Page 57 of Bodyguard By Night
The flatness of his tone made my heart kick hard against my chest. “Because you’re Clay’s friend.”
“So? You think that makes me less dangerous?”
His chest crowded into me until the rail dug into my back. He clamped his hands on either side of me, his breath hot against my ear. My fear response was getting crossed with an attraction I didn’t have any defenses against.
“Ransom.”
“I could kill you right here. Do you get that?”
“I get it,” I whispered.
He stepped back. “This isn’t a game. You’re Rachel’s family which makes you Clay’s family, so that makes you my responsibility.”
“Is that all I am?” I met his arctic eyes.
“That’s it.”
I crossed my arms over my middle. My kneejerk reaction was to tell him to fuck off, but that wasn’t an option. “I’ll stay out of your way, don’t worry about that.”
His jaw flexed, but he didn’t say anything else.
When the doors opened behind him, I brushed by him and out into the brightness of the eatery. Upstairs, I’d told myself I wasn’t hungry, but with all the delicious smells assaulting me, I didn’t stand a chance. I was a nervous eater, anyway.
Ransom was true to his word. He stayed at my side. When there were too many people around us, he held me by the arm, making sure I was tight to his side.
That itch to learn and know everything pushed back the fear and the anger. I wanted to try everything. One of the best things about New York City was the varied food trucks and eateries. Roth Defense had a rotating selection of food truck-worthy popups along with a few quick staples like pizza, sandwiches, vegetarian fare, and Asian.
“We aren’t here for research.”
I ignored him and chitchatted with two of the food trucks I recognized from Twitter. I pulled out my phone to do a quick video to upload for content.
Ransom plucked my phone out of my hand. “I thought Poe had all your devices?”
I tried to snatch it back, but he stuffed it in his pocket. Before I could do something stupid like dig into his pocket, I put my hands on my hips. “She set up my phone first.”
“You do realize this guy can probably still track where you are?”
Instinctively, I wanted to share my experience, but if someone was watching my every move, this kind of share would be like a beacon to exactly where I was.
No privacy. No anonymity.
No spontaneity, which was basically my personality in a nutshell. Now what made memewas a risk.
I dropped my hands to my sides. The smells and excitement were overwhelming me now. There were far too many people surrounding us. When I looked over my shoulder, someone was staring at me.
Was it because they knew who I was? Or because I was acting like a freak?
Ransom grabbed my hands, shaking them out. “Chaos. Willow—it’s okay.” His voice sounded as if it was under water. “Hey, c’mon.”
I pulled back my hands as I backed away, inadvertently bumping into someone with a tray. I automatically apologized and swerved as if I was drunk.
There were so many people here all of a sudden.
It was too hot. My wool sweater was too warm, the cloud-soft material clinging to my skin instead of comforting me. I rushed to the windows and then to the door to the outdoor patio, currently unoccupied due to the rain.
An arm came around me from behind and pulled me back. I struggled and Ransom’s voice finally dented the panic.
“Chaos, you’re okay. You’re fine. Breathe.”