“He’s supposed to take care of you,” Kam says.
“Since when does sex not fall under that umbrella?” My response is flippant and arrogant, and Kamden reacts with equal parts disbelief and outrage.
“Since you tried to kill yourself!”
My throat instantly dries and my attempt to swallow is painful as I lean farther away from Kamden. My lips part to object, but there are no words.
“You aren’t ... You aren’t okay,” Kam says, his voice gentler now, and his hand raised as if he’s approaching a wild animal. “It was wrong of him to touch you in any way. He was only there to make sure you didn’t hurt yourself. That was his only job. He crossed the line multiple times and I can’t ignore that. You matter to me. Your safety matters to me.”
His only job. A sarcastic huff leaves me although my fight has waned. The first time I saw Zander, I wanted him. I was drawn to him. A piece of me needed him. It didn’t have a damn thing to do with a job opportunity.
In my silence, Kamden repeats, “He was supposed to take care of you, protect you. Not sleep with you.”
Was. Kamden speaks of Zander as if he’s in the past tense.
They’re going to take him away from me. I can hardly breathe. I would beg them, if that’s what they want. I will beg them. It takes a moment for me to gather my composure and my dignity.
Licking my bottom lip, I muster the courage to look Kamden in the eye and tell him, “I’ll tell the judge it was all of you.”
My words are met with a deafening silence. “I’ll tell him each one of you abused me.”
“Ella.” Kamden ushers his warning in a whisper.
“Not you … but if you make me, I’ll tell the judge you knew.” If I’m not above begging, I’m damn sure not above blackmail, defamation, or whatever the fuck this is. “You won’t take him away from me.”
Zander
The city was going by in the background without making any impression before, but now it’s in vivid detail. My main priority is getting to Ella. There’s an anxiousness I haven’t felt for her before. A need to protect her.
I know the situation is complicated, but this part seems simple. Get to her. Get to her. Get to her. I ignore my phone vibrating in the passenger seat; one glance in the rearview and I know it’s Damon calling.
Friendship be damned, I won’t make the mistake of not fighting for her to have a say in this. If nothing else, she deserves to hear from me and know this wasn’t my choice.
With the tires screeching and my nerves still rattled, I pull into the parking lot six minutes later. The office is on the top floor of a two-story building. We chose the location because we considered possible press coverage when we designed her protection plan. She’s not unknown to the world, and no matter how slim the chances, we had to prepare for everything. It’s harder to take photos of a person when they’re not at ground level.
It’s then that I consider what exactly I’m about to walk into. I can already feel the betrayed gaze of my brother and the sick feeling that comes with it.
The second the car door shuts with a thunk, my name is shouted from Damon’s car pulling in beside me. In the shade of the towering building, a chill settles over me and I ignore Damon, I ignore the gut instinct to give my brother space now that he knows what I’ve done.
Instead, one foot moves in front of the other, but not fast enough.
Damon throws himself out of the driver’s seat so fast that the door hangs open after him. “You can’t do this,” he shouts although there’s a pleading tone in his voice. We’re both angling for the entrance, and he collides with me as I’m reaching for the door. His shoulder is pressed to my shoulder and I’m met with a desperation in his gaze as I can feel his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. The momentum takes me a few feet away but I’m determined. “Zander. You can’t go in there. You’re off her detail.” His voice is low and careful, but again, his tone is begging me not to go in there.
For her sake or mine? Maybe both. “Your brother said you can’t—”
“That doesn’t fucking matter. I’m seeing her, and you can’t stop me.” With my hand wrapped around the steel handle of the black glass door, Damon’s splays against it, preventing me from opening it. The sleeve of his coat slides down his forearm.
“You’re caught, man. Nobody’s going to let you do anything until Cade figures shit out. We might have to have a hearing if Kamden pushes this, which—to be fucking blunt—I would if I were him. And even if we don’t and everything blows over, The Firm can’t let you see her.” His dark eyes are wide. He presses his free hand flat to my chest, pushing me back and I release my grip on the handle, dropping my arm to my side. He’s at least as strong as I am, but he knows better than to square up with me.