Chapter 23 #3
He nodded slowly, but his eyes stayed fixed on mine.
“Sure. Call me when you have news. Mackenzie knows how to reach me.” He turned to leave, shoulders stiff, but his voice cut through the air as he faced me again.
“You may call yourself her fiancé, Max, but this is bigger than you. Lying about next of kin gets you in the door, but it complicates evidence, custody, and all sorts of legal messes you don’t understand. You just made yourself a target.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” I spat.
He tsked once, thinking, then something in his face shifted, his expression cold and determined.
"If you want her protected, I can assure you she’s being protected.
” He spoke with a chilling calm. "We started with the obvious. I already filed a formal assault report, notified law enforcement, and pushed for an immediate arrest warrant for Jackson. I’m working to have the hospital security secure the area and place her under constant guard.
We’ll secure an emergency protective order, and I’ll personally demand priority for the investigation. "
“That’s not nearly enough,” I said flatly, my voice tense. "Don’t forget—you’ve been watching her, and you couldn’t even protect her. I can do a far better job than you and your team ever could."
He paused, fixing me with that same, unblinking stare. “I know what you’re thinking. But marriage doesn’t buy safety."
“With me, it does.”
He scrutinized me from head to toe, a grim smile creeping onto his face. "She won’t have the same level of protection from you that she has from us.”
“Make me one of you then,” I snapped, my voice sharp and fierce.
“You’re not ready,” he responded calmly, looking at his nails as if he had already been thinking about it. I stepped closer to him, so close that he had to look up at me. His pupils dilated. He wasn’t scared, but a smirk on his lips revealed he respected me.
“I’m ready.”
He tilted his head, studying me with that flat, unreadable stare.
“You think this is a badge and a gun, and suddenly you’re untouchable? It’s not. This is training, surveillance, rules you don’t even know exist. It’s years of losing pieces of yourself.”
“I don’t care. If it keeps her safe, I’ll do it.”
His mouth curved into a faint smile.
“I get that. But the Bureau doesn’t just hand out shields because someone’s desperate. We recruit, we evaluate, we test.” His gaze flicked to me again. “And you don’t even know what we’d ask of you.”
“I don’t care,” I said louder, my voice echoing with a hint of desperation.
West’s eyes softened just a fraction, but beneath that, an icy chill lingered. “Careful, Max. You’re opening a door you can’t close. You’re not ready yet. But… maybe someday.” He tapped his finger against the wall like a silent gavel.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this. Mackenzie’s mom is going to kill me, but if you two want to make this real and legal, I can speed things up: contact a magistrate, push the paperwork, and find someone to witness it here.
I’ll also facilitate channels if she needs to be relocated or placed under protective custody again. ”
“Great,” I said, turning away. “Do that.”
“You know what’s more useful than vows right now, Max? A prosecutor ready to file charges, a judge prepared to sign a protective order, and a security detail that doesn’t sleep.”
“That’s not enough,” I snarled bitterly.
“There’s something—someone—watching her constantly.
Do you really think all that will protect her?
We’re up against some crazy, sick conspiracy group, if everything in her file is accurate.
Am I wrong? Is she part of that legacy program?
They want to breed her, right? Don’t feed me bullshit. ”
He paused.
“You dug farther than I thought,” he laughed softly, a hint of menace behind it. He hesitated briefly before adding, “Your dad will be proud.”
His eyes lingered on me, measuring, assessing. I could feel the weight of his stare. I rolled my eyes.
“Again, I’ll deal with my father later.”
He smirked darkly, nodding slowly.
“Listen, kid. You’re smart, real smart.”
His gaze dragged down my frame as if he was trying to see something deeper.
I towered over him, six-four, broad-shouldered, more like a linebacker than a college ballplayer.
West was barely five-ten, wiry, compact, bearing the mark of someone who’d seen too much.
Age, training, the weight of the badge—all of it showed.
But standing this close, the difference was impossible to ignore. I could crush him in an instant.
“I know you could handle yourself… handle Mackenzie. But you need to understand the stakes. This is adult-level shit that you’re not ready for.
I can help you. I’ll cover the legal and security sides, but don’t think lying will protect you.
It’s a liability.” The room seemed to close in around me with his next words, as if the shadows grew darker.
“They’re going to come for you, you know that, right? The Alliance.”
I knew what he was talking about. I had read it in her file. The group that was watching us. But it was the first time someone had said it out loud. I should’ve been nervous, scared even, but I wasn’t. Because I’d do whatever I needed to do to save her.
“I’ll be ready,” I said, because I was ready. I’d take on anything that came her way. “By the way, isn’t your job to protect her from them? Or have you fucked that up too?”
West’s jaw dropped the barest degree, then he nodded once.
“Fuck you, Max,” he said, his voice edged with a tense, almost threatening tone. “Just stay out of the way.”
I clenched my jaw so tightly my teeth ached. “You don’t get it. I already vowed. She’s mine. She said yes when I asked her. And if being her husband on paper makes one more person think twice about touching her, that’s what I’m doing.”
He studied me, eyes narrow, waiting for me to back down. I didn’t. My pulse pounded loudly in my ears, my chest aching at the thought of her slipping away.
Finally, West exhaled slowly, reluctantly. “Marriage is a big fucking deal, kid. You really want to chain yourself to that decision right now? You’re not even nineteen.”
“Yes.” My voice was sharp, unwavering, resolute.
“I’ll call your boss if I have to. I’ll go to the media and tell them everything.
An FBI agent marrying his protective order?
An FBI agent shadowing two high school kids at a summer camp?
An FBI agent letting a secret society surveil them?
I know there’s some illegal shit happening here.
Tell me that doesn’t reek of corruption. ”
His brows drew tight, a faint tic in his jaw. He was already imagining the calls he’d have to make.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, running a hand over his mouth. “You don’t let go, do you?”
“Not with her.” My voice broke, but I stayed firm. “Never with her.”
Resignation flickered in his eyes. He shook his head once.
“Fine. I’ll see what strings I can pull.
I’ll get a protective order secured for both of you.
I’ll reduce the number of people watching you two, but I’ll keep one or two protective assets in the shadows.
But when this blows up, it’s on you.” He stepped closer, voice cold and final.
“And when Mackenzie wakes up and finds out what you’ve done, I hope she beats the shit out of you. ”
I laughed deeply and heavily. The sound of my laughter echoed off the walls, settling between us.
“Sounds like a plan… dad.”
I didn’t mean to say it, but the way his face changed told me I wasn’t wrong.