“Craig, come help me with these. She'll be back any minute,” Ethan called to him, motioning to the ropes. He turned back to Laura, then did a double take on Craig. He frowned. “What are you doing here, Craig? Where's Janie?”
“He's the one who tied me up, Ethan,” Laura whispered, her eyes on Craig. She could see the outline of the knife in his pocket.
Ethan's eyes went wide. “What?” He looked at Craig, then at Laura, then back to Craig in disbelief. “Why would you do that?”
“To show you how much you need me,” Craig explained, taking a step toward him. “The rest of your 'security' team was so busy chasing after Janie that they failed to keep the woman you love safe.”
“Janie didn't do this?” Ethan asked, shock filling his features.
“'Janie didn't do this?'“ Craig mocked Ethan, using a high pitched voice. He spat onto the floor. “Of course she didn't. You're missing the point.” Craig came closer. He pointed to Laura. “She's important to you, and they failed. Miserably. But I didn't fail. I keep you safe.”
Ethan stood in complete shock. “It was you? The voice was disguised, but I would never have thought it was you.” Ethan frowned, betrayal filling hi
s eyes. “I trusted you.”
“You should trust me, Ethan. You must trust me,” Craig said. He smiled up at him as a dog would to his master. “I protect you. I keep you safe.”
“Why are you doing this, Craig?” Ethan asked, hurt in his voice. “Why would you do this to Laura?”
“You fired me.” Craig's voice was low and dangerous. Laura could hear the pain in it.
Ethan shook his head. “No, I didn't.”
“Yes, you did!” Craig's voice echoed through the empty warehouse. He took a breath and visibly calmed himself. “Yes, you did. You had Bruce tell me you didn't need me.”
Ethan frowned and shook his head. “Craig, I didn't fire you,” he explained. “You had too much overtime. You couldn't work anymore this month.”
“You left me behind,” Craig shouted. “You left me!”
“He was worried about you, Craig,” Laura cut in. Her heart pounded in her chest. If Craig got upset, he would lose control and hurt her. She softened her voice, trying to stay and sound calm. “He was worried you were working too hard.”
Ethan's brows came together since that clearly wasn't the case but then raised as he figured it out. He nodded.
“She's right, Craig,” he said, agreeing with Laura and going with what she said. “I don't want you to work too hard. That's what it was. I was looking out for you.”
“Protecting you isn't work,” Craig informed him. He took a step closer across the empty room. He was now close enough that if he brought out his knife, he could reach her. Laura's heart pounded in her chest.
If he decided to hurt her, there was nothing she could do. She pressed against the ropes, but all it did was hurt her bruises. Fear clutched at her throat. What would Dallas and Ivy do without her? Who would make sure that they got the right kind of ginger ale when they were sick? Who would tuck them in at night?
“I understand that now. I was wrong,” Ethan replied. He motioned to Laura. “Will you untie her? You've made your point.”
Craig shook his head. “Not yet. I need you to understand.”
“Okay,” Ethan said quickly. “I'm listening. You have my complete attention.”
Craig swallowed, and his eyes went big. This was his moment. This was the moment that he'd been waiting for and needed.
“You need me, Ethan. I just want to keep you safe,” he explained. “You're like a brother to me. I had to take her to show you that. I never meant to hurt her. I just need you to understand how much you need me.”
Ethan nodded. “I see that now, Craig. I don't have an actual brother, but if I did, I would want him to be like you,” Ethan said with a smile. He put his hand on Laura's shoulder. “Will you please untie her now? She doesn't need to be a part of this. I understand now.”
“Will you hire me back on?” Craig asked in a small voice. He looked at Ethan with hopeful eyes.
“You will be my primary bodyguard,” Ethan promised. “I need someone as dedicated as you. You've really shown me how much I can't trust anyone else. No one else can protect me. You've proven that.”
Craig's eyes narrowed. “How do I know that you aren't just saying that?”
Ethan looked at Laura. “Do you know how it felt to hear she'd been taken?' He swallowed hard. “I love her, Craig. And I have spent the last twelve hours terrified that something had happened to her. I don't know what I would do if I lost her.