Page 33 of Savage Protector

“There has to be somewhere I can hide, right? Somewhere close.” Lifting her head from my now-soaked chest, her reddened eyes searched my face for answers. “I could be halfway around the world, but I wouldn’t feel safe without you.

Somehow, she knew exactly the right words to use, words that stirred every protective instinct I possessed. I stroked her hair, my mind racing.

Is there another way? Someplace already guarded with security cameras everywhere and men patrolling in shifts?

Of course there was.

I was going to owe Vaughn a big favor for this.

14

SCARLET

The closer we came to Las Vegas, the clearer and more vivid the memories became. “You’re mine, and nobody touches what’s mine!” Memories I had worked hard to lock behind a heavy door. The screaming. The threats.

Dominic was good at hurting me where it wouldn’t show, but there were times when he didn’t care. The days I’d spent endless minutes gently dabbing makeup over my bruises.

And I was going back there? My stomach clenched before I asked, “You’re sure this is okay?”

Grayson’s soft grunt didn’t inspire confidence. “Honestly? I’m not sure of anything right now.”

It’s not the answer I wanted to hear, but at least he was being honest. At a time like this, the last thing I needed was empty assurances. I had to know the truth, if only so I knew how to prepare for whatever was before me.

At the moment, sitting in the passenger seat of the Lexus, what waited in front of me was the presidential suite of one of Vaughn Eastman’s hotels, sitting on top of his casino. The other casino used to belong to his father-in-law, who, according to Grayson, was about to go on trial for a lot of bad things. I vaguely remembered hearing some of the grim details on the news.

Grayson must have noticed how I couldn’t stop biting my nails—they were chewed down to the quick by the time our seven-hour drive drew to a close—because he sighed when I did it again.

“It’ll be fine. Vaughn has hosted high-profile guests with fairly demanding security requirements. I should know. I provided the security. I’ve already upped their presence throughout the casino at his request, and I will put a few more guys in the hotel to boost your protection. Everything is under control.”

Somebody needed to tell that to his jaw clenched tight enough to crack a walnut. I gazed out the window, working on regulating my breathing as panic clawed at the edges of my calm. I will be safe at the casino. Experience told me how thorough security would be in a place like that, and any place owned by a friend of Grayson’s would be especially secure. He would want to take care of the people in his life. It was sort of his thing.

“And you promise you’ll keep me posted all the time?” It wasn’t until I asked that I understood how much it meant to be in contact with him. After more than a week of being in each other's faces, his absence would be hard to deal with.

“Don’t worry,” he assured me with a brief, tight grin. “If anything changes, you’ll be the first to know.”

That wasn’t exactly what I meant. It wasn’t so much that I wanted updates. I wanted him. All the reassurances in the world wouldn’t mean anything if I didn’t have Grayson with me, but I couldn’t find the words to tell him. I didn’t even know if I should. All I could do was sit there quietly, wishing I was brave enough.

Once we reached the city with the familiar stretch of landmarks spreading out in front of us as we approached the Strip, the nervous nausea that had threatened me ever since we left Lake Tahoe decided to double down and left me gripping my seat with both hands as I fought to hold it back.

“Take it easy,” Grayson murmured, his hand closed over my knee. “You’ll be just fine. Vaughn has the suite ready for you. All you have to do is sit tight for a while. You could do a hell of a lot worse than this.”

He was right. I knew it, but somehow, that didn’t make things any easier because he would be out there somewhere, doing whatever it took to put an end to this. I didn’t know what that might look like. I only knew with complete certainty that Dominic would not give up without a fight. It was a matter of pride and ego. I had insulted him by leaving.

What had I ever seen in him?

Why couldn’t I have figured him out from the beginning?

It wasn’t only my life at stake now.

“You’re not coming with me?” I asked once we pulled around behind the building to the service entrance. Two men already waited by the door, nodding in greeting when Grayson jerked his chin. One of them opened my door before they both took my bags from the trunk, carrying them like they weighed nothing.

Grayson shook his head. “I have business to handle, but I’ll find a way to see you. For now, go upstairs, relax, order room service. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

If I could get what I wanted, he would get out of the car with me, come upstairs, and stay.

But the last thing he needed was me hanging on him.

He had things to do, important things, and my life sort of depended on it. A quick, determined breath helped me stop trembling so much before I whispered, “Just call me, please?”