The more I pushed her away, the more extreme she became and I don’t know how to put an end to the madness. If I send her away it would kill me. If she stays I’ll end up fucking her and I won’t stop. This I know. If I ever take her I will never let her go. Not in this lifetime.
I was half afraid of losing her and half terrified of what my love might do to her. When I’d loved her as my ward, I’d damn near smothered her. As her man it would be worse.
The phone rang, jarring me out of my reverie. “Yes?”
“We’ve got her.” I released the breath I wasn’t aware I’d been holding for the last few hours and dropped back in my seat with relief. “Bring her home.” The relief washed through me as I sat in contemplation. I couldn’t think straight. Not until I saw for myself that she was okay.
I got up to pace again until I heard the cars pulling up outside.
I was ready to rip her a new one until I saw the look of terror in her eyes. On reflex I opened my arms and she flew into them as my team walked through the door behind her. Her fear ignited my anger and they bore the brunt of it.
“What the hell happened?” She was shaking like a leaf in my arms; something she hadn’t done since she first came to me and was still suffering from the loss of her parents.
Ralph indicated that I should wait until she was out of the room, only sending my fear up a notch. “Go to your room sweetheart, I’ll be right there.” I kissed her forehead and put her away from me, watching until she climbed the stairs to the second floor. I waited for the sound of her door until I remembered that I’d broken it.
“Tell me.” I turned to them willing myself to calm down and not fly off the handle, which I have a tendency to do where she’s concerned. “Where did you find her?”
“She was in West Haven.” My eyes widened at his words as I tried to make sense of what he was saying. “What the hell was she doing there?” West Haven was the worse part of the city, known for drugs and other degenerate dealings. I couldn’t imagine that she knew anyone in that part of town.
“She said she was supposed to meet someone there, but I don’t know.”
“Who was she supposed to meet?”
“She didn’t say, just a friend.” “Which friend? Don’t I pay you to know everything that’s going on in her life?” I felt like I was losing control here; first the trip yesterday and now this.
Time was I knew every move she made. I never had to guess and there was no need to worry because she was a well-behaved obedient kid with the usual bumps in the road but nothing to stress over.
“We’re not in the classroom boss, we can’t control who she meets at school.” I glared at him until he took a step back and the others cleared their throats. I looked up the stairs towards her room as I thought of what to do next. Obviously, the spanking I gave her earlier hadn’t worked. Was she trying to force my hand? Is that it?
What the fuck does she want from me? Can’t she see I’m trying to save her? Does she have any idea of what I’d do to her if I made her mine? She thinks she’s smothered now she can’t begin to imagine what being my woman would mean for her.
Obviously, if I took her she wouldn’t be like the rest. My heart was already half hers, and she was already chafing at the constraints she suffered as my ward. What the fuck does she think will happen if I put my ring on her finger? I’d own her.
“Was she alone?” I held my breath as I waited for the answer. What if she was mixed up with some boy? The thought started a burning pain in my gut and I told myself it was because I didn’t want her getting mixed up with the wrong crowd and going down the wrong path. But in the back of my mind I wondered if she would turn to someone else if I didn’t give her what she wanted. I’d kill them both. Fuck!
“We got there just in time. She was standing on the corner I guess waiting for whomever she was supposed to meet and some unsavory types were closing in just when we got there.” I wanted to rip them apart whoever they were and wasn’t fast enough to kill the growl.
“Did they touch her?” The fury was barely leashed and only because I needed to take care of her when we were done here. “No, but I think they scared her a little.” I beat back the anger and put it aside for now. “We’ll talk about this later. I think maybe from now on we’ll have her detail working around the clock.” Something was going on and until I got to the bottom of it I wasn’t taking any chances.