Page 6 of Risky Behavior: Submitting to the Ruthless Guard

“You are welcome. I am happy you are feeling better, but I had ulterior motives for getting you away from the house. We won’t have much time out here and I’m sure what I am about to say will create a ton of questions for you, but it’s important you know who I really am.”

“You said Raven sent you. I wasn’t just hearing things.”

“I did. I am friends with her fiancé Beckett Haynes. He purchased her at the auction the two of you were at and when you had gone silent on her, she became worried. Beckett hired me to do some work for him and track you down. My previous employers have recently retired, and I had some free time. When we learned you were here, I came.”

“How is Rae? Is she okay?”

“Yes, other than being worried sick about you, she seems fine. Beckett is a good friend and his life is… complicated, but she is learning to navigate it quickly. He is a good man Talia, Raven will be just fine. They are both concerned about you, and that’s why I am here.”

“But how did you get here? Did you already work for Miles?”

“No, but my brother and I have a lot of valuable connections and money goes a long way. My original plan was to get out here and get something to report back to Raven and Beckett, however, after learning what I have about your situation, I will be staying.”

“For how long?”

“For however long I need to be. I’m going to need you to tell me everything you can, Talia. I know it will be hard, but it’s important I understand what has happened since you’ve been here. The house is full of staff members, friends of his, and his women. We have some on our side already, but it will take time to accomplish what I need. The more information I have, the better the situation will be for the both of us.”

“He’s going to kill me, Leo.”

“No, he won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Because if he tries, I’ll kill him first.”

Day One

Leo

Afterourwalk,Ibrought Talia to the kitchen. I needed coffee and breakfast and nothing in my contract outlined that I couldn’t bring her with me. In fact, everything in my job description stated how I wasn’t supposed to leave her alone, regardless of where she was. I had things I needed to get done today, so she was coming with me.

“Leo, good to see you again. When you didn’t come down for dinner, I was worried he already dumped your ass.”

“Hilarious. Talia, I’d like you to meet Andrew, one of the cooks here. He fed me my first meal the day I got in and I’ve been grateful to him since.”

“Nice to finally meet you, Talia. I’m sorry for the lackluster meals. Only following orders.”

“Yeah, about that. I need breakfast and she needs something other than peanut butter. I imagine your orders are to feed her peanut butter sandwiches for meals, correct?”

“Yes, why?”

“Because she ate her breakfast and her next meal won’t be until lunch. Did you have any orders around snacks?”

“You know now that I think of it, I didn’t.” he said with a wink. “Two omelets fully loaded, coming up.”

I watched as Talia’s eyes caught the subtle hint of excitement before she began looking around her as if someone were watching.

“There is nothing to worry about here, little one, the kitchen staff answers only to me.” Andrew said, noticing what I had just as quickly.

“Let’s sit down.” I placed my hand on her back and did my best to ignore the desire that ran through me whenever I touched her. Once she was settled into the staff table with a bottle of water, she seemed to calm down a bit more than she was when we first got here.

“You like eggs, right?”

“I like just about everything. Before all this, I used to run every day. It kept me starving most of the time, so food became my love language.”

“Well, everything Andrew has fed me has been great, but a lot of it may be too rich for your stomach right now. Don’t force yourself today, I’ll make sure we get some regular meals in you from now on. Try to drink that water while we are waiting, and I’ll grab a few more bottles for your room.”

Talia nodded, but her eyes looked heavy, and her movements were definitely slowing down. I wasn’t an expert on sedatives, but I was certain we were on borrowed time right now. Once she had a stomach full of food, she’d be out cold for a few hours. At least, I hoped she would be. Her body needed to heal, and I had a feeling what I could see on the outside didn’t compare to the internal injuries she had sustained. Every time she sat down, she would scrunch her face up as if she were in pain. The same happened when she went to stand. I wasn’t lying when I told her I needed to know everything that had happened since she got here, but my reasoning was selfish. It would be helpful to learn more, but every time she flinched at my touch or rushed to cover her ears at a loud sound, rage boiled up inside of me. My anger wasn’t anything compared to my brother’s, but it kept me focused and I needed that focus to get through this. Noah dealt with his temper daily. I needed something to feed mine.