“Maybe not, but you owe that beautiful girl so much more than that. Fortunately for you, I’m putting your ass on a plane and you’ll only have time to give her a lousy explanation,” I tell her before walking to the truck. I focus on taking deep breaths as I get closer to Nat, trying to calm my temper and hoping she won’t ask too many questions.
“What’s going on?” she asks the second I open the truck door.
“It’s nothing you need to worry about right this second,” I tell her with a fake grin.
“Liar,” she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. I chuckle at the pouty look on her face and wink at her just as Bennett opens the door to help Penelope into the back seat.
“She’s coming with us?” Nat asks with wide eyes.
“We’re taking her to the airport,” Bennett explains as he puts the truck in drive.
The truck remains quiet the entire trip. I can tell Nat is thinking about something. She keeps glancing at her mom out of the corner of her eye and then drawing her eyebrows together like she wants to ask a question, but she doesn’t. We’re pulling into the underground parking garage when Penelope speaks up.
“Where exactly am I going?” she asks, irritated.
“Florida,” Bennett tells her.
“The hell I am. Let me out of this truck immediately!” she screeches while trying to get the door to open.
“Would you calm your ass down and let me park?” Bennett snaps.
“Who’s that?” Nat asks quietly as Bennett whips into a parking spot.
I turn to look out my window and see who she’s pointing at. It’s Kevin. He’s walking toward us quickly, and judging by the look on his face, he’s mad as hell.
“Nat, stay in the car,” I say quietly before getting out.
Bennett follows my lead and meets me at the back of the truck. “Shit,” he mutters under his breath.
“Would either of you like to tell me what in the hell is going on?” Kevin barks, stopping ten feet in front of us.
“Sir, uh, Shiloh and I have made arrangements for Penelope Adams to leave Washington. There is no reason to harm her,” Bennett stammers.
“I don’t recall asking for your opinion on the matter,” Kevin says, meeting him with a hard stare.
“Enough,” I snap. “Why don’t you tell us all the real reason you want her dead?”
His eyes widen for a brief moment before an evil grin forms on his face. “You’ve figured it out haven’t you, Shiloh?” He smirks.
“When did you find out about your daughter?” I ask him.
“The same day her mother did,” he says with a chuckle.
I clench my fists at my sides, trying not to let my anger get the best of me.
“So, what? It was a mutual decision to abandon your own flesh and blood?” I ask through gritted teeth. Bennett puts a hand on my shoulder, preparing to hold me back if necessary.
“A family man can’t be a leader, Shiloh. You of all people should know that after watching your father fail miserably,” he says smugly. “Now, enough of the mindless chitchat. I’ll take Penelope with me and we will be on our way.”
The sound of the truck door slamming pulls my attention away from Kevin just long enough to see Nat stomping toward him.
She stops only a few inches in front of him. Without warning, she brings her hand up and slaps him across the face. The loud popping sound of her hand connecting with his cheek echoes through the garage.
I’m already running toward them when he grips her shoulders, shaking her roughly, causing me to sprint to her.
“You’ll never make that mistake again,” he tells Nat, spit flying from his mouth as he speaks. She flinches away from him, trying to break out of his hold. I get to her just in time to see him backhand her, hard. She falls to her knees after the blow and cups her cheek. I’m not sure if my face is burning for Nat or because of the rage inside me at this moment. I lunge toward Kevin, tackling him to the ground and knocking the breath out of him in the process. I don’t hesitate in the slightest before getting on top of him and punching him as hard as I can. I’m not sure how long I’ve been hitting him when Bennett pulls me off his limp body.
“Where is Nat?” I ask, looking around frantically.
“She’s in the truck, Shi. What the fuck are we going to do now?” Bennett grumbles as he gestures toward Kevin’s unconscious body.
“We put Penelope Adams on a plane,” I mutter before walking away from him. I dig a red and black pill out of my pocket and swallow it quickly, knowing I’ll be in a lot of pain as soon as the adrenaline wears off.
“Let’s go, Penelope. Takeoff is in twenty minutes,” I tell her after opening her door. Nat doesn’t so much as glance in my direction. I know she’s upset, but I don’t have time to fix it right now.
Bennett cuts the zip-ties off Penelope’s wrists and we make our way through the airport. She starts crying as I hand her the ticket I paid for, and I almost feel sorry for her. Then I remember the first night I saw Nat on that bench and the feeling is gone.
“Stop it,” I snap. “You don’t get to cry any more. You’re getting a second chance that you sure as hell don’t deserve. If it weren’t for me loving your daughter, I would have let Kevin do as he pleases to you. Keep that in mind if you ever consider coming back here.”
She glares at me for a moment before following Bennett through the airport. I leave it up to him to get her on the plane, and I call a cab to take Nat and me back to the hotel. I can’t stop staring at the bright red mark on her cheek as we ride together in the back of the cab. She still isn’t speaking to me, but I grab her hand anyway. When I see that she’s going to let me hold her hand, I push my luck by pulling her to me. She lays her head on my chest as I wrap my arms around her and kiss the top of her head. I let out a long breath as a weight leaves my body.
After making it up to our hotel room, I take a quick shower. When I get out, Nat is waiting on the bed with two ice packs; one is pressed gently to her face, and she’s holding the other out to me.
“For your hand,” she explains quietly.
I look down at my right hand: it’s slightly swollen and there are several cuts covering my bright red knuckles.
I finish tugging my shirt over my head and take the ice pack from her. “I’m sorry,” I say, sitting down beside her.
“For what? Not telling me Kevin was my dad or for beating him up in front of me?”
“Both,” I answer honestly.
“How did I get stuck with such assholes for parents?” she asks with tears in her eyes.
I toss my ice pack on the floor and immediately move closer to her, wrapping my arms around her.
“They never wanted me. It’s not like they tried and then decided it was too difficult or something. To them, I wasn’t even worth the effort. Why?”
She cries into my shirt for a good while. I can’t do anything but hold her and remind her of how much better off she is without them. Eventually, I’m able to talk her into taking a hot shower and getting some sleep.
When she comes out of the bathroom, her eyes are red and her face is still splotchy from crying. I hate seeing her like this, and I hate not being able to do a damn thing about it.
I walk over to her and scoop her into my arms. I carry her to the bed and gently lay her down. Before she is able to crawl under the covers, I stop her.
I sit down at the foot of the bed and pull her bare feet into my lap. I slowly kiss each of her toes before massaging her feet one at a time. I do this until I can tell she’s fighting to stay awake. I crawl up beside her and kiss her forehead before lying on my back and tugging the blankets over us.
“Goodnight, Shiloh,” she mumbles.
“Nat?”
“Hmm?”
“I want you to go to sleep knowing that you are loved, and I never want you to forget that. Okay?”
She doesn’t answer right away and I assume she’s fallen asleep.
“So are you,” she finally mutters.
***
My smile is nowhere to be found when I wake up, the sound of banging on the door jolting me from my sleep. Nat is awake, too, staring at me with wide, scared eyes.
“Shiloh, it’s me. Let me in,” Bennett shouts from the other side of the door. I hear Nat sigh as she falls back onto the pillows.
“You trying to give us both heart attacks?” I gripe as I yank the door open.
“I thought you’d like to know Penelope has officially landed in Florida and my mom’s boyfriend has agreed to keep tabs on her for a while,” he says smugly as he walks into the room.
“You woke us up before dawn to tell us you did your job?” I ask, rolling my eyes.
“Well, I also came to warn you about Kevin. You know he isn’t going to let this slide,” he says in a quieter voice.
“Stop whispering,” Nat snaps, sitting up on her elbows. “I want to know what’s going on.”
Bennett glances from her to me and raises his eyebrows in a questioning manner.
“She needs to know,” I say with a nod.
“I would say you’ve got at least two days before he comes after you, Shiloh. I wouldn’t be surprised if he plans on hurting Nat, too,” he says, shaking his head slowly.
“What do you mean? Come after him? And me? Why?” Nat rattles off nervously.
“Babe, calm down. Everything is going to be fine,” I tell her, even though I haven’t the slightest idea of what I’ve gotten us both into.
“Why do we have two days? Why doesn’t he just get it over with?” she asks Bennett.
“Shi busted him up pretty good. It will take him a couple days to get his strength back. And rebuild his ego,” he says, elbowing me in the ribs and grinning from ear to ear.
I give him a miniscule shake of my head, letting him know now isn’t the time.
“Right,” he says, clearing his throat. “So, do you want me to call my mom and tell her Macie will be coming?”
“That’s probably for the best,” I sigh. “Let’s go break the news to her.”
Nat is looking at me with wide eyes and I know she’s scared. I do my best to keep my mood light in hopes of cheering her up. It doesn’t work.
Nat and I take my truck back to Puyallup while Bennett follows us in his own. I’m relieved when she falls asleep ten minutes into the drive. I need time to think about how I’m going to deal with Kevin. I call in a favor to a few Protectors I’ve worked with before; they’ve never seen eye to eye with Kevin either and I’m fairly certain I can count on their help.
Nat
I wake up just as Shiloh is pulling into the parking lot of our apartment complex. Macie is standing on the curb, waving both arms excitedly, while Lacey is staring at her phone, oblivious to the world around her.
“You’re back!” Macie squeals as she throws her arms around my waist and squeezes with all her might. I laugh at her excitement and bend down so I can squeeze her back just as tight. Shiloh hands Lacey her check before scooping Macie up and carrying her to the elevator. She goes on and on about everything she has done over the past few days. It’s nearly impossible for Shiloh or me to get a word in, so we just smile as we take it all in.
“Mace, I missed you so much and I would love to hear more of your stories, but you’re going to go to the airport with Bennett. You get to stay with Aunt Mandy for a couple days and I need you to go pack your things,” Shiloh tells her.
She frowns for a moment. “Will she take me to the beach? Oh, and to that aquarium we went to last time?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I’ll make sure of it,” he promises her.
“Okay,” she says with a grin before skipping down the hall to her room.
“That was easier than I expected,” Shiloh says as he makes his way to the couch.
“Are you sure you can trust Bennett with her?” I ask him.
“Yes,” he says simply.
I pull my eyebrows together, not understanding how Shiloh can trust him at all after what he did to me.
“Nat, if Bennett hadn’t have taken you when he did, Kevin would have. Bennett left you alone in his apartment and told me you were there, knowing I would find you and take you home. Had it been Kevin you were with, I would have had a much harder time getting you back. I know you don’t understand, but he was doing us both a favor. He really is a good guy, I promise.”
“If you say so,” I say, still not feeling much better.
Bennett shows up while Macie is still packing. He tells her they will stop for ice cream before going to the airport; after hearing that, she can’t leave fast enough.
She hugs us both several times, making us promise to be careful. All three of us have tears in our eyes by the time she gets into Bennett’s truck.
“I love you,” she says through his rolled down window.
“I love you, too,” we both say in unison as they drive away.
I see the glum look on Shiloh’s face and know he’s feeling guilty about getting us all into this mess.
“At least she’s excited to go,” I say, attempting to lighten the mood.
“Yeah, she knows that something must be going on if I’m asking her to go down there. She just worries, but I know she’ll have a good time,” he says with a small grin.
“Now what do we do?” I ask.
“Now, we rest. Then I’ll come up with a plan.”
He’s picking me up and carrying me to his bedroom before I have time to protest. “Let’s hope this one doesn’t involve fake vampires,” I tease.
“Oh, you’re funny,” he says before tossing me onto the bed.
He playfully jumps onto the bed and starts tickling my sides. I squeal as I squirm around, trying to get away from him.
“Please,” I whine. “No more tickling,” I beg through my breathless laughter. He chuckles before falling onto his back beside me.
“I love hearing your laugh,” he says.
“I promise to laugh more if you promise to tickle me less.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal, babe,” he says before leaning over to kiss me. I relax as his lips move gently with mine. I know our lives are a mess right now, but in this moment, I’m not worried in the slightest. I’ve never been happier.
The majority of the next two days are spent in his bedroom. When we aren’t eating and Shiloh isn’t making phone calls, we are spending our time exploring each other inside and out.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been sleeping before waking up with a killer headache. I glance at the clock on Shiloh’s bedside table and see that it’s just past five o’clock in the morning.
Shiloh is still sleeping beside me, snoring slightly. I consider waking him up because something feels off to me. After a moment, I chalk it up to my headache and get up to get some Tylenol and a glass of water. Even after downing the water, I still feel weird. Something isn’t right.
I sit down at the table and close my eyes, trying to focus on the things I’m feeling. My head is pounding so hard I can’t concentrate. I go to wake Shiloh up just when the breath is knocked out of me and I crumple to the floor. I hear Shiloh moaning down the hall and I know he feels it, too. I try my best to call out to him, but I can’t manage more than a whimper. I hear loud noises coming from the bedroom and I’m hoping Shiloh is making his way to me. I manage to get to my knees but am knocked back down after only three steps.
“Shi,” I say breathlessly.
“I’m coming,” he answers, sounding just as breathless.
It seems like an hour passes before I see him wobbling down the hall toward me.
“Take these,” he says, handing me two red and black pills. I swallow them quickly and close my eyes, waiting for the pain to disappear.
After a few minutes I’m able to stand, and I notice Shiloh is standing straighter, too. I can still feel a dull ache in my head, but it seems to be letting up.
“What was that?” I ask quietly.
“Kevin. He’s got to be close. Don’t worry; I’ve called the others,” he says, taking my hand and leading me back to the bedroom.
“Get dressed, Nat. We don’t have much time,” he orders.
I do as I’m told and slip into jeans and a fresh t-shirt. I’m pulling on my old pair of Nikes when there is a knock at the door.
Shiloh leaves the room to answer it without giving me any type of clue as to whom it might be. I can hear muffled voices as I tie my shoes as quickly as possible.
As I come down the hallway, I see Shiloh standing in the doorway talking to our visitor. Once I get closer, I realize we have three visitors and, much to my surprise, they’re all women, but not just ordinary women. These women belong in magazines, the kind that only advertises bikinis.
“Nat, come meet Chyann, Laila, and Crista. They’re Protectors as well. They’ll be assisting us against Kevin,” Shiloh explains.
I glance at him, wondering why he never thought to mention them before. I shrug it off and shake each of their hands before inviting them inside. They seem harmless enough, and the more help we have, the sooner we can go back to our normal lives—if you can even call them normal.
“I made it,” Bennett shouts as he walks through the door without knocking. “Oh, you invited the big guns,” he says to Shiloh while winking at Chyann. I inwardly roll my eyes and turn to Shiloh.
“What exactly is the plan?” I ask as we all have a seat in the kitchen.
“You’ll just be staying in the apartment, babe,” he says nonchalantly.
“Uh, what?”
“It’s dangerous, Nat. It’ll be safer if you just stay here,” he explains.
“Meanwhile, you get to go toe-to-toe with Kevin while Bennett and three women from Baywatch cheer you on,” I snap before stomping off to the bedroom and slamming the door behind me.
It’s not long before there is a light tap on the door. I don’t say anything, but Shiloh comes in anyway.
“Is something wrong? Wait, I know something is wrong; I’m just not sure what I did to piss you off. Feel like enlightening me?” he asks before sitting down on the foot of the bed.
Protect Me (The Protector Series Book 1) Page 12