6

Christina

Lifting my bangs, I stared at the thin red line in the mirror. I removed the bandage two days ago when the stitches came out.

The red mark over my mouth disappeared shortly after Will left.

That was three days ago.

The mark he left on me remained.

I could still smell his cologne in my room. Or at least I could when I closed my eyes.

I was attracted to the man, there was no denying it. But I wanted nothing to do with him. He wanted to save me, and while I'd provided the perfect scenario for him, I refused to let it happen again.

How humiliating. I couldn't even think about the scene without smashing the palm of my hand over my eyes.

I twisted the cap of my lipstick off and applied it using the mirror. I was meeting Gabby in her office in thirty minutes.

I often did pro bono work for my friend whenever one of her clients needed it. Today, I was meeting a woman stuck in an abusive marriage. She had three kids, and she was afraid he would fight her for custody, and she didn't have the money to pay for a lawyer.

Thankfully, Gabby called me and she knew how much I loved cases like this. Loved nailing their sorry asses to the wall. Usually, my client not only won full custody, but I would throw his ass in prison for previous assaults.

Picking up my black blazer from the bed, I slipped it on and buttoned it over my black skirt. I refused to wear anything less than what I would wear when meeting with one of my corporate clients. These women deserved the same respect.

Slipping on my black flats, I locked the door behind me and climbed into my car.

It was after eight and dusk settled over the bridge. I preferred sunrises to sunsets, but the orange and pink hues in this one were pretty.

I reached Gabby's downtown office in good time and parked my car in the lot outside. Thank God my mechanic was able to fix it after I drove it into a ditch.

Just as I was climbing out of my car, a black truck pulled into the spot next to me. A shiver ran down my spine when I spotted the driver. He turned his head and his brow furrowed.

As he opened the door, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Are you following me now?"

"Following you?" He shook his head. "No. You made it quite clear that you want nothing to do with me."

That sounded suspiciously convincing. "So, what are you doing here, then?" I asked.

"I'm here to see a friend."

Subtly, I checked out his slim cargo pants and fitted black T-shirt. He looked more like a soldier today than a bodyguard. Except for the expensive watch. The watch alone must cost more than ten thousand dollars.

His hair was tied back in a man-bun. He looked rougher, somewhat less polished.

"Me, too," I added and grabbed my purse from the car.

He waited and when I closed the door, he added, "I'll walk you to the elevator."

He opened the door for me when we reached the red-brick building. It was an older complex and didn't have automated doors.

There was no receptionist at the front, so we went straight to the elevators.

"What floor?" he asked.

"Three, please."

His finger hesitated for a moment, then pressed three. I waited for him to choose his floor but he simply put his hands behind his back and stood sentinel next to me.

His cologne wafted through the small space and I closed my eyes, as though I were still in my bedroom. I wondered what it would feel like to be intimate with a man again. It had been several months since…

"Christina?"

"Huh?"

"I asked how your week has been. Has anyone tried to contact you or bother you?"

Had he asked me a question? I hadn't heard him, momentarily lost in my thoughts.

"Ah, no. No, no one has contacted me. I did speak with my sister, though. She called me yesterday."

"Oh, that's good."

He sounded genuinely pleased, and I sneaked a glance at him. He nodded, but stared straight ahead.

Huh.

What was his game?

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. There were only two offices on this floor.

"What did you say your friend's name was?" I asked.

"Gabrielle. Why? Is that who you're here to see?"

I closed my eyes again and swore under my breath, wondering why this was happening to me. Yup. There were only two offices on this floor, and I knew as soon as we passed the first door that my friend Gabby was his friend Gabrielle.

I groaned. "Yes. I think we're here to see the same person."

I found my friend behind her second-hand pine desk and three large piles of file folders. Her curly brown hair had a streak of white at the front and she wore her usual, black-framed glasses.

"Hey! You're both on time." She stood and walked around her desk to hug us both. Gabby had always been a hugger.

"Sit. Sit." She pointed to the two thin chairs in front of her desk. They reminded me of the chairs we used in elementary school.

"I thought you asked me here to help with Faye Janoski."

"Yes, that's right." Gabby grabbed a file from one of the shorter stacks.

"Then what's he doing here?"

"Will? Oh, he's the one I've been telling you about."

I thought back to some of our conversations and my eyes rounded. Leaning forward, I whispered. "He's the black knight?"

"Yes!" Gabby beamed, but I groaned a little inside.

"Did you say, ‘black knight?'" Will asked.

Gabby's cheeks reddened. "It's just a nickname Chrissy and I gave you."

Christina closed her eyes.

"Chrissy?"

"Oh, sorry. I've known Christina since we were ten. I've always been Gabby to her, and she's always been Chrissy to me."

Will opened his mouth, and I knew what was coming next.

"Don't even think about it," I snapped.

He chuckled and put his hands up in surrender.

I couldn't believe Will was our black knight. Ugh .

"Back to my nickname. Why black night? I thought the term was a white knight."

Gabby seemed more than happy to answer his question. "Well, since you always swoop in after midnight and usually wear dark clothing, the black knight seemed more fitting and gave you an air of intrigue."

He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Yeah. I like it."

I rolled my eyes and leaned forward again. "Can we get back to why he's here?"

"Oh, yes. Faye called last night. She said her husband was getting suspicious of her phone calls and she's worried he might show up during your meeting tonight. He is supposed to be out with friends, but she said she has a bad feeling about it."

I waved off her concerns. "It'll be fine. Now that her leaving is getting closer to becoming a reality, it can be scary. I'll talk her through it. Don't worry."

Gabby pursed her lips. "I don't know. I agree that it's better to be safe than sorry. Besides, Will's already here and adds another layer of safety to the meeting. He'll be your bodyguard for the night."

My fists clenched in my lap. "I don't need a bodyguard. I've never needed one when I met with the other women."

"Those times were different. The men were at work. Besides, Will is already here and available."

Will turned to me and winked. "Ready and able to protect you."

I narrowed my eyes. He knew how much those words would piss me off. Yet, he still teased me. Ironically, him knowing my reaction softened the blow instead of making me angrier.

"As long as you know your place, then I'm fine with it. And you're there to protect Faye. Not me."

"Whatever you say."

Again, I watched him suspiciously. "That sounds a little condescending."

"Does it?"

"Yes, it does."

Gabby looked at us. A wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows, but it quickly disappeared, and a grin formed on her lips. "How do you two know each other?"

"Will is Nikole's husband's—"

"I saved her from some duct tape."

"You didn't save me," I cried. "You removed the duct tape and then left. That's hardly—"

"Wait! Is Will the hot guy you were telling me about?"

I snapped my head toward Gabby. The traitor.

"I did not call him hot!" I shrieked, and I immediately regretted my outburst.

She raised her eyebrows. "You said his cologne did strange things to your insides, and you described his upper body in great detail."

"Well, I'm a very detail-oriented person."

Will covered his mouth with his hand, pretending to rub a spot on his lower lip while Gabby smiled openly.

I stood and grabbed my purse from behind the chair. "Are you ready to go?" I asked, snatching the file Gabby held up to me.

"Like I said, ready and able."

I ignored him and headed straight for the elevator. He caught up easily and pressed the button for the ground floor. When the doors closed, I said, "Gabby tends to exaggerate."

"Really?" he asked. "She's always been a straight shooter with me."

I ground my back teeth. Yes. Gabby always told it like it was. Maybe that's why her comment had me so frazzled. Yes, I knew I was attracted to Will, but I didn't think I'd made it obvious. And I wouldn't have said anything to Gabby had I known he was her black knight.

I closed my eyes and groaned. Damn. How many nights had I pictured what the black knight would look like as I drifted off to sleep? Gabby had made him out to be some mysterious hero who always knew what to do and told me how gentle he was toward the women.

And now he was standing next to me.

Suddenly, the temperature in the elevator spiked, and I pushed my hair away from my neck. When that didn't work, I grabbed an elastic from my purse and knotted my hair at my nape into a messy bun.

Will turned to look at me, but I avoided his eyes. Or rather, I wanted him to avoid mine. I was afraid he'd see more than I was willing to show him.

"Have you met with Faye before?" Will asked next to me, completely oblivious to my hot flash.

I cleared my throat. "No. This would be the first time."

He nodded. "Mine, too."

I stared straight ahead, enjoying the cool air at my nape.

"That probably means she's not ready to leave yet."

Taken off guard by his comment, I turned toward him. "What are you talking about?"

"Faye. She probably won't be ready to leave him just yet. I've found that it takes several tries to leave before the woman does. And even then, sometimes they go back."

"I don't know," I said, thinking back to the women I'd met in the past. "By the time I show up, things have progressed to the point of separation."

He nodded. "That's good. Sometimes the hardest part is knowing if they'll make it out the next time."

I'd never been in that situation before. But I guess Will had. I also hadn't expected him to follow up with the women to see if they were all right. I pictured him as muscle who only came in and out whenever Gabby needed him. I hadn't imagined he would care.

"Let's take my truck," he suggested.

But I didn't want to be stuck in the passenger seat, forced to stare out the window. I preferred being the one in control.

"Mine's better. Yours screams male testosterone and we wouldn't want the neighbors to get the wrong idea and say something to her husband."

He stopped in the parking lot to stare at me. "Well, that's a sexist thing to say."

"What?"

"That only men drive trucks like mine."

Shit. That did sound terrible. But I shrugged. "It's usually men who need to overcompensate with big trucks to make up for their small—"

"I can assure you that's not the case."

I wanted to give him a snarky reply, but my eyes instinctively dropped to the bulge in his pants and I immediately drew them back up.

I would not allow myself to guess his size. That was sexist and childish. And I was neither of those things.

My car beeped when I pressed the button to unlock it. "Get in," I ordered.

Although it was a sports car, it had four doors, but the inside was definitely smaller than his truck. His head brushed against the roof of my car even though he sunk lower into his seat, and his knees pressed up against my dashboard. He could have moved the seat back, but he didn't complain, just crossed his arms over his chest. Probably because there wasn't a lot of room at his side, either.

I grinned a little, knowing he was a tad uncomfortable. Served him right for calling me out on my comment. I needed an excuse to drive my car, and that was the best I could come up with.

It was pitiful at best. Sexist at worst.

This man had me overheating and making ridiculous comments. I couldn't wait for this meeting to be over.

He interrupted my rant. "Take this road to the freeway and then get off at the second exit." He held the open folder in his hand.

I pulled out of the parking lot and followed his directions without any argument. Despite having to concentrate on the road, my gaze kept drifting to my right.

Will looked out the window with his arms still crossed. The man confounded me and there was nothing I liked better than deciphering a complex situation. It was why I'd gotten into law. That and wanting to put assholes away.

"So, when did you start working with Gabby?" I asked nonchalantly.

"About three years ago."

"Mmm…" That was longer than just a passing whim, but I wondered what motivated him. I immediately thought of Donna. "Was your sister in an abusive situation?" I ventured.

"I don't have a sister. I'm an only child."

"Lucky you," I muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

I said no more as I merged onto the freeway. Then added, "So, why do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Help these women?"

He shuffled his body in his seat, looking as though he were trying to get more comfortable. "Because someone has to."

It wasn't much of an answer. It didn't reveal much about his psyche other than confirming he had a bit of a hero complex. But that wasn't necessarily a bad trait in this situation. I just didn't like it when he tried to apply it to me and my life.

"Why do you do it?"

Without missing a beat, I answered, "Because no one else wants to."

I discovered this truth when I approached my law office about getting more attorneys on board with situations like this. I was told the firm already had fulfilled its pro bono obligations for the year and wasn't looking to take on more. As though these women were just a quota to fill.

After exiting the highway, Faye's home was only a few streets away. The neighborhood looked well-off with expensive cars parked along several driveways. Everyone's yard looked professionally landscaped and no one's front door needed a fresh coat of paint.

I used to think that rich people didn't have problems that money couldn't solve. But I learned quickly that money didn't buy you decency.

I reached over to open my door when Will stopped me with his hand on my shoulder. "Hold up."

He leaned forward, staring at the house and looking to the left and the right. "I don't see the white Mercedes that Gabrielle has on the file belonging to the husband. It seems like the coast is clear for now. But stay close to me until we get inside."

"I'm not a hot-shot celebrity who needs a bodyguard next to her at all times. You're here to make Faye feel safe. That's all."

"Let's hope," he muttered as we both got out of the car.

Despite my words, Will walked up the steps to Faye's door as though he were attached to me. His head swiveled every which way, looking for Faye's husband, I presumed.

After knocking twice on the door, a woman with long brown hair, bangs, and a perfect complexion opened the door. I was struck by how young she looked. She couldn't have been more than a couple of years older than me, but Gabby had said she had three kids.

"Faye? I'm Christina, and this is Will. Gabrielle from the agency sent us."

She looked past my shoulder at the street, then opened the door wider. "Please come in."

Faye, who wore gray tights and a baggy gray sweater, walked us toward a couch and two chairs inside her living room. The house was quite large, most likely having three, if not four, bedrooms upstairs. A quick glance at the kitchen revealed granite countertops.

If not for the numerous toys and baby clothes strewn on the floor, it would have looked very similar to my home.

Will and I took the chairs while Faye sat on the couch. She rubbed her hands along her thighs and I waited for her to get comfortable.

"Are the kids asleep?" I asked when I didn't hear or see any of them.

"Yes. All three should be down for the night."

"Good. So, Gabby asked me to talk to you about your legal rights in terms of custody."

"He doesn't want the kids, but if he thinks I'm leaving, he'll fight me for them just to punish me."

"I understand," I said. "Legally, he can apply for custody. However, whether he would be granted custody is another story. That's where I come in."

She nodded.

"Tell me about your husband's behavior toward his children."

"He mainly ignores them. He works most of the time, but when he comes home late at night, and if he's had a bad day, he'll take it out on me or the kids. That's why I try to get them to sleep before he gets home. I can take care of myself, but I don't want him to bother them."

"Do you work?"

"I work from home. I'm a graphic designer and have a small business for myself."

"Great. Is it enough to provide for you and your children?"

"Not in a home like this, but I could get something smaller. I don't care where I live, as long as I have my kids with me."

"And are you sure you want to leave?"

"Yes."

"When were you thinking?"

"I'm done living like this. As soon as the paperwork is ready."

"Okay. We'll set out a plan and when the papers are ready, Gabby will have a safe place set up for you and the kids to live until you can get on your feet."

She inhaled sharply and let it out slowly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now let me take you through these papers step by step."

I moved to sit next to Faye on the couch and read through the legal jargon with her and explained what it all meant. She listened carefully and asked smart questions. I reassured her that I would not allow anything to happen to her or her kids. That I would fight in her corner until the matter was settled to her satisfaction. Tears welled in her eyes, and mine got a little misty as well.

I'd been so caught up speaking to Faye that I hadn't noticed Will was no longer in his chair. So, when he called from the window, I was surprised to see him there.

"What is it?" I asked.

He pulled back the curtain from the front window and frowned. "We have company."