Page 31 of Protecting Olivia

“Smart man,” Caroline murmured.

“What?”

“Crap. What I meant is, Leo might recognize that you’re ready to come apart, so he’s giving you what you need in order to stay strong. Even if it means you think he’s an ass. Does that make sense?”

“Not really,” I admitted.

“Okay, if Leo coddled you, you’d probably have a nervous breakdown. You’ve obviously been through a lot. I know how overwhelming it is. Been there, done that, have two t-shirts. However, if you’re pissed at him, your mind is occupied. I could be wrong about that. What I do know is, that man cares for you. I only met him ten minutes ago, but I know he does. I see it in his eyes, I see it in the way he pulled you into him protecting you, even from me. The best advice I can give you is to listen to every word he says. Do not go rogue and try and save yourself, do not go against anything he says about your safety. He knows what’s best. This is what these men do. It’s who they are. Listen to them, no matter what.”

“Okay.” I nodded my head in acknowledgment. I didn’t think she was right about Leo caring about me. His job maybe, the President asking him to protect me, yes. Me, not so much. However, it sounded like Caroline knew what she was talking about when it came to me listening to Leo. I wanted to live. From what I gathered, Matthew, Sam, and Christopher had saved her from something equally as bad as my situation.

“I’m going to give you my number. I know you can’t call me while you’re in hiding. But when you are back home, if you ever need someone to talk to, you call me. I’ll help you any way I can.”

Caroline got up from the table and started rummaging through a drawer in the kitchen at the same time Leo and Matthew came back into the room.

Leo scanned the kitchen, and his eyes landed on me. The look on his face reminded me of the first time I saw him when I was locked in that disgusting room. Like a Panther ready to pounce.

“Do you have any piercings?” Leo asked.

What the hell? It took me a moment to comprehend what he was asking.

“Yea. My ears and the cartilage at the top of my left ear,” I answered.

“Perfect. Put this earring in the top hole.” Leo handed me a small jewelry box. When I opened the box, it had a pair of tiny diamond earrings.

“Okay. Just one?” I asked.

Matthew and Caroline were exchanging a look between them I couldn’t make out, a small smile tugged at Matthew’s lips. I felt like I was intruding on a private moment between them. I wish I had that, a love so strong there were no words needed to communicate.

“There is a tracking device in the earring. If we get separated, I’ll be able to find you. Tex will know your location at all times.”

“Caroline’s Tex?” I asked.

A chuckle came from Matthew, and he said, “I see you shared.”

“Just enough for her to understand she’s not alone. And yes, Olivia, the same Tex. He has helped all of us over the years. Those are stories for another day,” Caroline replied.

There was a knock on the door, and Leo’s hand went to his right side, but no gun was drawn. Matthew shot a look at Leo and shook his head. “That’s Abe. I’ll get it.”

Leo seemed to relax at the mention of Abe’s name but his hand still had not moved. Caroline came beside me as Leo moved in front of me positioning himself between me and the door.

“Told you so,” she whispered. “That man is not going to let anything touch you. He knows you’re safe in here. He knows that Sam, Hunter, and Kason are somewhere outside watching the house. Not to mention his own team is out there as well. Yet he’s placing himself in front of you as if a bad guy is gonna knock on my door and get past Matthew. He won’t let anyone hurt you.”

I think Caroline had watched too many romantic thrillers. Leo was doing his job and that was it. Not to mention he had a woman back in Maryland waiting for him to come home, a woman who loved him, that he told he loved her, too. I couldn’t bring myself to tell that to Caroline though. That was another detail I was pretending didn’t exist.

“Abe, this is Panther and Hash,” Matthew introduced.

“Abe.” Leo stepped forward to shake his hand.

“Hi,” I squeaked out. When all of this was over, I was finding the nearest military base and finding myself one of these men. Forget the weak, douchy frat boys. Military men were the way to go.

“Hash.” Abe greeted but made no attempt to move closer to me or shake my hand. “Ice, how are you today?”

“I’m good, Christopher.” Caroline smiled.

I glanced at her with a questioning look. She started to laugh and explained, “The ice on the airplane. After that, the guys nicknamed me Ice.”

“Thanks for your hospitality, we better be on our way,” Leo announced.