Sequel to My Protector - Updates are ongoing but SLOW; aiming for once a month.
Loren is one of the best trauma surgeons in Manhattan. Killian is one of the most dangerous men in the world. They cross paths for the first time in ten years, and it's...
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"Lor- Er- Alexandra?" I heard Emma's hushed whispers as I walked through the hall. I was on my way to go get her from our room where I told her to wait for me, and only come to get me if I didn't come back in an hour.
"Oof!" I heard her again but this time time it was associated with a manly grunt and the sound of dishes clinking on a tray. "Oh! Peter, I- uh- uh"
The second hand embarrassment from this situation was enough to make me pick up my pace towards the direction of the commotion. The second I turned the corner Emma stared at me with wide eyes, not so slyly nudging her head towards Peter as if I didn't see the human that was twice her size standing right beside her.
"It's fine Emma, he's not the one."
"What?" Emma glanced from Peter to me and back to Peter.
"Come on, I'll explain to you when we get to his study."
Peter winked at Emma before nudging his head in my direction, suggesting that she follow me. Emma warily eyed him before briskly walking past him towards me.
Once we returned to the study, Peter set down the cups of tea that he had prepared along with three scones. We updated Emma on everything and her facial expressions cycled through the confusion and shock, and finally landed on disappointment that we weren't as close as we thought that we were.
"You do kind of look like him" She shamelessly stared at his face. "I think Lori thought so too" She smiled at me as if she had also noticed me eyeing him.
"Oh my god!" I threw my hands up in the air in disbelief. "Let's focus on why we are here in the first place?" I suggested as my cheeks burned.
"Yes, so who knows that you are here?" Peters smile fell as we transitioned the conversation back.
Emma and I filled him in on everything that had happened from the time that things started to get weird up until now. Peter confirmed that he was the one who had been speaking to Killian each time I had walked in on them, even mentioning the time that Killian abruptly ended the call when I interrupted. Peter told me that they typically spoke to each other in Swedish so that the people around Killian couldn't eavesdrop. But we still had no idea who was standing on the helicopter pad, who I had seen at the gala, or who that pin belonged to.
"Hold on" Peter typed something into the desktop. "Give me the time and place that you guys took off in San Diego. I'll try to hack into their security footage."
"You can do that?" I asked and he instantly seemed offended.
"Your boyfriend is into the investment side of being rich, I'm more of a tech guy." He shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes it pays more to be the brain behind the inventions."
Emma and I sat in silence as we watched him comb through files and files of security footage until his lips pressed into a flat line.
"Looks like somebody got to this before I could." He turned the screen towards us which showed a grainy video of Killian and I getting into the helicopter and finally taking off. Not even seconds after the helicopter rose from the ground, the screen went black. "They erased about 5 minutes of footage." He shook his head. "But whats weird, is if there was a chance that you two would be coming back, why didn't they wait?"
I hadn't thought of that.
"Maybe they didn't mean harm?" Emma suggested.
"They meant something" I shook my head "Otherwise they wouldn't have erased the video footage. This was the same week that my Uncle died. Nobody has really said how he died but when we went home for the funeral, I overhead my Nana telling Killian to 'find who killed my son'".
"I suppose it is possible that this was done by the same people." Peter continued to type into his computer. "Though that may not be much help if we have no idea who murdered your uncle."
"I need to tell Mateo" I ran my hands over my pockets but couldn't find my phone.
"I took your phone and left it on one of the bookcases." Peter spoke flatly.
"What?? You pickpocketed me??"
"I didn't want Killian to overhear what was going on in case he was on the line." He shrugged his shoulders.
"Okay then I'll just go get it." I stood but Peter stopped me. "What?"
"You won't tell Matteo about this."
"And why is that?" I furrowed my eyebrows at him, irritated that he was even suggesting that we couldn't trust Matteo when he was the one who helped us the most here.
"Our suspect list is still a million miles long Loren. Do you have solid evidence that Matteo isn't the one who took Killian and Adam?"
"No but I don't need it" I scoffed "They've been friends for so long, Matteo wouldn't do that."
"Wouldn't he? Long standing friendships do not promise invisibility. Friends of decades still stab other friends in the back over the smallest things. Who's to say that Matteo doesn't have an alternative motive that neither of us know about? Such as taking over the western part of the world? What if this is a power move? He's already disposed of your uncle. Next is Killian."
"And what about you? I could say the same exact thing about you. Families do the same exact thing."
Peter grimaces as if the thought of my words physically hurt him.
"Killian is my little brother. As much as we aren't family in public, he is all I have. My mother is too ashamed to even speak of me, and my father died when I was twelve. I was raised by the staff you see here in the manor. I want him back as much as you do. I hate to speak so ill of your friend, but as of right now everybody is a suspect until proven otherwise. Favors don't count."
I didn't say a word as the truth of Peter's words sank in. As much as I wanted to not trust him, something told me that he was telling the truth. Or he was a damn good actor. I leaned my head back in the chair, sliding down slightly at the defeat.
"So I assume that means that I can't speak with my family about this either?"
"Correct."
"But I already told Matteo and my Uncles best friend about this. What am I supposed to tell them now?" I tried my hardest to ignore the blatant insults to focus on the big issue here.
"We lead them on, make them think i'm a lot harder to get through."
"I guess that can work.." I looked down at my hands that rested in my hand. My nails were picked down to nubs. One of my worst habits was picking at my nails when I was either stressed or nervous and well, tonight was both.
I yawn forced itself out of me and only then did the lack of sleep catch up to me. I looked over at the computer monitor that was still turned towards us and only then realized that it was already six in the morning. My head pounded from a mixture of the lack of sleep as well as the painful habit of jaw clenching I had picked up.
Emma let out a quiet yawn beside me and only then did Peter realize the time as well.
"You should get some sleep" He stood from his chair.
"What about Annette?" Emma asked.
"Nope, I am not letting you anywhere near any more duties around this house, especially not after that fucking incident in my dining room yesterday. You two are fired" He shook his head.
"Sorry about that" I whispered and offered an apologetic smile, trying not to release the laugh I held in.
