Under Their Protection

A sigh fell from my lips as my eyes fluttered closed. The music coming from my headphones blocked out the sounds surrounding me. I enjoyed the few minutes I had to myself without my father or brother looming over me.

Opening my eyes, I glanced around and then headed down the aisle with all the chocolate bars. I was happy today and that was reason enough to have a little celebration of my own.

Father never allowed me to have anything sweet. When I was little, our housekeeper used to sneak me candy when my father was at work, but things had changed a lot since I turned six.

Sadness flooded me, making my shoulders slump.

My eyes darted over the different chocolate bars. It felt like they were all staring at me, begging me to choose them. I licked my lips and reached for one but paused when another caught my eye.

The song changed at that moment, making some of the sadness fade. It was familiar, a song I already knew all the words to.

Grabbing the chocolate bar, I held it to my chest and gave in to the urge to move my body.

A second later I instantly regretted it.

My phone slipped out of my hand when my body collided with another. I gasp, stumbling backward and losing my footing despite my best efforts to steady myself. Squeezing my eyes closed, I held my breath as I waited to hit the floor.

Thankfully it never happened.

Big hands gripped my upper arms, stopping my fall. I stumbled into the man when he jerked me forward. There was no mistaking the muscular length of his body pressed to mine. Or the smell of his aftershave filling my nostrils.

I sucked in a shaky breath, followed by another.

My heart was racing in my ears, blocking out the song currently playing.

Swallowing, I pressed my palms against the man’s chest and pushed. His fingers tightened around my arms and, for a moment, I feared that he wasn’t going to let me go. But then his hands slipped away, and he took a step back.

I blinked at him. My eyes instantly locked his chest and then slowly trailed up, higher and higher until my eyes locked on his face.

Shit, he’s tall.

My family consisted mostly of men. They were all a few inches taller than me, but their height didn’t compare to the stranger. The man, though, made me feel small with his muscular frame towering over me.

“S-sorry,” I stuttered, taking another step back.

His lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. Bending, he picked up my phone and earphones.

Dismay filled me when he turned the phone around and revealed the cracked screen.

“At least it still works,” he said softly.

I nodded, watching as the screen lit up when he pressed the button.

He held the phone out towards me, but I hesitated.

Interacting with strangers was something I did on a regular basis, but it wasn’t something I enjoyed. It made me feel uncomfortable.

“I know a guy who can fix it.”

I blinked and instantly reached out to take the phone from him. “That’s okay,” I muttered. “It’s still usable.”

As long as the phone still worked, there shouldn’t be any problem. I winced when I thought of how my father would react if I asked him for my pay to buy a new phone.

The man cleared his throat, making my eyes snap up to his.

Golden brown eyes locked with mine.

He was beautiful. Color flooded my cheeks as soon as the words flashed through my mind. Men couldn’t be beautiful, could they? Men were handsome.

“S-sorry again,” I apologized. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

He smiled, not a full smile but just a slight curl of his lips.

I stepped aside at the same time as he did. We ended up stepping in the same direction and bumping slightly into each other again. Another apology fell from my lips that he waved away.

We moved at the same time again.

Gripping my arms to steady me, he took a small step back and gave me another crooked smile. He squeezed my arms and then let go as he stepped to the side.

“After you, my lady.”

Giving him a small smile, I hurriedly walked away.

But when I reached the end of the aisle, I couldn’t help but look back.

My eyes widened when I found the man staring at me.

Swallowing, I spun around and hurried away.

Something about him seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Shaking away the peculiar thoughts filling my head, I was just about to push my earphones back in my ears when I caught sight of a familiar figure.

My shoulders slumped, and my stomach rolled with dismay.

Knowing that the freedom I was enjoying ended, I rolled my earphones up and pushed my phone into my pocket. For a moment, I stared at the chocolate bar I still had clutched in my other hand.

With a twist of my lips, I dropped it onto a nearby shelf and spun around.

“Lizabeth.”

I froze.

Dominic reached me and instantly gripped my arm. His hold didn’t hurt, but it was only because I was following him without fighting. I knew there was no use arguing or making up an excuse as to why I was at the shop.

“How did you find me?” I asked him instead.

He pursed his lips.

“Dom－”

“We always know where you are,” he interrupted me.

His words made a shiver race down my spine. It was a lie, I knew it was.

“I have an important meeting today,” he hissed under his breath. “Dad wants me to sweet talk the bastard and I can’t do that if I have to worry about where you are.”

I frowned. His words might seem caring, but it was the exact opposite. In other words, he was kindly letting me know that father had told him to keep an eye on me because he was scared that I would embarrass him.

As if I could do worse than what he had already done to himself.

Reaching his car, Dominic pulled open the door and pushed me forward. I stumbled but regained my balance and climbed into the car. I flinched when he slammed the door shut and hurried around the front of the car to climb in behind the wheel.

“Who’s the meeting with?” I asked.

He glanced at me. “An investor.”

My frown deepened.

Who would be interested in investing money in a failing business? The fast food joint my father owned was falling apart. Selling greasy cheeseburgers and overcooked fries was not a billion-dollar business. The Chinese restaurant across the street from us made more money in a day than we made in a week. I didn’t know how the business was still up and running.

But I never questioned it, because it wasn’t a woman’s place to stick her nose into a man’s business.

I sighed and relaxed in the seat as Dominic started the car.

Just as we pulled away from the curb, the handsome stranger walked out of the shop. Our eyes locked only for a second.

And then he was gone.

“Who was that man you were talking to?” Dominic asked after a few minutes of silence.

I shrugged. “I bumped into him.”

He muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t hear.

It didn’t matter either way. The handsome man was a stranger that I wasn’t going to see again. My shoulders slumped the further we drove. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if I had my own life without my father and brother’s shadows hanging over me.

In a family of five, I was the only girl.

Mom died during childbirth and that was something Father never made me forget. It was the reason why he hated me so much.

Dominic and I were close in age. We used to be closer when we were younger. One day it all changed, and I had no idea why.

Sometimes I would think back and try to remember if I had done something to make him hate me like everyone else in the family. Not that it mattered, what happened wasn’t something that could be changed.

A sigh fell from my lips.

“I don’t want any trouble today, Lizabeth,” Dominic said softly. "I need to focus on this meeting. Please just focus on the job and don’t fuck up any orders.”

“I won’t.”

We both knew it wasn’t a promise I could keep. Working as a waitress was not something I wanted to do. I hated serving the customers. I hated the way some of the regulars stared at me.

The car slowed and then came to a stop in front of the restaurant. Dominic immediately got out of the car, making me hurry after him.

Most of the staff were already there.

I ignored them as I walked into the staff room to grab my apron. Tying the strings around my waist, I took a second to suck in a shaky breath and then walked out of the room.

“Remember what I said,” Dominic hissed as I passed him in the hall on my way to the front of the restaurant.

I’m not going to fuck up, I repeated over and over in my head as the minutes turned into hours.

Rush hour was the worst. For some reason, there were a lot more people around. It unnerved me. So much so that I did exactly what I promised my brother I wouldn’t do.

I fucked up.

My eyes were focused on the tray filled with three cups of coffee I was trying to balance while I made my way through the tables towards the back.

In the next second, I tripped over something.

A cry fell from my lips as the tray slipped out of my hands and the coffee cups dropped to the floor.

All but one.

It landed on a man’s lap.

I flinched when he jerked to his feet, muttering curses.

Apologies fell from my lips as I grabbed some serviettes from the closest table. I pressed it to his pants and tried my best to dry some of the coffee.

The pants were expensive, I noticed in dismay. Even if I offered to have it dry-cleaned, I would never be able to afford it.

Strong fingers suddenly wrapped around my wrist, stopping my movements.

“You keep doing that, and we’re both going to be in trouble.”

My eyes snapped up and then lowered again. The confusion cleared when I realized what the man meant.

I had been unconsciously wiping a hand over his crotch in my haste to clean the coffee from his pants before it stained the material. Colour flooded my cheeks.

There was no missing the bulge there.

“Mr. Moretti, I’m so sorry!”

As fast as the color flooded my cheeks, it drained from my face again. The glare Dominic threw my way was enough to make me shiver. His eyes said it all. Father was going to hear about it and punish me for fucking up.

“I must apologize for her－”

“It’s fine.”

I looked at the man again and with a start, I realized exactly who I had spilled the coffee on.

It was a stranger from this morning.

I watched as the color drained from her face the moment her brother approached. She was trembling so badly I feared she might collapse at my feet any second now.

My hands curled into fists at my sides as I turned my attention to her brother just in time to catch the look he threw her way before he focused his attention on me.

His expression instantly changed.

Kiss ass, I thought.

I kept my expression blank as I waited for him to start talking again.

But my eyes darted back to her when she moved.

She was on her knees on the floor, wiping the spilled coffee and picking up the broken pieces of the coffee cups. Nobody offered to help, but they stared at her and joked about her clumsiness.

Tucking on my pants, I crouched and reached for the pieces close to my feet.

“There’s no need for that, Mr. Moretti,” Dominic said. “Lizabeth will clean it up.”

He reached out to touch me, but I glared at him.

“Y-you don’t need to,” Lizabeth stuttered. “I’ll clean it.”

“You’re not wearing gloves.” I nodded down at her hands. “You’re going to cut yourself. Go get a broom and dustpan to clean.”

For a moment, it looked like she wanted to argue, and I wished that she had. But she lowered her head and gave me a nod before she hurried off.

“Lizabeth will clean it,” Dominic said again. “My office is at the back.”

I slowly straightened and glanced around.

The urge to stay and talk to Lizabeth was strong, but I knew that I was wasting time. I came here for a reason, and it didn’t include the beauty I bumped into.

My eyes darted around the place as Dominic led the way to the back of the building. We moved down a small hall, past the kitchen and the back door before we reached his office.

Entering, he gestured for me to take a seat in the chair in front of the desk. Smirking, I sank down in the chair behind the desk instead. I took in the papers scattered around the desk and then looked at the computer. The screen was divided into small squares, each showing a different part of the restaurant.

I searched until I located her.

Lizabeth was cleaning the mess she had made. Another woman stood behind her, pointing at stuff as she spoke.

I frowned.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“No.”

I had ordered coffee the moment I entered and only had a sip of it. The coffee tasted like shit and I was sure the food didn’t taste any better.

“Thank you for coming.”

“I’m not here to make small talk, Dominic,” I told him. “Let’s get straight to the point, shall we?”

He nodded, eyes dropping to the desk. Leaning forward, he searched through the paper mess until he found what he was looking for.

I stared down at the file he held out towards me.

“Dad said you asked to see the books.”

Without saying a word, I reached for it. The silence in the room stretched on as I studied the file. For such a shithole, the numbers looked good. But based on the information Bastian managed to gather on the Collins family, we knew that selling food and beverages wasn’t the only thing they were selling.

They were well-known in this part of town.

The chair creaked when Dominic squirmed. He cleared his throat, but one glance at him instantly silenced him.

“It looks good,” I told him.

I threw the file on the desk and leaned back in the chair. For a moment, my eyes darted over to the screen.

“Thank you.”

“Tell me Dominic…if your figures look so good, why aren’t you paying back the loan you took out?”

His mouth opened and closed, making him look like a fish out of water.

“My father went out of his way to help Fletcher. He practically begged for our help and when we offered it, there were a lot of promises made.” I paused. “Payments stopped two months ago.”

He nodded. “Dad had a meeting with Mr－”

“He lied to us,” I interrupted. “We were promised payment. But my father trusted him and wanted to give him another chance.”

Tilting my head to the side, I studied him silently.

Dominic looked pale. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead and there was a slight tremble to his hands.

“Do you do the books?”

He frowned and sat up a little straighter. “Yes.”

“I would like that coffee now,” I muttered. “I want the waitress who spilled the coffee on me to bring it.”

His frown deepened, but he said nothing as he stood and walked out of the room. The moment the door closed behind him, I leaned forward and took a look at the papers scattered around the desk.

I knew everything there was to know about them, but there were a few missing pieces that Bastian was working on finding.

The video footage on the computer screen caught my attention. I frowned as I leaned forward. Dominic had his sister pinned to the wall close to the kitchen. He had a tight grip on her upper arms as he snarled down at her. Leaning closer, he pointed a finger at her face and said something to her before he stepped back and pushed her into the kitchen, making her stumble.

Pulling out my phone, I sent a text to Bastian to find more information about Lizabeth Collins.

“Our coffee will be here in a few minutes,” Dominic said as he entered the office again.

He chose to lean against the wall instead of taking a seat again.

“Mr. Moretti, as you can see, the numbers look good.” He paused. “Dad fell ill a few months ago, which is why the payment on the loan we took out stopped. We used the money to pay for medical bills. At the time, business wasn’t doing so well. We made some changes to the menu and did a lot of advertisements.”

I raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue.

“As soon as Dad is better, the payments on the loans will continue immediately.”

“Will it?”

His lips parted, but a soft knock on the door silenced him.

The door creaked as it was slowly pushed open. It took another second for Lizabeth to appear in the doorway. Her eyes were focused on the tray that she was carrying. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t hide the trembling of her hands. She spilled a few drops of the dark liquid on the tray.

Her eyes instantly snapped up to her brother when she realized it.

Dominic glared at her but remained silent.

Biting her lip, she slowly lowered the tray and then paused to stare at the mess on the desk. There was no place for her to place it down. Leaning forward, I pushed the papers away to make space.

Her eyes darted up to mine. Colour instantly flooded her cheeks, making me smirk.

“Thank you,” I muttered when she placed my cup down in front of me.

Placing Dominic’s cup down on the other side of the desk, she hurried out of the room and closed the door softly behind her.

She wasn’t my usual type. I preferred experienced women to shy virgins. But I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt towards her. It didn’t mean that I was going to act on it though.

Picking up the file with all the numbers, I pushed it under my arm and slowly stood.

“I expect the first payment to be made by the end of the day,” I told him. “We’ve been lenient enough.”

Opening the door, I paused and turned back to look at him. “The rent on the loan went up ten percent." I smirked. “Full payment, Dominic. Don’t make me come back here and beat the shit out of you for our money.”

My eyes darted around, searching for a familiar face as I walked out, but she was nowhere to be found. Maybe it was for the best. Virgins were much too clingy.

And innocence didn’t belong in my world.

“Where to, sir?” Drantos asked me the moment I climbed into the car.

My eyes dropped to the file. “Take me to the casino,” I told him.

I pulled my phone out to call my brother.

“How did it go?” he answered on the first ring.

“He claims that Fletcher is sick, and they’ve been using the money to pay the bills.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Talk to your men on the street. I want to know exactly what they’re selling and for how much. Most of the people at the restaurant are either dealers or buyers.”

“I’ll look into it.”

“Alexi, I want someone keeping an eye on things,” I told him. “I wouldn’t put it past them to try something to get out of making the payments.”

I hung up and stared out the window as we headed to the upper part of town. My mind drifted to the girl despite my best efforts to think of more important things.

As soon as I had all the details, I was going to send Alexi to scare them a little. My lips curled into a smile. Dominic was nervous around me. I couldn’t wait to see his face when he met my brother.