Protecting You ("The Shadows" Series: Book I)

XIV.

Ryan's POV

"I'm sorry man. I really am. I shouldn't have taken you to the club last night." Evan continued rambling as my thoughts wandered to the brunette who had just left my house. She surprised me every second.

The way I shouted at her, if there was any other girl in her place, she would have cried in fear. But she just flipped me as if nothing affected her in any way. That made me think about her background. Has she been treated worse than this? How did her family treat her?

"Have you checked her background again?" I asked. He stopped saying whatever he was speaking as he looked at me when I turned to face him.

"Who?" I rolled my eyes. He nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. I have the file with me in here." He said as he began to search his table in our office and took out a file after a while. He passed it to me. I flipped the pages as I read it thoroughly.

Then it clicked.

"This is ridiculous. We don't know anything. That's not possible for any normal person. She isn't a normal life girl that we come across and is sassy and can bear pain so easily. There is something that she is hiding from us. The way she reacted to her wound last night-"

"What wound?" He cut me off.

I told him everything that happened last night except our private moments. He listened carefully to my every word and nodded.

"We need to keep keen observation on her. I'll send more of my men to follow her and I'll try to find more information." He said.

"Go get some rest first. You were nearly out cold last night. And don't drink like that ever again in public." I scolded lightly. He shook his head as if embarrassed and left. I went to my computer and saw an email from my father.

Call me asap.

I pulled out my cellphone from my back pocket and called him. This was send to me an hour ago. He could've just called me.

"What is it? Is everything alright?" I asked as soon as he picked up.

"It's Anthony."

Lily's POV

I reached the hotel room. It was my father's hotel so I already had a room booked under his name but I used it. He had it under his name on purpose so that no one could find me. Fair enough. Who would want to search for him? He is available anytime.

I laid on the bed with my back resting on it as I waited for the room service to bring me what I had ordered for lunch. I was here for about two hours. Still in the dress that Ryan had given to me, I lay there comfortably scrolling through my phone's gallery. I had secretly taken some pictures of Ryan, more like downloaded them from Google. He was famous AF.

His face was blank in every picture but his eyes held different emotions that I couldn't pinpoint. He looked so handsome, no doubt there were women throwing themselves on him every chance they got. I hated myself on how in such a short time I started to feel something for him. He always kept himself distant with most people around him but the way he had treated me last night felt like I was some porcelain doll that would break if he put more pressure. He was so careful with me, I almost melted in his arms. There was something that constricted him from opening up to me or anybody else for that matter. I knew oh-so-well that he should be like a leader since he was supposed to control his gang. But people like him needed someone who could support them when they needed it and I was willing to be the one.

I just had to trust him. That was a little difficult for both of us. Being in a mafia life leaves you with nothing but a trait of being suspicious on the next thing you see. We both had to work on that if we were to marry each other.