Protect Her

Chapter Six

Camryn

"Is this it, momma?" Riley tugged on my hand, looking up at me as we stood In front of a glass building towering above us. If I had any doubts that this was the right place, all I had to do was look up. The name Bennett was plastered in ten-foot-high letters at the top of it.

All morning I fought back-and-forth with myself about whether I was actually going to do this, and even standing right here in front of his office, I still was. When I walked inside those doors, there would be no going back. I would leave Robby and I could only hope that would be the end. No more coverups, no more lies, no more of the abuse. I was escaping one devil and signing a deal with another.

I did a little research on Derek Bennett since our meeting, and he was no saint himself. There was nothing concrete, but there were all kinds of rumors and allegations swirling around about his ties to organized crime. Cole alluded to the fact he had the power to make things happen that most people couldn't. Was I crazy for getting involved with a guy like this? For taking my daughter to his office and trusting him with both of our lives? Robby was dangerous, but he was at least the kind of dangerous that I'd grown accustomed to. I knew what to expect from him, but Derek was a total wildcard. Which was better?

I sucked in a sharp breath. Only time would tell.

"This is it!" I put a big fake smile on so Riley wouldn't have any idea how conflicted I felt on the inside. I needed to make this easy and normal for her, so there was as little disruption to her world as possible. That wouldn't be easy, considering I was going to take her to a new town and she would hopefully never see her father again. Children were resilient, but this was asking a lot and I had to hold on to the hope it would be worth it in the end. She could handle a bit of distress now if it meant she was alive and she was safe.

"Why does your friend's work have so many windows?" She twisted her sweet face a bit, appraising the building in front of us.

I shrugged, a smile tugging on my lips. "I guess he likes the sunshine. Why don't we go inside and ask him?"

Riley nodded enthusiastically and pulled my hand, leading us inside the building. The lobby was jam-packed full of people going in one way or the other, and I was already overwhelmed. I hadn't thought to ask which floor he worked on and the text he sent me hadn't specified. There was an information desk nearby, and I made my way over to it to ask.

"Excuse me?" I smiled at the security guard. "I'm here to meet with Derek Bennett. Can you tell me which floor he is on?"

The guard arched his eyebrow, smirking at me. "Ma'am, you think I am just going to let you waltz up to Mr. Bennett without any kind of proper identification? His visitors usually come with a special badge and prearranged approval. You may think you're smart, but you're not the first pretty girl to try to sneak up to meet Mr. Bennett."

I let out a sharp laugh. "You think I would bring my daughter if I was trying to hook up with him?"

He shrugged, chuckling. "You'd be surprised by the things I have seen. Come back when you have the proper clearances if you're not here for a meal ticket."

I was a little taken aback by the way he was speaking to me.

"Actually, Hank..." A man in a crisp business suit and a sharp smile appeared at the desk next to me. "I believe the proper protocol is for you to call upstairs and check with Mr. Bennett's assistant to see if he has any visitors on the list for the day. And once you get confirmation from her that Mrs. Hastings is exactly where she is supposed to be, you offer her and her daughter a bottle of cold water or a bag of popcorn and escort them to marketing so she can get that special badge. And then you're supposed to take her upstairs personally, so she knows where to go. You remember that, don't you?"