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“Sit tight. I’ll be right back,” he says, closing the door.
I watch him jog over to a group of men before they talk for a few moments and return inside the building. My head falls back against the headrest as I close my eyes, a tsunami of overwhelming emotions crashing into me at once. Just moments ago, I thought I was done for. I thought I was going to be sent overseas, never to be heard from again. I’m not sure how Trent found me or if he was even trying to, but I’ve never been so thankful in my life to have a protector like him.
Flashing red and blue lights cause me to open my eyes, and I look over to see multiple police cars pulling into the parking lot. I watch as Trent and his men come out with all of the women who were in the cellar with me, and I can’t help but cry at the relief on their faces. They’ll be able to go back home to their families after being gone for god knows how long, able to try to create a life after the nightmare they’ve endured. SWAT members march out with the men unlucky enough to escape death, taking the handcuffed men and putting them in the backof armored vehicles. But even as all of this is happening around me, only one thought takes over my mind.
It’s finally over.
The thought is both a relief and one of uncertainty. With the threat eliminated, I’m not sure what’ll happen with Trent and me. He’d said he already had another job that he’s assigned to, which meant my time with him may be limited. Sadness fills my chest at the thought of not seeing him again, but maybe it’s better that way. After what I’ve gone through tonight, I now understand why he wanted to keep his distance. Being with him means I’ll always be at risk, but if I’m honest, I’m not sure if that’s a complete dealbreaker for me. I know how he makes me feel, and I know I’m safer with him than I would be without him.
Getting him to see that may be easier said than done, though.
Once the scene is wrapped up, Trent takes me back to my house. My dad jumps up from the couch when I walk into the house.
“Thank god,” he breathes as he rushes over to me.
I run into his arms and hug him tight, sobbing softly into his chest. I never thought I’d see the day when I was this happy to see my dad. To know I was so close to never seeing him again—whether due to trafficking or being killed—makes me so much more grateful of the time I have left with him. So many things could’ve gone differently if Trent and his team hadn’t found me in time, and I definitely won’t take anything in my life for granted again.
My dad pulls back and looks me over. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?” he asks.
I shook my head. “No, I’m okay,” I reply and look back at Trent. “Trent came just in time.”
My father looks at him with glassy eyes. “I can never repay you for what you’ve done for my daughter and me,” he says, his voice cracking a little. “Thank you.”
Trent nods. “I said I’d keep her safe, so I did what I said I would.”
“Well, we appreciate it.” My dad rubs my shoulder. “So? The person responsible? What happens to them?”
“They’re dead.” Trent’s voice is tight, his entire body stiffening. He’s been wound up since we left the scene, hardly talking on the way to my house.
“So it’s over then?”
“Yes, unless you continue doing business with mob bosses who want you dead.”
“What?” I exclaim and look up at my father’s confused expression.
“The BMP makeup company you had Morgan doing promo for? It’s owned by the Rosario family, the same family that originally approached you about a shady deal you turned down. All of this was simply to get back at you for interfering with their dealings,” Trent explains.
“Jesus.” My dad runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. “But why target Morgan? Why not just come after me?”
Trent shrugs. “Probably to devastate you before he killed you as well,” he proposes. “Either way, he’s no longer a problem, and the hit has been voided.”
“Well, thank you for what you’ve done for us. I know we had a bit of a rocky start, but I’m grateful for your work here,” my dad says, holding out his hand. Trent gives it a firm shake as he nods.
“Um, can we talk?” I say to Trent. I pull away from my father and grab Trent’s arm, pulling him toward the stairs. Neither of us says anything until we’re in my bedroom. He still hasn’trelaxed and instead paces the floor of my bedroom. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I wrap my arms around him from behind only for him to pull away. “Sorry. It’s just not a good idea when I’m like this.”
“Maybe you can use a distraction,” I murmur.
He turns and looks at me, his gaze hard and cold. “You need things to be gentle, and I’m not in the state of mind to be able to do that,” he says through gritted teeth. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
I appreciate his concern, but I want to provide him with the same comfort and distraction he gave me when I was upset. His eyes track my every move as I close the space between us. I stand on my tiptoes and press a kiss on his lips, gauging his reaction before I do it again. I’m not sure what will happen in the morning, whether or not he’ll be gone and never to be seen again. The only thing I want to focus on right now is him being here and in front of me at this present time. And if this is in fact the end, I want to have him just one last time before all I have left of him are intimate memories.
His hand tightly winds into my hair as he deepens the kiss, the intensity in which he kisses me eliciting a moan from me and nearly bringing tears to my eyes. It’s as if his body is saying the words his mouth can’t, a subtle admission that no matter how right we feel together, we’re both forbidden. You always hear about heartbreak and how to get over it, but no one ever talks about the heartbreak that comes from something that may never come to be. There’s no advice on what to do with the life you think you could’ve had with someone who never comes to fruition when you’re forced to continue with your life as if this person hasn’t forever changed it.
“I love you,” I whisper. I don’t even know why I say it. He only looks at me, a mixture of things in his eyes as he brushes the stray tear from my cheek before he kisses me again.
All thoughts fall away as he lifts the T-shirt and pulls it over my head, his hands hungrily moving over my body. I help him remove his bulletproof vest and the rest of his clothes before we fall onto my bed. He gets up, and I frown in confusion as he walks over to my closet door, grabbing a silk scarf hanging on the doorknob.
