Chapter 16 Kian
Kian
Fighting the urge to turn back and pull her into my arms, I leaned back into the leather headrest and closed my eyes. Her presence clung to me long after the door shut. It followed me like a ghost, vivid and undeniable, etched into every nerve as if it had always belonged there.
My chest fucking ached when she recounted what had happened with the threats and her misplaced guilt over her niece’s kidnapping.
I exhaled slowly, shaking my head.
“Get Bremir and Mal here,” I said the moment Amir slid into the seat next to me. “Each of them can choose their own second. I want them in place immediately. Sophie needs protection around the clock.”
He arched his brow.
“Don’t you think that’s a little excessive?” he said dryly.
“No.” Heat flared behind my eyes, but I forced it down. “Now I know why she’s running. Her life was threatened and her family was hurt. She thinks distance is the only way to keep them safe.”
Amir let out a low whistle. “Well. That shut me up fast. Who’s after her?”
“Her dead boyfriend’s ex-wife.”
The words tasted like iron. And Jacqueline—and whatever loyal pack she’d gathered—were about to learn exactly what my wrath looked like.
As the city lights thinned and the road stretched into darkness, I didn’t stop to question why the need to protect Sophie burned so fiercely in my chest. Some instincts didn’t need clarification.
“At least now we know,” Amir said quietly. “We can neutralize the threat, then she can go back to her life.”
“Of course,” I replied.
I didn’t like the sound of her going back to her life, but I kept those words to myself. In fact, I didn’t even dwell on that fact, because the most important thing right now was Sophie’s safety.
“What are you going to do with that place when she leaves?” Amir asked, as if the thought had just occurred to him. I shrugged. “Don’t tell me you’re venturing into the hotelier business.”
I let out a sardonic breath. “No. I bought it to ensure she was close. We can tear it down and build a home. Maybe rent it out. We’ll keep the staff on my payroll.”
I’d held myself together through dinner, careful not to frighten Sophie, but now there was nothing left to distract me. Her words replayed on a relentless loop, each one threaded with fear as she confessed her secret. I couldn’t shake the look in her eyes, the tremor beneath her voice.
The familiar buildings blurred as we passed them, but my focus was on the message I was typing out to the Blackhawk Security team. I didn’t believe in coincidences, and there was one big one nagging at me now.
Me: Team, what happened with the potential client? The one with the Black Oil Syndicate connection?
River: Well, hello to you too.
I let out a sardonic breath. River and his sarcasm.
Me: Hello.
Me: Now answer my question.
Darius: We didn’t take them on.
Me: What was their name?
River: We only have a screen name. Lover.
Darius: We’re not even sure if it was a woman or a man.
Me: Any way to find out?
I was fairly certain whoever hid behind the screen name “lover” had done their homework to ensure it was untraceable, but it didn’t hurt to check it out.
River: I can look into it again, but last time we hit a wall. It’s best if you don’t hold your breath.
Darius: What’s all this about?
Me: Just following up on a curious lead. Nothing for you to worry about.
River: I bet it has something to do with the redhead.
Kian: Aren’t you too old to use emojis?
River: I’m not old. How is this for an emoji?
Darius: Good for you, Kian. Keep her in Albania.
I slid the phone into my pocket, not bothering to answer them as the car rolled to a stop. I got out and headed straight for my office, leaving Amir to take care of his evening responsibilities.
As I settled into the chair behind my desk, I dialed Kingston Ashford. He answered on the second ring.
“I never thought Kian Cortes would be calling me,” was his greeting. “Either you’re in trouble—which is highly unlikely—or you’re about to cause some.”
“I have a job for you,” I replied, getting straight to business. “Money is no object.”
Silence followed. I pictured him leaning back, interest sparked, already recalibrating.
“All right,” he said at last. “Talk.”
I closed my eyes and drew in a slow breath, forcing my fury into check before exhaling just as slowly.
“Late last year, Stateside, a group cornered Sophie Baldwin.
“Who’s Sophie Baldwin?”
“A friend. Anyhow, as she was leaving her shift at the hospital, a group threatened her. I want everything—names, affiliations, who they were working for, and where they are now.”
“Got it,” he said. “I’ll need the name of the hospital where it happened.”
“I’m sending it now.”
A soft buzz sounded over the line as my message was delivered.
“How fast do you need this?”
“As fast as possible.”
“And once I have the names,” he asked, “what do you want done?”
“Get them,” I said coldly. “I intend to teach them what happens when someone lays a hand on a woman.”
The pause that followed was longer this time.
“Will your man come collect them?”
“He’ll meet you at my private airport here in Albania,” I said. “Amir can’t leave the country.”
“Understood. I’ll call once I have something.”
“Make sure you list everyone,” I added. “I don’t care how small their role was—man or woman. If they were involved, I want to know.”
“Understood.”
The line went dead.
I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes, knowing full well that something had shifted inside me, and whatever this obsession was with Sophie Baldwin, it had only just begun.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” I called.
The door opened and Amir poked his head through. “The man from the bar is in the dungeon.”
“Thank you, Amir.”
The world would learn not to fuck with those under my protection, starting with the idiot who’d walked this earth long enough without consequences.