she didn’t call me. “Sorry. We got into a fight a few days ago, and I’ve been looking everywhere for her.”

  The nurse’s smooth mahogany features softened. “I understand that, sir, I really do. But I can’t let you back there.”

  He nodded, because he did see. “Can you ask her if she wants to see me?”

  “Mr. Steele, what brings you by?”

  He turned and found one of the detectives who’d made a late-night visit to his place when Pearce had tried to burn it down. “Shawna’s been in an accident.”

  “That’s why I’m here, but she’s still unconscious. Have you been up to see her?”

  Gage shook his head and explained why.

  “It’s all right, Lena, I’ll take him up with me.” The detective winked at the nurse, who tried to hide her smile.

  “Good luck.”

  Gage and the detective shared a smile that seemed to commiserate over the craziness of the female mind. “Thanks for this, Detective. I’ve been going out of my mind trying to find her after our fight.” Realizing his misstep, he hurried to explain about the fight in St. Lucia. “I’ve tried apologizing for being an ass,” he explained.

  “But she won’t even hear you out? My wife is the same way, especially when I’ve hurt her precious pride.” He shook his head but Gage could see the loving smile he wore. “If I didn’t love her, I’d just pack my bags and leave. But then I’d miss her.”

  That’s how he felt, too, but it was only due to proximity. He and Shawna had spent a lot of time together recently so her absence was felt. That was all it was. Nothing more. “I just want to make sure she’s all right.”

  “Keep telling yourself that, Mr. Steele, but I’m gonna need you to keep calm when you see her. And if you even think of hunting down Worthington, I’ll be forced to lock you up.”

  “I’ll be fine,” he said with the same confidence he always exhibited. But when the detective opened the door to her room, Gage’s knees nearly buckled.

  “Shawna,” he called in a voice barely above a whisper. She was a wreck. “How is she?”

  The detective shrugged. “Pretty banged up, but it could have been worse. Broken wrist, a few fractured ribs, two black eyes and a broken nose.”

  Finally, his legs were able to move and he went to her, cupping her face and pressing kisses to her sleeping form. She was okay. Despite what that psychopath had tried to do, she was fine. His girl would be all right.

  Her lashes fluttered several times before opening, revealing confused and scared emerald eyes. “Gage? What… how did you find me? Why are you crying?”

  He jerked away and felt the moisture on his cheeks. “You’re in the hospital. You don’t remember?” He saw her confusion, and the exact moment she remembered everything, relived it, if the horror on her face was any indication.

  “I remember,” she softly answered. “What are you doing here?” She tried to sit up and cried out at the pain.

  “I’ve been looking for you all week, that’s why I’m here. And you have a few fractured ribs, so take it easy.”

  She nodded and looked to the man behind him. “Detective, how are you?”

  He smiled shyly. “I’d be doing better if you weren’t laid up like this.”

  “Tell me about it.” She smiled. “I guess you need a statement, right? Sorry, but I don’t remember much. I think I called 911, or maybe I imagined it. I don’t know.”

  “Let’s get a doctor in here first and then we’ll talk about all that nastiness, okay?” She nodded and the man turned and left, leaving Gage alone with her.

  When he was gone, she turned her gaze back to him. “Thank you for your concern, Gage, but you don’t have to stick around. I’m not your problem.” Anymore went unsaid between them but they both knew it was there.

  He shook his head, anger and sadness warring for prominence within him. “You’ve never been a problem, Shawna, and you’re coming home with me.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “We’ll see,” he told her pointedly before giving her some time alone to talk with the doctor. He needed to get things in order and make sure his brother was looking for that asshole Worthington. He picked up his phone. “Evie, I’ve got a list of things for you to take care of for me.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Shawna, I brought dinner!” As soon as Gage entered the penthouse suite, he called out to her, hoping to find her in a better mood today than she’d been in since she was discharged from the hospital five days ago. She spent all day in the bedroom, alternating between staring up at the ceiling or watching movies on her laptop. She didn’t order any room service, and Gage was half convinced she wouldn’t eat at all if he didn’t bring her food each night. “Shawna?”

  “I can hear you, Gage,” she said softly but he heard the edge in her voice. Somehow, even though he was helping her, he was the bad guy.

  “Come on out and eat. I got Mexican!” Trying to stay upbeat and positive was hard damn work, but he was determined to see that spark, that love of life back in her green eyes.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  Gage rolled his eyes and stood in her doorway. “Since you ate half a piece of fish and three lettuce leaves last night, I find that hard to believe.” “Come on, I’ll help you.” Holding her in his arms in such an innocuous way was almost a tease. It was torture, holding her so close but not in the way he wanted.

  “I can do it,” she told him when her feet were safely on the ground. She moved slow, wincing with every step and he felt her pain like a living, breathing thing. Finally, she was seated at the table in the suite, taking the spot closest to her room. “Happy?”

  “I’d be happy if you’d never gotten hurt in the first place.”

  She sighed, grimacing at the pain, but she didn’t make a sound. “Well, I did.”

  Gage pulled the food from the bags, loading it on the table between them. “I still hate to see you in pain like this.”

  “Don’t worry, Gage, this will all be over soon, I assume.”

  She sounded so broken, so defeated. It made him feel something he couldn’t really describe. The constant ache was both thrilling and uncomfortable. He just wished he could make her hurt go away. “I’m sorry, Shawna. I’m sorry I broke my promise and couldn’t keep you safe.”

  “Dammit, Gage, the last thing I need is your guilt! This isn’t your fault, all right? It happened and it’s over. I’m only here because it’s the smart move, but I don’t expect anything from you. Don’t feel that you need to keep me company, feed me or entertain me. I appreciate your hospitality, but it really isn’t necessary.” That little speech took a lot out of her. He could see her shallow breaths coming in quickly, the beads of sweat trailing down her face and the tears welling in her eyes. “Excuse me.”

  It took her a long time but she eventually made her way back to her room, quietly closing the door behind her with a low click. Gage felt like absolute shit. No matter what Shawna said, it was his fault she’d been attacked by Pearce. If he hadn’t been a jealous dick in St. Lucia, she wouldn’t ha
ve rushed to get away from him and right into the path of a crazy asshole.

  Now she was injured, beaten and depressed and it was all his fault. To make everything worse, she wouldn’t let him help her in any way other than using the Penthouse suite.

  But he was helping. The private investigator he’d hired to find Pearce was a good place to start, but he wouldn’t be satisfied until that pansy ass was locked behind bars.

  For good.

  ***

  “No!” Shawna jack-knifed in bed, screaming out as pain radiated from her ribs and spread in all directions. This wasn’t the first night she’d woken up slick with sweat from a nightmare, or maybe a memory of the accident. She was angry. Hell, she was pissed off that Pearce was in her head, invading her dreams after he’d already attempted to kill her. How much more would this entitled little boy take from her? Nothing, because soon you’ll be gone.

  She’d spent her recuperation time looking into a move. Since she wasn’t being paid because she wasn’t working, Shawna was planning to use her savings to start over in a new city once the semester was over. It was reckless and definitely something her mother would have done, but she wasn’t running away. She was simply looking to get on with her life. Far the hell away from Vegas.

  She badly wanted a shower, but given the state of her ribs, that wasn’t an option. So, she wiped herself with a wet towel as best she could and groaned at her sweat-soaked sheets. She was in no condition to change her bedding now when she would have to do it again in a few hours. After her next nightmare. Blowing out a defeated breath, she tiptoed to Gage’s room and slid into bed with him, hoping his comforting warmth or just his presence would be enough to help her sleep without nightmares and without the aid of drugs.

  It was. She fell asleep moments after her head hit the pillow.