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“I kicked the door open, and when I saw what was happening, I pulled him off you.” Daniel remains silent for a moment while I try to forget how Leo’s body weighed down my own. His voice brings me back from the nightmare of reliving it. “You weren’t moving; I thought he had killed you. You have no idea how relieved I was when I moved the pillow and your eyes opened,” he adds before returning to my hair.
“I thought I was going to die,” I whisper. Daniel runs his fingers through my hair at the scalp, checking for any more pins.
“Let me wash your hair, princess,” he says softly. I do as I’m told and lean my head back so he can get it wet. Daniel leans around, picks up a bottle, and squeezes a little on his hand before massaging it into my hair.
“You will never feel like that again. No one will ever touch you without permission; I will kill them if they do,” Daniel says as he massages the shampoo into my scalp.
We stay quiet for a few minutes. The only sound is the occasional instructions Daniel gives me as he uses the shower head to rinse my hair before conditioning it. Once he’s done, he uses his fingers to comb out any tangles that are left. He asks for permission to wash my back and offers me the sponge to wash my front. He takes it from me when I scrub a little too hard, desperately attempting to get the feeling of Leo’s hands off me. It’s then I notice that something is missing. I start rubbing at my neck and looking in the water frantically.
“No. No. No.” I cry out as I lift onto my knees. Praying it’s in the water and not in the hotel room.
“What’s the matter?” I hear Daniel ask. When I don’t reply, he places his hands on my shoulders to stop me from searching and forcing me to look at him as I panic.
“My necklace, it’s gone!” I cry. “It’s all I have of you,” I sob, bringing my hands to my face as I start to cry into them. Daniel slowly pulls my hands away from my face.
“Princess, you have me now; you don’t need the necklace. I’m not leaving you again,” he whispers softly. I look into his eyes and shake my head, not wanting to believe him. He left me once; he will do it again. His face softens as he cups my cheek. “I promise you; I have only just got you back; I’m not giving you up again.”
Daniel stands from the side of the bath and picks up a large fluffy towel. He holds on to it, helps me out of the water, and wraps it around my body.
“Do you think you can walk?” He asks gently. I nod, and he holds his arm out for me to use as support. He sits me down on a stool in front of a mirror and goes about drying and brushing my hair.
“Do you remember when you were younger, you used to let me do your hair for school when your mum was too poorly to do it?”
I look at his reflection and nod; Daniel smiles at me fondly.
“I was never any good at it. Some days I’d feel guilty letting you go to school as you would look like you’d been dragged through a hedge backwards. But each time, you would kiss me on the cheek and thank me like I was the best hairdresser in the world.”
“To me, you were,” I admit, unable to smile at the memory. I loved him doing my hair each morning. But at the moment, I don’t think even the happiest memories could bring a smile to my face.
Daniel helps me to walk from the bathroom into what he tells me is his room. He walks me over to the bed and helps me sit before walking to the wardrobe. I watch as he pulls out a shirt and some boxers, which he helps me to put on and fastens the buttons before helping me to bed.
“You are staying here tonight, no arguments. I want to know you are safe. No one will come into this room, only me. You need to sleep and rest after everything. Is there anything you need?” he asks gently as he tucks some hair behind my ear. I shake my head as I curl up on my side and place my hands under my head. Daniel leans over and kisses me on the cheek before standing up.
“Danny,” I whisper as he turns away. Daniel looks back and smiles.
“Yes, Princess,”
“Thank you for saving me,” I whisper. Daniel stares at me momentarily, his shirt still wet from washing me; I can see his tattooed chest through the white material.
“You don’t have to thank me for that, princess; I would do it all again in a heartbeat for you.” He whispers before kissing me on the head again. “Get some rest. I will be back in a bit. I need to pop out to take care of some business. If you need anything, the housekeepers will be happy to help,” Daniel says as he straightens up again and smiles at me. “Sleep,” he whispers before leaving the room and closing the doors behind him. I quickly find my eyes are too heavy to stay open for much longer; my mind and body are drained after everything. I eventually find myself drifting off into an uneasy sleep.
Chapter Eight
Daniel
I walk out of the room and quietly close the door behind me. I head straight to my office two doors down, knowing my two main guards will be there.
“Where is he?” I demand, walking into the office, undoing my shirt. I head to the cupboard where I know I have dry ones with every intention of changing it. But as I take it off, I notice the blood on my chest from her split lip and cut cheek. I shrug the shirt back on and do it back up. I want that fucker to see what he did to her. Her blood on my shirt will be the last thing he ever sees. No one hurts my princess and gets to see the light of day again.
“In the warehouse, as you asked. He and his idiot mate may have fallen a few times on the way in,” Harry replies with a growl. There is one thing that Harry despises above all else: a man who hurts a woman, especially one as sweet and innocent as my Gabriella.
“I want the car brought round to the front. The sooner I deal with them, the sooner I can return. I don’t want Gabriella on her own for long.” I grab a suit jacket from the wardrobe and shrug it on as I turn to see the guards looking at me,
“Do you want her brother in the know?” Neil asks. I nod and hold out my hand. Harry passes me my phone he has had since we went looking for Gabriella. I dial Oliver’s number as we head out of the office and down the stairs.
“Hey, what’s up?” I hear him ask on the other end of the line. I take a deep breath before I answer, knowing this will break his heart.
“I need you to meet me in the warehouse as soon as possible. There has been an incident involving Gabriella. She’s okay and safe, but I need to tell you more face-to-face,” I say quickly.
