Page 59 of Let Me Protect You

“We’re to stay with Harmony until the end of our shift,” one of the original guards says. He crosses his muscular arms over his chest. “And that’s not for another three hours.”

“Mr. Barlowe needs you, so he sent us to relieve you,” the same, new guard says.

The two men originally guarding me look over to me as if seeking permission, and I nod. One of them grumbles, saying something about asking Mr. Barlowe why he didn’t mention it to them, and they reluctantly take their leave.

I turn away and head through a stone archway and into the cemetery. They’ll follow.

Even though I’ve only been here once—for the funeral—I have the trail memorized. However, this time, everything is blanketed in fresh snow, and it crunches beneath my feet. During the march through here with Serenity, it was mid spring when the air just started to warm, and flowers were blooming.

I pass various styles of headstones. Some are large, taller than me, while others are plaques. Either way, it means all of these loved ones are gone. They aren’t coming back no matter how much people want them to. No matter how many times they begged for it to just not be true.

Tears leak out of my eyes, streaming down my cheeks before I even realize it. Reaching my mother’s grave, I bend down in a crouching position and wipe off the dusting of snow and my hands instantly freeze.

Amelia Worrik is scrawled on the plaque along with Loving mother and grandmother.

Grandmother. She only had three months of being Gigi. When I have my own kids, they’ll never meet her. Life is so unfair.

Fresh red roses rest on top and I narrow my gaze in on them. Reaching out, I swipe my fingers across their petals. They’re still soft to the touch. That makes no sense considering how much Serenity refuses to talk about our mother. And there’s no one else here that would visit.

Shaking off those thoughts, I fall to my knees and my jeans immediately soak through. I reach out to touch her plaque and it’s freezing, hard surface bites into my fingers but I don’t remove my hand. This is the closest I’ve been to my mother in years, and I’m going to soak it up like sunshine in the middle of summer. Wind whips through my hair, and a shiver racks through me.

Why did the cancer have to take you, Mom?

I still need you.

Serenity and Summer still need you.

“I’m sorry I took so long to visit.” My voice shakes as another sob overtakes me. I crush my eyes shut, but the tears don’t stop. “I couldn’t accept the fact that such a kind and gentle soul was taken, but I’m here now. I hope you don’t hold it against me.”

I stay there, holding onto my mother’s grave, and sob until I have no more tears left to cry. I’m not sure if it’s been five minutes or five hours, but this is the closure I need. I’ll always miss her, but maybe now I can think about more fond memories … Like when she taught me how to drive. She had no clue how to teach me, so we sat idling in the grocery store parking lot for hours until Serenity came and took over.

Wiping at my eyes, I say, “I love you so much, Mom. I won’t run away anymore. I’ll be here for Serenity and Summer. And I promise to help rid her of those dangerous loan sharks. I’ll protect her like I know you would.”

Footsteps sound behind me, but I don’t move. These bodyguards won’t give me time alone with my mother … But I can’t hold it against them when it’s their job.

“Too bad your sister didn’t also make a promise to protect you.”

Turning around at the harsh words, the bigger of the two guards is right behind me, his face twisting into a menacing smile. He has a gun pointed directly at me.

I scream as loud as my frozen lungs allow, but no one else is in the cemetery to hear me. I crab crawl backward, the frozen ground biting into my hands. My phone. I need to call Elias. I scramble for my phone in my back pocket, but the other man appears and grabs me, wrapping my arms behind my back. Everything next happens in a blur, and I’m twisted around so my back is to the men. Something hard hits my skull, and I stop screaming.

Then everything goes black.

Chapter 31

Elias

The moment I arrived at Cutesy’s, there was a line out the door. I only meant to stay for an hour, but three have passed, and Harmony hasn’t responded to any of my texts. Checking my phone again, I confirm there’s still no message. That can’t be a good sign. Is she regretting the copious amount of sex we fit in the last twelve hours?

Maybe my earlier suspicions were right. We never did talk about a future, so maybe she’s scared she’s leading me on.

Blinking my eyes, I try to refocus on the customer in front of me. I smile and say all the right things, but uneasiness pricks at the back of my neck.

I sent Sully a text with my whereabouts today in case I’m needed for something. After checking in with Barbara, I should’ve headed back. But how can I leave when business is booming? Barb is amazing, but it’s too much for her to handle alone. It hasn’t slipped my notice that her movements are slower, and her back hunches more and more each day.

Even with Victor’s men guarding Harmony, I’m on edge and have snapped at more than one customer for no reason, causing a few raised eyebrows.

“You saved me today,” Barb says, pulling me back to the present as she wipes down the back counter. “It has been crazy all week. I’m not sure how much longer we can last with just Abigail and me. By the way, where is she? She was supposed to come in this morning, but she hasn’t shown up.”