Page 110 of Protected By the Sinner

I nod, knowing he needs to let all that rage out. His father stole his family and ordered his death. Amos deserves his own closure.

I walk out of the cabin without looking back, already forgetting the deranged bastard.

My mind is on her now.

Amber.

The woman who doesn’t know how to follow orders.

Chapter 52

I pace back and forth in the apartment.

This was the first place he brought me after that day he took me from my hotel in Richardson. It feels like years have passed since then, not just a few months. So much has changed.

Before, I thought I should just be grateful for surviving those monsters, but now I don’t just want more—I demand it. Complete happiness.

The adrenaline has worn off, and now the weight of what Elodie and I did finally hits me.

I’m a bundle of nerves—it’s been almost seven hours since Beau left.

When we arrived, Roman told me a doctor was coming to examine Elodie and me, per Beau’s instructions.

I didn’t argue. I know that going to Tobias’s cabin without my fiancé knowing will make things difficult between us for awhile, even though I never intended to put myself, our baby, or Elodie in danger.

I’m upset about sneaking out earlier today, hiding the fact that I went to confirm with my sister whether our hunch was right—that Tobias was still in Texas.

But at the same time, I know there was no other choice. We needed to stop him, and if Beau had gone there with his men, the bastard might have escaped.

When we parked in front of the cabin and saw a car hidden deep in the woods, camouflaged, we knew we’d found him.

I was more afraid of telling Beau what we’d done and where we were than I was of Tobias catching us.

He doesn’t scare me like he used to. In fact, none of those elders do. It’s easy to intimidate children when you’re over six feet tall.

But I’m not the same girl who once ran away with Elodie. Meeting Beau changed everything. I don’t just feel protected by his side—I feel ready to fight. And that means doing whatever it takes to protect my family, even if it means going after that piece of trash myself.

Time was passing, my pregnancy advancing, and they still hadn’t found him. Then, in a conversation with my sister, we remembered this place. It’s on the farm’s land, but so far from the main house and so well hidden that no one would ever stumble across it unless they were actively searching.

When I told Beau on the phone where we were, I was terrified he’d be disappointed in me again for keeping something from him. But hours have passed since then, and I’ve had time to think more clearly.

After the doctor confirmed I was fine, he examined my sister and gave her a sedative so she could rest.

I, however, feel restless and ready for war.

I love my fiancé, but I won’t accept being wrapped in cotton wool. If he wants me by his side, he needs to accept that I can fight—and most of all, make my own decisions too.

I head to the kitchen to get some water and see Roman sitting in the downstairs living room, in the dark.

I plan to walk right past him because now that my memory’s back, I remember Beau was telling the truth when he said we never really got along, but his voice stops me.

“You have no idea what he was like before he met you.”

I freeze, barely believing he’s actually speaking to me. He ignored me the entire drive to Dallas and ever since we got here. “What do you mean?”

He reaches out and turns on the lamp. “I’ve known him for almost two decades. I was his neighbor at the last house they lived in before Landon, his adoptive father, finally left them. I had my own dysfunctional family, but nothing like what went on in that house.”

“Tell me.”