Page 30 of I Don't Need Your Protection

Her mouth opens to retort, but I bend forward and say, “The boy you were with today—”

“Warner.”

“I don’t care for his name. What are his motivations?”

Her eyebrows shoot up. “Motivations? Like, hisagenda?”

“Yes.”

She throws her hands up. “To talk to the new student? I don’t know. Maybe he was trying to be nice and welcoming.”

I narrow my eyes as I ponder her words. “The guy doesnothave innocent intentions.”

“I can’t believe you. When my grandfather hired you to protect me, I’m sure that didn’t include denying me friends.”

“You can have friends. I just don’t trust that boy.”

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, well, you can’t exactly tell me what to do or who to hang out with. So if I want to hang out with ‘that boy,’then I will.”

I cross my arms over my chest, the corner of my lips twitching. “No, you’re right. I can’t tell you who to hang out with.”

“Good.”

“But if that boy harms you, he’ll regret the day he was born.”

“Well, he won’t harm me. So can you please stop acting like an overprotective dad?”

I hesitate as I once again see the pain in her eyes. As much as she misses her parents and old life, she wants to be happy. And didn’t I tell her during lunch that I want her to live a normal life here?

“I apologize.”

Her eyes widen a little. She tucks some hair behind her ear. “Oh, I didn’t expect you to say that.”

I sigh. “I’m not trying to be cruel, Addilyn. I’m just doing my job.”

“I get it. This place is huge and you don’t know who you can trust. But Warner is a good guy. He’s been going to this school since freshman year. My new friends think he’s nice. So you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Yes, I do.”

“What is it about him that you don’t trust?”

I don’t say anything, just keep my gaze on her.

“Is it just him or any guy that might flirt with me?”

“Anyone who gets close to you, be it male, female, teacher, student, or staff, they will instantly be suspicious to me.”

She grunts, crossing her arms over her chest.

I sigh again. “Like I said, you can hang out with whoever you want, but they’ll constantly be on my radar. And you need to be careful, too. The best defense is your brain and your instincts. It’s just temporary, Addilyn. Until the threat is gone.”

“What if they never find the people who want me dead? Am I going to live like this for the rest of my life? In hiding? Not knowing who to trust?”

“They’ll find them.”

She lifts a brow. “How are you so sure?”

“Because your grandfather hired the best of the best.”