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Max rolled his eyes. “Where is your bodyguard? Why isn’t he with you?”
“Kane? I fired him last month. The poor guy hates kids, and Hazel couldn’t seem to leave him alone,” Valerie replied while shaking her head.
“I can’t believe this! So, you have been going around unprotected?” Max asked disapprovingly, pursing his lips.
“Worry about yourself, big brother. Walker isn’t after me, and I sure as hell don’t look like Maxi,” Valerie teased.
At the mention of his name, Tesiera’s hands clenched into fists.
Max looked at her and their eyes locked. The world around them disappeared, and sparks seemed to fly between them. They got lost in each other’s gaze.
Valerie cleared her throat, and they both looked away, breaking the connection.
What the hell was that? Tesiera wondered.
Max turned to face his sister, who arched her eyebrows, with a suspicious smile on her face. He deliberately ignored it. “I would have assigned a team to you, but Harvey just left with his team,” he stated.
Max had informed his chief of security that he’d hired the new protector he required, and Harvey had packed up his men and left an hour ago. It felt satisfying to see the dozens of security personnel depart.
“Bose and Clinton will accompany you to your appointment, and I’ll take Hazel home with me. The three of you can come to my home when you’re finished,” Max said.
“That’s not necessary,” Valerie protested.
“Bose, Clinton, go with my sister. I don’t need to remind you that I’ll have your balls if anything happens to her on your watch,” he said to the men.
“We’ll protect her with our lives,” Bose declared.
“Anything to keep the balls safe, sir,” Clinton confirmed.
Max nodded firmly. Valerie knew how her brother was when he’d made up his mind, so she let out a loud sigh and gave in reluctantly. He watched her go into the hospital, flanked by his best men, and best friends.
Hazel put her hand in Tesiera’s, jolting the woman. Tesiera stared at the three-year-old. “My name is Hazel. Who are you?”
Tesiera looked at the little hand holding hers in bewilderment. She had never seen hands that small up close. Her brows knitted as she stared at the little girl like she was an alien.
Thankfully, the child didn’t wait for her to respond before she rattled on, “My birthday will come soon. You will come to my birthday party, right?”
Tesiera blinked twice.
“What happened to your face?” The girl asked. “Did you fall down?”
She turned and glared in the direction of where Bose had gone.
“I like your hair. It’s purple,” Hazel said, and then scooted back to her uncle. “Can you tell Mummy to make my hair purple for my birthday?”
“That’s red, sweetheart. And I don’t think your mama will agree to that.” Max lifted her up and began walking to the parking lot.
Tesiera followed closely behind them. Unconsciously, her hand touched the hair the child just complimented. For a split second, Tesiera wondered just how broken she was; she couldn’t even communicate with a child. An unfamiliar feeling coursed through her, but it made her uncomfortable, so she pushed it away.
They were a few steps from his car, when she noticed his eyes on her. He was watching her intently. It made her uneasy, so she averted her eyes.
“I’ll get Hazel in the car and—” Max's sentence was cut short when a knife, hurtled from out of nowhere, flew towards him. He twisted to shield Hazel, and Tesiera just as quickly shielded him, stopping the knife between her hands, a hair’s breadth from her forehead.
Hazel shrieked in panic. “It came from over there,” Max pointed as he bounced the crying child in his arms.
She nodded, her keen eyes skimmed their surroundings, looking for any sign of the threat. “We’re being attacked!”
Five motorcycles headed toward them at full speed.