Part 2<\/p>\n
\u201cElias,\u201d the blond man said. \u201cAnd before you ask, no, I\u2019m not a bodyguard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stand outside strange apartments at sunrise. That feels very bodyguard-adjacent.\u201d<\/p>\n
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. \u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n
I tightened the oversized sweatshirt I\u2019d slept in. It smelled faintly like cedar and laundry detergent that probably cost more than my childhood bedroom. \u201cSo what are you, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias considered that.<\/p>\n
\u201cDamage control.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer somehow raised more questions than it solved.<\/p>\n
Behind him, the apartment was quiet in the expensive way wealthy places often were. No televisions through walls. No arguing neighbors. No pipes screaming at five in the morning.<\/p>\n
Silence still unnerved me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Ronan here?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Elias glanced toward the elevator. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in me loosened unexpectedly.<\/p>\n
Not relief exactly.<\/p>\n
Disappointment.<\/p>\n
Which was ridiculous.<\/p>\n
I barely knew the man.<\/p>\n
I knew he had tattoos disappearing beneath the sleeves of black dress shirts. I knew his voice sounded like gravel dragged slowly across velvet. I knew he hugged like someone unfamiliar with tenderness but determined not to break what he held.<\/p>\n
And I knew that when my father saw him standing there last night, Gregor Easton had looked afraid.<\/p>\n
That alone made Ronan Morgan dangerous.<\/p>\n
Elias handed me a paper bag. \u201cClothes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I peeked inside.<\/p>\n
Jeans. Soft gray sweater. Underwear still folded in plastic packaging. Sneakers.<\/p>\n
All my size.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou guessed correctly?\u201d I asked slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Elias replied. \u201cRonan did.\u201d<\/p>\n
That shouldn\u2019t have affected me.<\/p>\n
It did anyway.<\/p>\n
I looked away quickly. \u201cThat\u2019s unsettling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll get used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words slipped out too naturally.<\/p>\n
My eyes narrowed. \u201cHow many traumatized women does this man usually collect?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias coughed into his fist like he was hiding a laugh. \u201cYou\u2019re the first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cComforting.\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned against the wall, studying me carefully now. \u201cHow long has your father been hurting you?\u201d<\/p>\n
The bluntness stole the air from my lungs.<\/p>\n
People usually danced around abuse like saying it directly might stain them.<\/p>\n
I stared at the floorboards. \u201cSince always.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias nodded once, unsurprised.<\/p>\n
That somehow hurt more.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe filed three missing person reports when you ran,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n
Ice slid through my stomach.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s looking for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wrapped my arms tighter around myself instinctively.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one will tell him where you are,\u201d Elias added immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound very confident.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n
I should have asked why.<\/p>\n
Instead I asked the question clawing at my brain since last night.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho exactly is Ronan Morgan?\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, Elias hesitated.<\/p>\n
Which meant the answer mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe owns Morgan Holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blank stare.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe owns about thirty percent of Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed automatically.<\/p>\n
Elias did not laugh back.<\/p>\n
The sound died in my throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d he said dryly. \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n
A cold sensation crept over me.<\/p>\n
Last night I had thrown myself into the arms of a billionaire.<\/p>\n
Of course I had.<\/p>\n
Because apparently my survival instincts came with comedic timing.<\/p>\n
Before I could respond, the elevator doors slid open behind Elias.<\/p>\n
Ronan stepped out.<\/p>\n
Every coherent thought in my head quietly packed a suitcase and left.<\/p>\n
He wore black slacks and a charcoal coat over a fitted sweater that made broad shoulders look unfairly broad. Dark tattoos curled above his collarbone beneath olive-toned skin. His hair was still slightly damp, like he\u2019d showered recently, and his expression remained composed in that dangerous way that suggested composure had cost him something.<\/p>\n
His eyes found mine instantly.<\/p>\n
The air changed.<\/p>\n
Not dramatically.<\/p>\n
Just enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cMorning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
My throat tightened unexpectedly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brilliant response, Iris.<\/p>\n
Truly historic conversational work.<\/p>\n
Elias looked between us with the expression of a man recognizing a problem before it fully formed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be downstairs,\u201d he announced.<\/p>\n
Then he disappeared into the elevator with suspicious speed.<\/p>\n
The silence he left behind stretched.<\/p>\n
Ronan approached slowly, gaze dropping briefly to my feet.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re wearing the shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down at the sneakers. \u201cThat\u2019s generally how shoes work.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
Then the corner of his mouth moved.<\/p>\n
Tiny.<\/p>\n
Barely there.<\/p>\n
But definitely a smile.<\/p>\n
The realization stunned me enough that I forgot to breathe for a second.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should eat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure if I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no force in his tone.<\/p>\n
No command.<\/p>\n
Just certainty.<\/p>\n
Which somehow made it harder to resist.<\/p>\n
The kitchen looked untouched by actual human life. Marble counters. Steel appliances. Everything painfully clean.<\/p>\n
Ronan poured coffee while I sat cautiously at the island eating toast that tasted far too expensive to emotionally process before noon.<\/p>\n
He moved around the kitchen with quiet efficiency, but there was something restrained about him. Controlled.<\/p>\n
Like every motion had been carefully taught not to take up too much space.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t talk much,\u201d I observed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou talk enough for both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
He set a plate in front of me.<\/p>\n
Eggs. Fruit. Actual food.<\/p>\n
I stared at it suspiciously.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I poisoned your breakfast?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think rich people are unpredictable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s wise.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took a bite.<\/p>\n
Nearly moaned.<\/p>\n
Real butter.<\/p>\n
Oh my God.<\/p>\n
Ronan watched me realize this with visible amusement.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve never had brioche before,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was not a question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heat crept into my cheeks.<\/p>\n
I hated being readable.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo,\u201d I said quickly, \u201chow does a billionaire end up standing alone on random streets at midnight?\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression cooled slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was driving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInsightful.\u201d<\/p>\n
A quieter pause followed.<\/p>\n
Then he surprised me by answering.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother died four years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bluntness of it made me still.<\/p>\n
Ronan looked out toward the windows overlooking the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe used to call when she couldn\u2019t sleep,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter she died, I started driving at night instead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something inside my chest ached unexpectedly.<\/p>\n
No one touched him for four years.<\/p>\n
I understood that suddenly without being told.<\/p>\n
Not because no one wanted to.<\/p>\n
Because he didn\u2019t let them.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou loved her,\u201d I said softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was the only person who never wanted anything from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The loneliness in that sentence nearly undid me.<\/p>\n
I looked down at my plate before he could see my face react.<\/p>\n
Grief recognized grief.<\/p>\n
That was the dangerous thing happening between us.<\/p>\n
Not attraction.<\/p>\n
Recognition.<\/p>\n
Ronan\u2019s phone buzzed against the counter.<\/p>\n
His expression shifted after reading the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father filed assault charges.\u201d<\/p>\n
I blinked. \u201cAgainst who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him in disbelief.<\/p>\n
Then laughed.<\/p>\n
Not because it was funny.<\/p>\n
Because if I didn\u2019t laugh, I might break apart right there in his perfect kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s actually impressive,\u201d I whispered. \u201cHe nearly cracked my rib last month and somehow I\u2019m the violent one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ronan\u2019s jaw tightened visibly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should sit down,\u201d I muttered. \u201cYou look like you\u2019re considering homicide.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m considering lawyers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s somehow scarier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another message appeared on his phone.<\/p>\n
This one changed something in his face immediately.<\/p>\n
Not anger.<\/p>\n
Focus.<\/p>\n
He typed a short response.<\/p>\n
Then looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t stay here tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every muscle in my body locked.<\/p>\n
Oh.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Reality arriving again.<\/p>\n
Stupid, stupid girl.<\/p>\n
I forced a shrug. \u201cRight. Obviously. I can go\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a problem,\u201d he said carefully. \u201cSomeone leaked your location.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cold flooded me instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fear clawed sharply up my spine.<\/p>\n
Gregor.<\/p>\n
He found me.<\/p>\n
Already.<\/p>\n
I pushed away from the counter too quickly. \u201cI need to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ronan stood immediately. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t understand\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice stayed calm.<\/p>\n
That somehow made my panic worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he comes here\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe won\u2019t touch you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t promise that!\u201d<\/p>\n
Something dark flickered across his face then.<\/p>\n
Terrifyingly dark.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Ronan said quietly. \u201cI can.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room fell silent.<\/p>\n
I realized suddenly this man was not merely wealthy.<\/p>\n
Power clung to him differently.<\/p>\n
Not loud.<\/p>\n
Not flashy.<\/p>\n
Controlled.<\/p>\n
The kind capable of ruining lives without raising its voice.<\/p>\n
My pulse stuttered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you really?\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
His eyes held mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cA man trying very hard not to become his father.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer unsettled me more than if he\u2019d refused.<\/p>\n
Before I could ask another question, the apartment door opened.<\/p>\n
A woman stepped inside without knocking.<\/p>\n
Elegant. Dark-haired. Maybe early thirties. She wore cream trousers and a long camel coat that probably cost more than my yearly rent.<\/p>\n
Her sharp gaze landed on me immediately.<\/p>\n
Then on Ronan.<\/p>\n
Interesting.<\/p>\n
\u201cAh,\u201d she said softly. \u201cSo the rumors are true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ronan\u2019s entire posture hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cLena.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman smiled faintly. \u201cYou disappeared from a board meeting for this?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked between them cautiously.<\/p>\n
Not lovers.<\/p>\n
Not exactly.<\/p>\n
But history lived in the tension between them.<\/p>\n
Lena approached me slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m Lena Vale,\u201d she said. \u201cCompany attorney. Occasional babysitter for emotionally constipated billionaires.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ronan sighed.<\/p>\n
I blinked. \u201cThat\u2019s apparently a common condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
To my surprise, Lena laughed.<\/p>\n
Then her gaze sharpened as she examined the fading bruise along my cheekbone.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh,\u201d she said quietly.<\/p>\n
Something dangerous entered her expression.<\/p>\n
Not pity.<\/p>\n
Anger.<\/p>\n
She turned toward Ronan. \u201cHow bad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLong-term abuse,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
He said it clinically.<\/p>\n
But his jaw flexed once.<\/p>\n
Lena noticed too.<\/p>\n
Interesting.<\/p>\n
Very interesting.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe can\u2019t stay at the apartment,\u201d Ronan continued. \u201cSomeone leaked the address.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena\u2019s eyes narrowed immediately. \u201cFrom your internal staff?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m finding out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fear churned harder in my stomach now.<\/p>\n
People were talking about me.<\/p>\n
Looking for me.<\/p>\n
I suddenly imagined Gregor dragging me down apartment stairs by my wrist again while neighbors pretended not to hear.<\/p>\n
My breathing shortened.<\/p>\n
Ronan noticed instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIris.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBreathe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just that.<\/p>\n
Low. Steady. Certain.<\/p>\n
Embarrassingly, it worked.<\/p>\n
Lena watched the interaction carefully.<\/p>\n
Then something understanding crossed her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh no,\u201d she murmured.<\/p>\n
Ronan looked at her flatly. \u201cDon\u2019t start.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hugged him, didn\u2019t you?\u201d she asked me suddenly.<\/p>\n
I blinked. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena stared at me with growing disbelief. \u201cYou touched him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now I looked between both of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is happening?\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither answered.<\/p>\n
Which was answer enough.<\/p>\n
Slow realization crept over me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one touches you,\u201d I said quietly to Ronan.<\/p>\n
His silence confirmed it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
A strange stillness entered him.<\/p>\n
Then he spoke without looking directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother was the last person who did.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ache in those words hollowed out the room.<\/p>\n
Four years.<\/p>\n
Four years without human touch.<\/p>\n
No wonder he looked startled when I grabbed his shirt last night.<\/p>\n
No wonder his arm wrapped around me like instinct fighting memory.<\/p>\n
Something painful moved through my chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou looked cold,\u201d I whispered before thinking.<\/p>\n
Ronan finally looked at me then.<\/p>\n
Really looked.<\/p>\n
The kind of look that made everything else disappear for one dangerous second.<\/p>\n
Lena cleared her throat loudly.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight,\u201d she said. \u201cBefore this becomes emotionally catastrophic, we need to move.\u201d<\/p>\n
That snapped reality back into place.<\/p>\n
Fear returned immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere am I supposed to go?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ronan answered without hesitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three hours later, we were driving north along Lake Shore Drive beneath a sky the color of steel.<\/p>\n
I sat beside Ronan in the backseat while Elias drove.<\/p>\n
No one spoke much.<\/p>\n
The city slowly disappeared behind us.<\/p>\n
Finally, massive iron gates opened ahead.<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
The estate beyond them looked less like a home and more like the setting of a murder mystery involving inheritance disputes.<\/p>\n
Stone walls. Endless windows. Lake Michigan glittering beyond dark trees.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou live here?\u201d I asked weakly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you considered haunting people professionally?\u201d<\/p>\n
That tiny almost-smile appeared again.<\/p>\n
God help me, I wanted to earn another one.<\/p>\n
Inside, the mansion felt strangely empty despite its size.<\/p>\n
Beautiful.<\/p>\n
Cold.<\/p>\n
Like no one had laughed here in years.<\/p>\n
A housekeeper named Marta showed me upstairs to a bedroom larger than my entire apartment back home.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll be safe here,\u201d she said gently.<\/p>\n
Safe.<\/p>\n
The word nearly broke me.<\/p>\n
That night, rain battered the windows while I stood barefoot beside the bedroom fireplace unable to sleep.<\/p>\n
Too much silence again.<\/p>\n
Too much softness.<\/p>\n
My body didn\u2019t know how to exist somewhere safe.<\/p>\n
A quiet knock sounded at the door.<\/p>\n
I opened it cautiously.<\/p>\n
Ronan stood there in black sweatpants and a dark long-sleeve shirt, looking equally sleepless.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw your light on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
Then he glanced toward the storm outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cThunder bothering you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost lied.<\/p>\n
Then didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ronan nodded once like he understood completely.<\/p>\n
Maybe he did.<\/p>\n
He stepped inside slowly.<\/p>\n
Not too close.<\/p>\n
Never too close unless invited.<\/p>\n
The realization hit me suddenly.<\/p>\n
This man treated proximity like something sacred.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I ask you something?\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you stop?\u201d<\/p>\n
His brow furrowed slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night. After you hugged me.\u201d My voice softened. \u201cYou let go like you were afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
The storm rumbled beyond the windows.<\/p>\n
Ronan looked at me for a very long moment.<\/p>\n
Then finally answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause,\u201d he said quietly, \u201cthe last time I wanted to keep holding someone\u2026 she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
The confession cracked something open between us.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer before fear could stop me.<\/p>\n
Ronan went completely still.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not going to lose everyone you care about,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
Something raw flickered across his face.<\/p>\n
Then\u2014<\/p>\n
A loud crash echoed downstairs.<\/p>\n
Both of us froze.<\/p>\n
Another sound followed.<\/p>\n
Glass breaking.<\/p>\n
Voices.<\/p>\n
Male.<\/p>\n
Ronan\u2019s expression transformed instantly into something lethal.<\/p>\n
Elias\u2019s voice shouted from below.<\/p>\n
\u201cRonan!\u201d<\/p>\n
Then came the words that turned my blood to ice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s inside the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregor.<\/p>\n
My father found me.<\/p>\n
And downstairs, someone started screaming.<\/p>\n
…If you want to know what happened next, please type \u201cYES\u201d and like for more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Part 2 \u201cElias,\u201d the blond man said. \u201cAnd before you ask, no, I\u2019m not a bodyguard.\u201d \u201cYou stand outside strange apartments at sunrise. That feels … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3579,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category--trending-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n