Page 15 of Rebel Protector

She opened her mouth to scream, but the deafening blast swallowed her cry. The explosion was so loud it left her ears ringing, and she swore the ground trembled beneath her. Debris rained down, landing just feet away—wood, scraps of fabric, even a Panama hat spinning through the air.

Around them, people screamed, scattering like frightened birds. Chaos erupted all around, but she stayed frozen, too terrified to move.

Dominguez’s body covered hers, shielding her from the fallout. His chest rose and fell, each heavy breath hot against her skin. His face was just inches from hers, and as their eyes locked, she saw more than concern in his intense gaze—something deeper, something that sent a different kind of shockwave through her.

“Are you okay?” he whispered, his voice gravelly, thick with adrenaline.

“I think so,” she managed, though her pulse was still hammering in her ears. He smelled good, surprisingly—like clean soap, hot metal, and a hint of sunscreen. His weight pressed down on her, and despite the fear still buzzing in her veins, her body heated in places she didn’t want to think about right now.

Get a grip,she told herself, but it didn’t help. She could feel every inch of him, his hard muscles pinning her to the ground, his body hot against hers.

Wrong time,her brain insisted. But her body wasn’t so sure.

She shifted slightly, trying to snap herself out of it, and he pushed up onto his elbows, his gaze still locked on hers.

“Sorry,” he muttered, helping her sit up. “Let’s get you on your feet.”

With one strong tug, he pulled her upright. His hand, warm and solid around hers, lingered a little longer than necessary.

“You’re sure you’re okay? No headache? No dizziness?”

She shook her head, still feeling a little breathless—not from the blast, but from the way he was looking at her. His gaze was so gentle, so careful, like he was afraid she might shatter. It was nothing like the tough guy front he usually put on.

“Come on,” he said quietly, his voice low and steady. “We need to get out of here. There might be a secondary explosion.”

She let him lead her down a narrow side street, weaving through the panicked crowd as people fled the scene. Dominguez didn’t let go of her hand, his grip firm and reassuring, guiding her like he knew exactly what he was doing.

They turned a corner and found themselves on a quieter road, far from the chaos of the market. They were in the heart of Panama City, surrounded by a blend of old and new buildings, but no one was stopping to admire the architecture now.

A few blocks later, they reached a small cantina, its brightly painted tables and chairs spilling out onto the sidewalk. Thestaff and customers were all on their feet, buzzing with nervous energy after hearing the explosion.

“Que pasó?” an elderly man asked, his weathered face creased with worry.

Becca didn’t understand much Spanish, but she got the gist—he was asking what had happened.

Dominguez replied in a string of fluent Spanish, his voice low and authoritative.

Huh.

She hadn’t expected him to speak the language so well, but with a name like Dominguez, she probably should have. It was one more layer to him she hadn’t seen before.

The old man asked more questions, but Dominguez just shrugged and led her to an empty table. Only when she sat down did he finally let go of her hand.

“Thank you,” she said softly, still catching her breath.

She looked at him, really looked at him, seeing the man behind the hard exterior. “I think you just saved my life.”

He grinned, but there was an edge of humility to it. “I wouldn’t go that far. Maybe I saved you from getting hit by a flying papaya.”

She laughed, the sound shaky but genuine. The tension eased just a little. She dropped her hands into her lap, hoping he didn’t notice how badly they were trembling. “I didn’t see that coming,” she admitted.

“Nobody did.”

She studied him closely, her curiosity piqued. “You did.” He had come running at her, shouting her name just before the blast. She was sure of it.

He didn’t meet her gaze this time. “I saw the bomber give a heads-up to some woman before she bolted. Didn’t take a genius to figure out what was about to go down. You just know what to look for.”

Was that all it was?she wondered. She still didn’t know much about why he was here or who he was meeting. “Who would do something like that?”