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The music still blared, and I was careful not to move into the line of sight of the camera Bozz had planted, but I didn’t feel safe talking freely. Or maybe it was that I wanted to be close to Rose. I wanted to smell the clean, fresh scent of her hair as it tickled my nose when I spoke close to her ear. I wanted her in my arms as we pretended an intimacy I fucking craved. To say I wanted to fuck her was a gross understatement, but that wasn’t happening.
I looked up to find her leaning against the small sink in the kitchen area, her arms wrapped around herself as she studied me from under her lashes. We stared at each other a long while. Then she started trembling and looked down at her feet.
Crossing the distance to her, I swore to myself as I grabbed her upper arm as gently as I could and took her to the bathroom. It was the one place inside this cabin I was sure wasn’t bugged. I’d tested it on more than one occasion, pretending to talk to someone outside the compound and saying things I knew Dutch or Bozz would call me out on. Not enough to get me killed, but enough to rouse their suspicion and make them have to feel me out. I’d also swept it for bugs, same as I had in the main room. While the front room routinely had them, the bathroom hadn’t had a listening device other than one I’d removed months ago, the first night I’d come to the compound. No one had said anything about it, so my guess was that the bathroom bug I’d removed in the bathroom either hadn’t worked, or no one was monitoring it, and Bozz hadn’t realized it was gone. Though Bozz was a son of a bitch, the man wasn’t stupid, so I was betting my life they’d decided they trusted me at least enough to keep this one space free of listening devices.
Once we were inside and the door was shut, I framed her face with my hands, forcing her to look up at me. “You good, baby?”
She shook her head slightly, then her breath started coming in shallow pants, tears springing to her eyes. One little sob let go before I pulled her into my arms and held her face against my chest while she had her meltdown.
It had to happen. No woman in her right mind wouldn’t have been terrified by the situation Rose found herself in. I couldn’t reassure her everything would be all right. There was a very high probability it wouldn’t.
“I know, honey. I’m so sorry you’re mixed up in this.”
“Are they going to rape me?” Her question was so soft I nearly didn’t catch it.
“Not as long as I live, Rose. I’ll protect you with my last breath.”
She looked up at me, tears flowing freely from frightened eyes. I swore. We had to have this talk, though after this minor meltdown, I was ready to say fuck it and call in the calvary.
“I’m calling it. I won’t risk you getting hurt. We’ll figure something else out.”
“Wait,” she said softly, bunching her hand in my shirt. “How quickly can your team get here if we get into trouble?”
I tilted my head, trying to see where she was going with this. “At a moment’s notice. I’ve got at least two guys on this place at all times. Right now, I’ve got ten members outside this compound ready to storm us in exactly fifteen minutes unless I call them off. If I give the word, they can come right now.”
“Then wait.” Rose still trembled in my arms, but her features hardened. “I don’t want to leave anyone here. We get them all out, or we stay until we can.”
There was no way to stop the growl of frustration. It was the plan I’d had all along, but seeing how terrified Rose was -- with good reason -- I’d changed my mind about keeping her with me. She needed to get to safety, and I was prepared to take the smaller victory. Then she had to go and volunteer to stay.
“You saw how everyone here is. If we stay, you’re very much in danger. I’ll protect you with my life, but it might not be enough. I’m only one guy. There are thirty-seven men in this compound who’d love to get their hands on you. Killin’ me’d just be a bonus.”
She straightened, lifting her chin in stubborn determination, even as her lower lip trembled slightly. “I’ll do exactly what you tell me to. If at any time you feel the situation is getting out of hand, call in your club. I’m scared, but I can fight through it if it means we save innocents. It’s what my dad would do.”
