Protecting My Hart (Protectors Series Book 1) (27 page)

Kash is in the kitchen when I walk through carrying Hart, and when he sees her, his face grows cold and hard, followed by a string of cussing. “Fucking hell,” he growls out, and I know that both he and Beamer are fuckin’ pissed too.

“Yeah, she’s breathing oddly, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the bastards broke some ribs,” I bite out and carry her through the house to our room and lay her on the bed gently.

“Ethan,” she rasps.

“He’s sleeping, Hart,” Kash states softly.

“I need to see him,” Hart whispers and tries to sit up. Her body jerks and she cries out in pain but continues to move.

“Tesoro, no. Please, Hart, lay down. Let me clean you up.” I stop her and sit down next to her. Beamer has placed cloths, warm water, bandages, and antiseptic on the nightstand.

“I need…to see him…make sure he’s…OK…” Her words come out raggedly with the difficulty of her breaths.

“Hart, listen to me. I know you need to see him. I know he was taken from you, but he is safe, I swear. I will bring him to you, but I need to clean you up first. You don’t want Ethan to see you covered in blood; it will upset him more. Let me clean your cuts, change your clothes, and then I will bring Ethan in here, OK?”

“OK.” She nods at me, tears filling her eyes. I leave a soft kiss on the side of her lips, and I can feel her trying to relax.

Gently, I clean her cuts and bandage them. Beamer grabs me a couple ice packs. She holds one on her eye while I clean the cut on her lip. Gently wiping her face, she winces a few times and my heart breaks further. My beautiful girl is covered in bruises because I wasn’t here to protect her like I promised. I’m trying to keep my cool, but the burning rage continues to grow.

“Get out guys, I’m gonna help her change.” Both the guys leave. I grab one of my larger shirts and a pair of her soft lounge pants. “OK, Tesoro, we are gonna do this slowly.” She nods.

Carefully, I help her take her shirt off. She whimpers softly. I know she’s in pain and when her shirt is off I see why. Her ribs are covered in bruises.
What. The. Fuck.

“Did they kick you?” She nods yes. “Did they rape you?” She shakes her head no. I rub softly over her ribs with her eyes locked on mine. “I’m sorry, Hartley. So sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” she whispers. “I knew you’d find me. I told Ethan you would find him and then find me.”

“I shouldn’t have left him here with you. I knew the fucker couldn’t be trusted.”

“Babe, don’t. You found our son, you found me and saved me. You’re still my hero. Thank you,” she murmurs. Her voice is so sincere that it melts away some of the guilt.

“Do you want to shower?”

“Can I?”

“Yeah, Tesoro.” I stand and start the shower and go back to get her.

Twenty minutes later I’ve helped her shower, redone her bandages, and have her dressed and lying in bed. There is a knock on the door, and Kash comes in carrying a sleeping Ethan. Hart sees him and starts crying again. Kash lays him in bed next to her and Hartley hugs him close to her, holding him while she cries. I can only imagine the amount of fear and panic she felt when he was taken from her. I know what I felt, and I know that for her it was a hundred times worse. I think Ethan knows he’s next to his Momma, he doesn’t wake up but moves closer to her. They are both safe again.

“Mack, you can’t go back there,” I hear Beamer declare. Kash watches me cautiously.

“Hart, I’m going to go talk to Mack. Try to get some sleep, OK? Nothing else is gonna happen to you.”

She gives me a small nod. I pull the blankets up over her higher and leave a kiss on her head before walking out of my room to face off with Mack.

“Beamer, move out of my way,” Mack demands.

“Mack, you don’t want me to do that, trust me, this is more for your protection than anything else. Hart is a fuckin’ mess and you didn’t see her when we pulled her out of there.”

“Yeah we need to fuckin’ talk about that. What the fuck were you two thinking going into that house without back up?”

“Are you fucking serious? That’s the only thought in your head?” I snap. Mack’s glare shoots to mine.

“Slyde, you should know better,” he bites out.

“Fuck you, Mack! Mason fuckin’ kidnapped them, left my son at the fuckin’ park, and gave Hartley back to JD. Not sure how the fuck he managed that. She was back in his control, and who knows what else could have happened to her if we hadn’t gone to get her!”

“Yeah well now we have the problem of Mason knowing who you are and telling JD. The whole fuckin’ thing has possibly been compromised and it’s all because of…”

“Don’t you fuckin’ finish that sentence, Mack! This is not Hart’s fault. She has done nothing to ask for any of this. You have no idea what the fuck she has been through, no fuckin’ clue as to what has happened to her!” I’m shaking now with rage. How dare he try to blame all this on her! My control is barely there.

“Cardoane,” he growls and now is in my face. “She has been a distraction for you for years and ever since she came back into your life, you have been a bigger pain in my ass than normal. We don’t have time for this shit!”

That’s it, I can’t hold my temper any longer, and I swing my arm. Mack anticipates the attack, blocks my hit, and counters with a punch to the gut. I swing again and connect with his face and then wrap him up and slam him against the wall. Mack and I exchange blows. I don’t pull my punches and neither does he, and it’s an all-out brawl. I’ve just taken a hit to the jaw and about to swing again when I hear her scream my name.

“Slyde!”

I shake Mack off and when I spin to run down the hall back to her, I see her in the hallway; she’s crying, favoring her one side and barely standing.

I’m trying to process the last several hours, and I just don’t even know where to begin. I’m back home. I’m safe in bed with my son curled next to me. Slyde is here and the relief that he found me is overwhelming. My whole body is in pain, but I’m so grateful to be here and alive. I hear yelling coming from the living room and then I hear sounds that sound like fighting.
What the hell is going on?
Slowly and shakily, I get out of bed. Still hurting, I walk gingerly out into the living room to find Slyde and Mack fighting.
Oh my god.

“Slyde!”
I shriek, tears falling down my face.
What is going on?
He freezes and turns to me quickly. I can barely stand and Kash reaches me first, slipping an arm carefully around my waist to hold me up. I take two steps before Slyde reaches me and pulls me into his arms carefully. I cling to him as tightly as I can, trying to figure out why he would be fighting with Mack.

“Are you OK, Tesoro, what happened?”

“I heard fighting and wanted to see what was wrong. Why are you fighting?”

“Just a disagreement.” He lifts me up and carries me to the couch, setting me down. “Mack, fuckin’ get over here,” Slyde snaps.

Mack moves and is now standing before me, and I watch his gaze roam my face. I’m not sure what look his face holds or the thoughts going through his head.

“Less than eight hours Mack, they had her for less than eight fuckin’ hours and they managed this and this.” Slyde raises my shirt enough for Mack to see my ribs. “Any fuckin’ longer in that house, and there is no doubt in my mind that JD would have let his guys have her. He’s done it once before. Remember when you told me there was nothing you could do when I wanted her out of there? Well, that was the first time he let two of the men have her at the same fuckin’ time and he fuckin’ watched. I get that you are fuckin’ focused on this operation. I am too. But sometimes things are more fuckin’ important. What the fuck would you do if this was your daughter? Or your wife? If this was Tasha, would you have waited for fucking back up? No! You would have gone in there to get her! You’d do anything for your family, Mack. Hart and Ethan
are
my family and it’s about fuckin’ time you figured that out!” Slyde finishes out, he is clearly upset and frustrated.

I watch as Mack and Slyde’s gaze remains locked on one another. The air in the room has vanished as I watch the stare down. Mack breaks first by letting out a sigh. “I get it, Slyde. I get it.” His gaze moves slowly to me. “Hartley, I’m sorry about Mason. I had no idea he was connected to JD. We still have to figure out how much Mason told JD. Hartley, I know you have been through a lot today, but can you tell me about anything Mason said to JD. Did he tell him about Slyde?”

“No.”

“No he didn’t say anything, or no you don’t know?” he asks rapidly.

“Mack, take it fuckin’ easy. Do we have to do this tonight?” Slyde bites out. I reach up and grab his hand; he looks to me before sitting down next to me.

“No, Mason didn’t say anything to JD, and I don’t think he knows the connection.”

“Tesoro, you don’t have to do this tonight.” Slyde’s voice is soft and filled with concern and so much protectiveness.

“I know,” I whisper to him, squeezing his hand harder. “But you need to know what he told me so you can find him.” My voice is shaky and even I can hear the fear. “Slyde, it was him, it’s been him all along,” I choke out. He moves closer still and throws his free arm around my shoulder and leaves a kiss on my forehead.

“What do you mean, Hartley?”

“Mason used to visit my dad, where all he had to do was bring a bottle of whiskey to him and he got to have me. Said my dad was pissed when I disappeared. I think that’s why he seemed familiar and why I got chills when he looked at me. Mason then told me that he found me walking down the street one night, when he saw my face he recognized me, and he knew I was running again, and depriving someone else of me. Said I needed to be taught a lesson. Slyde, it was Mason who stabbed me that night. Said something he hadn’t felt in a long time came back and it was a rush. Stated he didn’t know about Ethan otherwise he would have used him as a target. That’s why his voice made me uneasy. That voice has haunted me for years. It’s been Mason who has been watching me all along, said it was a fun cat and mouse game. He said he knew I would survive because he knew how to stab me. He watched me when I was released from the hospital, noticed I was pregnant, but then said he got called away and couldn’t play our game. When he came back, Ethan had already been born. He said that it was fun when I would disappear; he enjoyed tracking me. He said he was going to end our game, but then I vanished completely. Said that he had a friend who would pay him for me, but this last time it was like I fell off the face of the earth. He had no idea how I ended up here. Wanted to know if you knew how much of a slut I was. He sold me to a man named Sully who then brought me to JD. He said that by the time you figured out I was missing he would have his money and be long gone. He didn’t know or care what was going to happen to me, but said you’d never find me. I looked for you at JD’s; I was hoping you might still be there. JD said I cost him big too, but that he was going to earn that back. He really would have let the guys rape me, he told me they would.” I turn to look at Mack. “JD never mentioned anything about Slyde. I don’t think he knows this is where I’ve been.” I finish, and I have four pairs of eyes staring at me. I can tell that Beamer and Kash are trying to control their rage. Mack looks like he’s going to be sick and Slyde, well, Slyde looks like he’s going to commit murder. I have no idea at what point during my story I started to cry, the only reason I notice now is because Slyde’s hand moves from around my shoulders to wipe away the falling tears from my face. It’s now I notice the death grip I have on his other hand.

“Motherfuckin Christ!” Kash snaps first. “Mack, I don’t give a shit what other shit you need done. I ain’t doin’ it unless Beamer or Slyde is here.”

“I agree. One of us is here at all fuckin’ times. No more shit, Mack,” Beamer agrees.

“No,” I cut in. “I’ve already caused enough issues and too many problems. You can’t keep watching me. You guys need to work, and I’m in the way.”

“Tesoro, no…”

“Hart, you’re not…” Beamer starts to explain.

“Hartley,” Mack begins, silencing the guys. He moves to sit on the coffee table in front of me. “Mason was my fault. Slyde didn’t trust him, but I forced him into allowing him here because I knew he wouldn’t focus if you weren’t being watched. I was being selfish in this and trying to pull rank instead of listening. Slyde was right; if you were my wife or daughter I would not have waited. I’m so very sorry that I put you in a situation where you weren’t safe. I’m sorry that I didn’t do more years ago to get you out of there and make sure you were protected. I was too focused on the operation to really notice or care about anything else. I see it now—it’s perfectly clear how important you are to Slyde; you and Ethan are his family. Seeing the reactions from Kash and Beamer tells me that I’m the one who has been wrong. They see you as family as well and have every right to want to protect you. I’m sorry, Hartley, that I didn’t do more to keep you safe.” He holds my gaze, and I try to speak, but he just shakes his head. He watches me for a few more seconds before turning his gaze back to Slyde. “Slyde, I still need you in there and focused, but I swear that if you aren’t here one of these two will be until this is all over, and, Hartley, you don’t get to feel guilty over this. It’s the right thing to do, and I’m sorry that I didn’t see it sooner. You will remain safe, I promise,” Mack finishes and all I can do is nod. “Slyde, can you stay focused enough to finish this out?” Mack turns to stare at Slyde.