Free The Protector's Heart (Wilde Creek Three) by R.E. Butler Page B

company. As the son of the
alpha, he was a hot commodity and no one refused him. But he was
expending his time making Nila suffer, letting her believe she was
free of him and then tightening the noose. It was time to get her
once and for all.
    He left his men to watch the house and wake
him in the morning, and flopped down on the bed in the master
bedroom. Unzipping his jeans, he reached for his cock, which had
gone hard as granite when he’d started thinking of all the ways to
make Nila pay for walking out on him. He fisted himself and closed
his eyes, imagining the scent of her tears and her pain-filled
cries as he meted out his punishment for walking away from him.
He’d start by taking his son away, and then he’d break her until
she had no will of her own. He chuckled darkly. Enjoy your last
night of freedom, bitch .
     

Chapter 7

    Nila felt unsettled all day. She’d almost
called off work and kept Jack home, but Malachi promised she’d be
safe, and she believed him. He’d sent a protector to the daycare to
keep a discreet eye on things, which helped her feel better about
leaving him there, and she’d seen a strange car in the parking lot
of the clinic and recognized one of the males from those who had
patrolled around Diane’s home last night.
    Malachi had been a reassuring presence with
her during the day. Even when she was with patients, she was aware
of him at the reception desk, keeping an eye on things. No longer
only guarding Brynn, but also guarding her. The day crawled by, but
by the time she was ready to leave, she felt like she could breathe
a little easier. She’d expected Damien to retaliate further, maybe
smash the windows again or slash her tires like he’d done two
months earlier.
    She and Jack had ridden with Malachi that
morning. He’d taken Jack to the daycare first and then picked up
Brynn. He’d seemed lost in thought for the drive to the clinic, but
she’d had a lot on her mind, too. After her revealing one-sided
conversation with him the night before, she’d decided that she
wasn’t going to give Damien the satisfaction of scaring her into
walking away from Malachi. It had been tempting to just push him
out of her life and go back to the way things were with just her
and Jack, but the truth was she didn’t want that life anymore. She
didn’t want to look over her shoulder forever or sleep on the couch
anymore, and she wanted to really share her life with a man who
respected and cared for her. That man was Malachi. He’d shown
himself to be more of a man than Damien ever had, and she’d be a
fool to walk away from him.
    As she pulled her purse from her locker, she
felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She lifted it and glanced at
the screen. It read ‘Mem Hosp’. Her mouth went dry and panic seized
her. Why would the hospital be calling?
    “Hello?”
    “Am I speaking with Nila Caruthers?” A
brusque female voice asked.
    “Y-yes.”
    “Miss Caruthers, I’m calling from Woodland
Memorial Hospital. You are listed as the emergency contact for
Diane Gordon. She was brought into the ER earlier.”
    “What happened?”
    “You’ll have to speak to the doctor on call.
Come to the ER entrance and check in with the reception desk and a
doctor will meet you.”
    The call ended and she stared at her phone.
Malachi was suddenly there, and she turned to look up at him. “It’s
Diane. She’s in the hospital.”
    His eyes narrowed. He reached past her and
pulled her coat out, holding it for her. “Come on, sweetheart,
let’s go.”
    He wrapped his big hand around her elbow and
walked her out to the reception area. Brynn stood, looking worried.
“Is everything okay?”
    “We need to go. Call Sam and Acksel and tell
them to meet us at the daycare.”
    Brynn nodded and pulled her phone from her
purse as Malachi led Nila out of the clinic and to his SUV. He
opened the back door; Brynn climbed in and then Malachi led Nila
around to the passenger side and helped her in.
    He left them