A horn sounded, snapping me back to reality, and I looked up to see the light had turned green. Instead of taking a right, as my turn signal indicated, I pressed my foot to the accelerator and took a quick left, my heart racing in my chest as I waited to see if the car followed. Several anxious miles passed as I constantly looked into my rearview mirror, seeing no sign of it.

Beginning to relax, I pulled up to a stoplight, getting ready to make a left onto the interstate. As the light turned green, I spied the gray car a few yards behind me, Wyatt at the wheel. Irritated, I pulled a U-turn. He swung his car around, as well, tailing me down the street. Swerving into a nearby gas station, I parked Brayden’s car, and stormed up the street toward him.

Slowing to a stop on the side of the road, Wyatt quickly opened the driver’s side door and looked over his shoulder in a frantic manner. “Get in the car, Mackenzie,” he said, his voice grave. He ran around to the rear passenger side and opened the door.

“I don’t think so,” I scoffed. “Not until you tell me why you’re following me.”

“I’ll tell you after you get in the car!” he ordered in an agitated manner.

“I wasn’t born yesterday. There’s no way in hell I’m getting in the car of a man who’s following me!”

He opened his mouth, but must have noticed something in the distance. Moving swiftly, he covered my mouth with his hand and lifted me up. I struggled against him, my screams muffled as he placed me in the back seat. He slammed the door and ran around to the driver’s side, the entire time my mind racing as I attempted to open the door…to no avail.

Once he was situated, he turned around to face me. “I’m not following you,” he said finally, insinuating someone was following me. His expression was soft and compassionate, making him look…human, and not like some former military guy with a stick permanently shoved up his ass.

“Then who is? The guy in the dark sedan that’s been parked outside my condo building the past few nights?”

“You mean him?” He gestured up the street and my spine stiffened. I watched the dark sedan pull up next to Brayden’s car, the sole occupant getting out. He peered into the SUV, circled it, then paused briefly before looking beneath it.

“Who is he?” I asked, my voice soft as I observed him scanning the area for what I assumed was my location. He fished his phone out of his pocket and made a call. After a brief exchange, he got back into his car and peeled out of the gas station. As he drove by, I crouched in my seat, trying to hide.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Wyatt said, “but I’m treating him as a potential threat to your safety.”

“Taking your new position a bit seriously, aren’t you? Or did Paul not tell you that your job was to simply look out for anything suspicious occurring in the building, not follow me to see my friend.” I climbed into the passenger seat, hoping the childproof locks were only installed in the back. As I was about to open the door, a strong, calloused hand clutched my arm and I was once again facing Wyatt’s concerned gray eyes.

“That’s not my real job,” he admitted through clenched teeth.

“Then what is?” I hissed.

“That’s confidential, ma’am.” He released his hold on me. “All you need to know is it’s my job to make sure nothing happens to you.”

I raised my eyebrows in a somewhat contemptuous manner. For years, I put up with vague declarations that I was in need of protection. I still didn’t really know from what.

“I’m twenty-six, almost twenty-seven!” I shouted. “Nothing’s happened to me yet. I’d appreciate it if people would finally be honest with me and tell me what the hell is really going on. Are you willing to do that?”

“Miss Delano…,” he began, his eyes still stern. I knew there was no way I was going to get any information out of him. My guess was he would carry any secret to his death before putting his job in jeopardy. I knew his type. I fell in love with his type…twice.

I threw open the door and walked at a fast clip back toward the gas station.

“If you get in that car,” he shouted after me, “you’ll lead whomever it is straight to your father. Is that something you’re willing to do?”

My breath hitched and I stopped in my tracks, slowly turning around to face him. I craned my neck to stare at him, my mouth agape in shock.

“I told you,” he said. “It’s my job to protect you. I can only do that if I know everything about you, including who I need to protect you from.”

“You mean…my father?” I asked in a muted voice, almost too scared to hear his response. I raised my eyes to his and he exhaled, shaking his head.

“No. I don’t think he’s a threat to you.”

The way he said it made me think he still considered my father a threat. I tore my gaze from his, not saying anything in response.

“Or should I be concerned?”

“No. My father would never hurt me.” He nodded his head. “Or anyone else, for that matter,” I added, my eyes fierce.

“Like the sixty-plus people he’s accused of killing all those years ago at the embassy in Liberia?” he asked. I could feel the burn of his eyes on me.

“How do you know about that?” I glanced at him, lowering my voice. “How do you know who I am?”

“I told you. It’s my job to know everything about you, including who you really are.”

“So you can know everything about me, but I’m not allowed to even know who you’re working for? You want to protect me from some unknown threat? Trust is a two-way street, Wyatt,” I sneered. “How do I know this isn’t some sort of sick, twisted joke?”

I spun on my heels, my irritation loud and clear.

“Did you know Tyler refused to go back to his house after you ran from him?” he shouted.

Stopping abruptly, I inhaled quickly, my eyes growing wide as I turned to look over my shoulder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I hissed.

“Yes, you do,” he said, taking slow steps toward me. He stood in front of me, his expression soft. “It was the last Sunday in March. It was foggy in the morning, but it cleared later so when you got into that cab, it was a picture perfect day. But not for Tyler. That was the day he stopped living.”

“How do you–”

“That was also the day he found out his own life could be in danger. You see, his brother realized Tyler knew where your father was. I’ve known Alexander for longer than I care to admit.”

I rolled my eyes at the mention of that name, my animosity toward Tyler’s brother obvious.

“You may not like some of his decisions, but his main concern has always been his family. Watching out for them. Protecting them.”

“So…what? He was an ass to me to make me want to walk out on his brother? To protect him from me?”

“No. Truth be told, until you get to know him, Alexander can be a bit of a cold person.”

“His behavior was normal?”

“Yes, ma’am. But your presence certainly took him by surprise. When it all went to hell, he needed to do something to regain control over the situation and protect his brother.”

“So he sent him away?”

He nodded. “Tyler didn’t want to go, but he reluctantly agreed after making Alexander promise you’d be safe from harm, as well.”

I absorbed what Wyatt was telling me. Being angry at Tyler for disappearing was so much easier when I thought he simply used me, then abandoned me, despite what his mother had told me. Now that I knew he was ordered to leave, that he did everything to ensure my safety, it softened my resentment.

“When will he be back? And why hasn’t he picked up the phone?”

Wyatt’s expression hardened once more. “It’s not my place to say, ma’am. However, you should know that Mr. Burnham considers your safety to be a top priority.”

“What does he know?” I asked, placing a hand on my stomach. An uneasy feeling washed over me at the prospect that Wyatt had been working for Alexander and was communicating with him about me.