Protect Me (The Protector Series Book 1) Read online

  I lie on the couch and turn on the cooking channel. I hate cooking, but I love watching people on TV do it. I’m busy watching Iron Chef America when my phone beeps with a message from Shiloh.

  ShiBaby: How was this morning?

  Me: Same as all the other mornings. I promised to meet her in front of the school and take her for ice cream today because it’s my day off.

  ShiBaby: She loves ice cream. Where are you spending your day off?

  Me: On the couch.

  ShiBaby: Whose couch?

  Is it weird that I’m on his couch? I suddenly feel self-conscious about my decision to hang out here all day. I put the phone in my pocket and turn off the TV. When I open the door to leave, Shiloh is standing in the hallway.

  “I was hoping it was my couch you were talking about,” he says, walking inside and shutting the door behind him, causing me to take a step back.

  “Uh, hey. You’re home,” I say in an awkward voice, somewhere between being embarrassed and excited.

  “That’s it? You’re not going to run and jump into my arms, wrap your legs around me, and tell me how much you’ve missed me?” he says with a smirk on his face.

  “I haven’t missed you,” I tell him with one arched brow.

  He drops his duffle bag and leans in toward me. “Liar,” he says quietly.

  I shake my head and walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My hands are shaking and I have no idea why. Why am I so nervous?

  “Would you like a drink?” I ask him, somehow managing to sound calm.

  “Nah, I’m going to shower. It’ll be quick; don’t leave yet, okay?”

  I nod and he grins before walking down the hall. After downing my glass of water and taking a couple of deep breaths, my hands stop shaking. I see the Nike bag still sitting in front of the door. I pick it up and go tap on the bathroom door.

  “Yeah?” Shiloh asks over the sound of the running water.

  “Do you want me to put the clothes from your bag in the wash?” I ask him.

  “What?” he yells.

  “I said, do you want me to—”

  “Nat, I can’t hear you. Just open the door.”

  I roll my eyes before twisting the knob and opening the door just over an inch. The steam from the shower leaks out through the crack, bringing the scent of his soap with it. I close my eyes and inhale it.

  “I said, do you want me to put your clothes in the wash? The ones out of your bag.”

  He doesn’t answer me immediately. I’m about to ask him again when I hear the water shut off and the shower curtain slide open. I’m still holding on to the knob, waiting on his answer when the door is jerked open. Shiloh is standing there with one towel around his waist and another thrown over his head.

  “That’d be great. I’m going to whip up some food. You hungry?” He says all of this in his normal voice, like it’s no big deal that I opened the door and talked to him while he was in the shower—while he was naked in the shower—while he’s still basically naked in front of me. I can feel my cheeks turning red, so I shake my head before turning my back to him.

  I’m almost positive I hear him chuckle as I walk away, but I don’t stop to find out. I dig through his bag, making sure to get everything that doesn’t belong in the washing machine out. I take out his phone charger, a smaller bag with his bathroom stuff inside, and a pill bottle. The pill bottle has nothing on it, no sort of label that would lead me to believe it’s prescribed by a doctor. When I open the bottle, I recognize the tiny red and black pills; they’re the same as the one he took in front of me not too long ago.

  “You okay in there?” Shiloh calls from the kitchen.

  “Yep,” I squeak out as I tighten the lid on the bottle of unknown pills. I start the washer and put the rest of his things back in his duffle bag, leaving it on the floor.

  When I come into the kitchen I can see that Shiloh has ditched the towel for a pair of grey sweats, and he’s chosen not to wear a shirt today. He’s standing, leaning over the counter as he eats his sandwich.

  “So, are you home for good?” I ask him.

  He turns to look at me before shoving the final bite into his mouth and shrugs his shoulders.

  “Okay…” I say slowly.

  “As of now, I’ve got to go back to Seattle in three days. I’ve never been away from Macie this long, so I took some time off to make things easier on her,” he explains.

  “I’m glad you did. She’s really been missing you.”

  “I’ve missed her, too. We’re closer than most siblings, you know?”

  I smile as I think about how different their relationship is compared to other siblings I know. I see him yawn as he puts his dishes in the sink. I didn’t notice it before, but I can see it now: he’s exhausted.

  “We’ve still got a couple of hours before Macie gets out of school. Why don’t you get some rest?”

  “That’s not a bad idea. Care to join me?” he asks with a shit-eating grin on his face.

  “Not this time,” I say, rolling my eyes.

  He smiles and nods before walking over to me. Before I know what’s happening, his arms are around me and he’s hugging me tight against him.

  “All joking aside, thank you. Thank you for taking care of Macie and for treating her just like I do. I appreciate it more than you know.”

  “You’re welcome,” I say as he loosens his hold on me. He lets his arms drop to his sides, but he doesn’t step back to put space between us.

  Shiloh

  The look on Macie’s face when she sees me waiting outside her school is priceless. She screams my name as she runs and jumps into my arms. I tell her immediately that I have to leave again on Sunday because I don’t want her to assume I’m here to stay; the news dims her smile a bit, but then I remind her that we are going to get ice cream. She perks back up after that.

  As we walk to the ice cream parlor, Macie walks between Nat and me, holding hands with each of us.

  “What kind do you want, Mace?” Nat asks. I look between her and Macie, shocked to hear her use the nickname that only I use for her. Macie doesn’t react at all; it’s clear she’s heard Nat call her that a hundred times. I smile at that realization.

  “I want to try the peppermint flavor this time,” she answers excitedly.

  “Ah, that’s a good choice. I’ll get the cotton candy kind and we can trade if you don’t like yours. Deal?” Nat asks her.

  “Deal!”

  She’s at the counter ordering ice cream for herself and Nat before the door to the parlor even closes.

  “Bubba, do you want chocolate?” she calls.

  I nod at her as I place my hand on the small of Nat’s back and lead her to the booth Macie and I always sit in.

  “She’s so happy to see you,” Nat tells me, a bright smile on her face.

  “It feels good to be missed,” I say while giving her a pointed look.

  “Oh, Nat missed you, too. She told me last night before bed,” Macie says matter-of-factly as she sets spoons down in front of us.

  “Is that so?”

  Nat rolls her eyes as she shakes her head.

  I choose not to press her in front of Macie. If she missed me half as much as I’ve missed her, then she’ll tell me eventually.

  When we get back to the apartment, Nat insists on going to her own place to let Macie and I have some time together.

  “You’re going to come back over, right? We still haven’t finished reading Charlotte’s Web,” Macie reminds her.

  “I’ll come over to read to you before bed,” she promises.

  Macie hugs her long enough that it would make onlookers think she were going away for a long period of time instead of a few hours. I gently tap on Macie’s shoulder and guide her into our apartment. I turn to say goodbye to Nat, but she’s already inside with her door closed.

  Macie and I watch TV while we work on a one thousand piece puzzle. She tells me all about school and her time with Nat since I’ve been gone.
r />   “Mace, I think it’s time to give up on the puzzle so you can do your homework and I can make dinner, okay?”

  “Sure, bubba. Can we have spaghetti? That’s what Nat was going to cook tonight,” she informs me.

  “I think I can handle that,” I tell her.

  She sits at the table while I cook. I text Nat letting her know she’s welcome to eat with us, but she never replies.

  We eat and I do the dishes while Macie showers and gets ready for bed.

  “Bubba, it’s almost 8:30. Can I go get Nat?” Macie asks me.

  “Mace, she promised to come back over. I’m sure she’ll be here soon, okay?”

  She nods and goes to the living room to work on the puzzle again. Nat walks in ten minutes later. After closing the door behind her, she pauses awkwardly.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  “Sorry, I should have knocked,” she apologizes with red cheeks.

  I walk over to her and place my hand on her shoulder. “I gave you a key, Nat. You never have to knock.”

  Macie skips over to us and grabs her by the hand before she has a chance to reply or even acknowledge that I’ve said anything.

  “Shi, you can come with us. I’ll lay in the middle,” Macie tells me as she drags Nat down the hallway to her room.

  “I’ll be there in just a minute.”

  When I open her bedroom door, I see her and Nat lying on her bed. Nat is on the edge and Macie is in the center, lying on her side, snuggled against Nat while Nat reads to her quietly.

  I lie down on the other side of Macie and prop my head up with my elbow. Macie pats my forearm sweetly without opening her eyes. I watch as her breathing evens out and she starts to fall asleep. The peacefulness on her face makes me smile. She’s the definition of innocent, despite how hard her life has been.

  Nat continues reading even though Macie has been asleep for a solid twenty minutes. I don’t interrupt her because I like listening to her. When I’ve been staring at her long enough to creep myself out, I tap her leg to get her attention. I slant my eyes toward Macie and Nat smiles after realizing she’s asleep. We both get up and leave her room quietly.

  “Since when does she like to read before bed?” I ask Nat.

  “I talked her into doing that instead of watching extra television,” she says with a smile.

  “She’s lucky to have you. We both are,” I tell her, hoping I sound sincere.

  “You should sleep while you have the chance, Shiloh. Goodnight.”

  She’s walking out the door before I can decide if I want to stop her or not.

  We don’t see Nat the next day. She slides a note under the door letting us know she picked up an extra shift at Aunt J’s and she’ll be closing up for Marty. I think I’m just as bummed as Macie, but the day is quickly recovered when I offer to take her on a picnic.

  Our picnic consists of eating pizza on a blanket in the park, the same park I found Nat sleeping in just a few months ago. Macie still has no idea what Nat’s life was like before she met her; I’m pretty certain Nat would prefer to keep it that way.

  “How long will you be gone this time, Shi?” Macie asks me while her mouth is still full of pizza.

  I glare at her for talking with her mouth full and she smiles sheepishly before swallowing and repeating her question.

  “I hope it won’t be much longer than this last time. If it is, I’ll make sure I come home for a weekend or something.”

  She’s about to ask me something else but my phone starts ringing. After glancing at the screen, I can see that it’s a number I don’t recognize, but I answer it anyway.

  “Hello?”

  “Shiloh? It’s me, Nat. Uh, I didn’t have anybody else to call…” She trails off and I hear her sniffling in the background.

  “Where are you?” I ask her as I shut the pizza box and stand up. Macie follows suit and folds the blanket up before following me to the truck.

  “They arrested me for truancy and running away. Declan brought them to my job,” she tells me in a shaky voice.

  I curse under my breath so Macie won’t hear me.

  “I’m coming to pick you up, Nat. I’ll be there soon, okay?”

  She mumbles some version of thanks before the line goes dead. We stop by her apartment where I waste ten minutes picking the lock, only to find out Macie has a key in her backpack. After grabbing the copy of Nat’s GED certification, Macie and I head to the station.

  I make Macie wait in the car to give Nat a little privacy. As soon as I walk in, I lock eyes with a sixty-something-year-old man who looks as if he’s eaten a few too many donuts in his day. He raises one eyebrow at me when I approach the counter. He makes no attempt to speak, nor does he offer to help me in any way.

  “I’m here to pick someone up,” I start.

  “Name and birthday?” he grunts, not seeming to care that he interrupted me.

  “I was getting to that. Toby Nathaniel Adams, and I’m not sure of her birthday.”

  “Ah, you’ll have to speak with the officer that brought her in. Down that hall, second door on your left,” he says, pointing his fat finger in the right direction.

  I knock on the door and open it before being invited in. I see a man sitting behind his desk glaring at whoever is occupying the chair across from him. His glare quickly shifts to me upon my entrance, but my eyes focus on Nat. She’s handcuffed to the chair she’s sitting in, her eyes are red-rimmed from crying, and she looks exhausted.

  “May I help you?” the officer asks in a sarcastic sounding tone.

  “If you’re the one with the keys to those cuffs, then yes. Yes, you can help me.”

  He stares at me before shaking his head slowly side to side.

  “I’m here to take her home, sir,” I tell him confidently.

  “Nice try, but she’s missed months of school and she’s a runaway,” he says with a smirk. He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest in an attempt to intimidate me. It doesn’t work.

  “I’d like to see a copy of the police report her foster parents made when they reported her missing.”

  He sits up a bit straighter now.

  “Also, here is documentation of her passing her GED exam. Already having that would make the truancy charge invalid, correct?” I ask, raising my eyebrows for emphasis.

  His face is turning red with what I assume is anger and possibly embarrassment. I sneak a glance at Nat; she’s looking a little less defeated now with a small smile creeping up on her lips.

  After muttering a few curse words, the officer behind the desk removes the cuffs from Nat’s wrists. She stands so quickly that I step out into the hallway, preparing to chase after her when she bolts out of here. I’m caught by surprise when she bolts to me instead. Her arms fly around my neck and squeeze. She presses her face into my shoulder and mumbles her thanks several times. I run my hand down her back once, relishing the feeling of her holding me like this, before gently pushing her away and guiding her to the truck.

  Macie doesn’t ask a single question on the way home. She just holds Nat’s hand and looks out the window as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened, and I love her for it.

  When we get to our building, Nat quickly hugs Macie goodnight and gives me a small wave before leaving us in the parking lot. By the time Mace and I make it upstairs, her door is locked and the lights are already out. My head falls back and I look up at the ceiling as I wonder why she’s so closed off.

  Macie pulls me out of my thoughts by dragging me inside our apartment. I let her stay up an hour later than usual. She only manages to listen to me read three and a half pages of Charlotte’s Web before dozing off.

  When I get out of the shower I can hear the TV going. I quickly wrap my towel around my waist before yanking the bathroom door open. “Mace, you’ve got to be kidding—” I cut myself off when I see that it’s Nat watching TV.

  “Oh, sorry. I, uh, heard the shower running when I came in and I didn’t want to scare you, so I
thought it’d be best to wait until you got out,” she says with a hint of embarrassment tinting her cheeks.

  “Wait until I get out…for what?”

  “Well, just to let you know I’m here I guess,” she shrugs.

  “Are you here for a reason?” I ask.

  “Not really, I’m just not used to staying over there any more…or staying by myself. I thought, I don’t know, maybe I could just stay on the couch?”

  I stare at her for an awkwardly long time before convincing myself that this is not a dream. “Oh, sure. You can stay here any time,” I tell her as I walk to my bedroom to get dressed.

  I forego the t-shirt I would normally put on and convince myself that being shirtless around a girl who’s trying very hard not to like me is a good idea.

  “You know, I could have been naked,” I say as I sit down next to her on the couch. “When I came out of the bathroom, I mean. What if I had been naked because I wasn’t expecting you to be here?”

  “Well, I guess that would have been awkward for the both of us. Next time I’ll just beat on the door and give you a panic attack instead,” she quips.

  “Whatever suits you.” I laugh.

  She grins at me before going serious. “Thanks for today, Shiloh. I don’t know what I would have done if they had tried to make me go back to live with Rick and Chelsea.”

  Her eyes get misty as she thinks about that possibility, discouraging me from asking more about who Rick and Chelsea are and why she hates them so much.

  “Did you know that officer?” I ask.

  She hesitates before nodding. “He’s one of Rick’s good friends. They were old college roommates. I know Rick and Chelsea asked him to find me.” She shudders and wipes a tear from her eye.

  “Nat, you can call me for anything. If it’s because you’ve been arrested and I need to come bail you out, I’ll be there. Even if you don’t need anything more than someone to talk to, I’ll be there,” I tell her. She nods her head, letting me know she heard me, but her eyes are focused on her hands in her lap.

  “Hey.” I grab her hand and wait for her to look at me before finishing my sentence. “I mean that.”