Page 23 of Ruined By Protection (Feretti Syndicate #5)

I move toward a rack of coats, trying to shake off the sensation. The store suddenly seems too large, too open. Too many places someone could hide.

My hands shake as I pretend to examine a camel-color coat. Breathe , I tell myself. Just breathe. You're safe here.

But the feeling intensifies—someone watching, waiting. My skin prickles with rising goosebumps.

I turn slowly, scanning the store again. A man browsing ties. Two women by the shoes. The sales associate helping Lucrezia. Matteo by the door.

Nothing unusual. No one looking at me.

Yet the sensation crawls over me like insects, making me shiver violently.

He found me. Elliott found me.

The thought slams into me with such force that I gasp. My vision narrows, tunneling to pinpricks of light. I can't breathe. I can't think.

I half stumble to one side, colliding with a display. Clothes tumble to the floor but I barely notice. My eyes dart frantically around the store, searching for him in every shadow, behind every rack.

Breathe. Control. Maintain control.

But panic rises like a tide, drowning rational thought. My chest heaves as I struggle for air.

Suddenly, hands grip my shoulders from behind. Large, male hands.

I scream, twisting away violently. "No!"

"Hazel, it's me." Matteo's voice cuts through the fog of terror.

But I can't stop. Can't process. All I feel are hands on me, restraining me.

"Don't touch me!" I shriek, backing away. "Don't touch me!"

Matteo immediately steps back, raising his hands. "Okay. I'm not touching you. You're safe."

My back hits the wall and I slide down it, hugging my knees to my chest. The store has gone silent, everyone staring.

"Hazel." Lucrezia's voice now, gentle and close. She kneels beside me, not touching, just present. "You're okay. You're with us."

I stare at her, trying to anchor myself in her calm eyes.

"He's not here," she continues, her voice steady. "You're safe."

Slowly, the panic recedes enough for me to draw a proper breath. I realize I'm trembling violently, my clothes damp with cold sweat.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, mortified by my outburst.

Lucrezia shakes her head and carefully, telegraphing her movements, puts her arms around me. "Don't apologize. Not ever for this."

I lean into her embrace, letting her warmth seep into my frozen limbs. Over her shoulder I see Matteo watching us, his face a mask of restrained fury.

"I thought—" I swallow hard. "I felt like someone was watching me."

"Just us," Lucrezia assures me, stroking my hair. "Just us."

Matteo

I'm across the boutique in three strides, every muscle in my body rigid with fury. Seeing Hazel collapse—trembling, terrified, trapped in some private hell—ignites something primal inside me. A killing rage.

"Get the car," I tell Lucrezia, my voice barely recognizable. I fish the keys from my pocket and toss them to her without looking. "Pull it up in the back alley."

She catches them one-handed, her eyes flicking between me and Hazel. "What about?—"

"Now." The word comes out like a gunshot.

Lucrezia nods once and hurries toward the exit, stopping only to whisper something to the sales associate, who immediately begins ushering the other customers toward the front of the store.

I stand perfectly still, hands clenched at my sides, watching Hazel shake against the wall.

Her face is ashen, tears streaming silently down her cheeks.

Every instinct screams at me to go to her, to gather her against my chest and shield her from whatever demons are tormenting her.

But I saw how she recoiled from my touch.

Don't touch me!

Her terrified plea echoes in my head, fueling the inferno building inside me. I've killed men for less than what Elliott Montgomery has done to her. But this—this is different. This is personal in a way nothing has ever been.

I want to find this bastard and make him suffer. I want to take my time with him. Make him feel every ounce of fear he's instilled in her. Make him beg for a mercy that will never come.

Hazel's breathing has slowed but she still hugs her knees tightly to her chest, her eyes vacant and red-rimmed. A single tear tracks down her cheek and something twists painfully in my chest.

"Everyone's gone," I say, keeping my voice soft, controlled. "Just us now."

She blinks, slowly coming back to herself, and nods.

"Lucrezia's bringing the car around. We'll take the rear exit. No one will see you."

Another nod. She swipes at her tears with trembling fingers.

"Can you stand?" I ask.

She takes a deep breath and pushes herself up, using the wall for support. Her legs wobble and I step forward instinctively, then force myself to stop.

"I won't touch you," I promise. "But I'm right here if you need me."

Hazel's eyes find mine and the raw vulnerability there makes me want to burn the world down. "I'm sorry," she whispers.

"Don't." The word comes out sharper than I intended. I modulate my tone. "You have nothing to apologize for. Nothing."

She wraps her arms around herself, still shaking slightly. "I ruined the shopping trip."

"Fuck the shopping trip." I glance toward the door where the sales associate hovers anxiously. "We can have anything you want delivered to the house."

My phone buzzes with a text from Lucrezia. Car waiting.

"Time to go," I tell Hazel. "Think you can make it to the door?"

She nods, straightening her shoulders with visible effort. Even now, after everything, there's a core of steel in her that refuses to break. It makes me want to protect her more fiercely.

I lead the way to the rear exit, clearing a path and keeping a careful distance. The sales associate unlocks the door for us and I give her a nod of thanks as we step outside into the alley where the Audi waits, engine running.

Lucrezia sits behind the wheel and I open the back door for Hazel. She slides in without a word and I follow, sitting beside her. Giving her space.

As we pull out onto the street I finally let myself observe her properly. Her face is pale, her eyes red and swollen. She stares out the window, still trembling slightly.

The rage rises again, hot and violent. I want to put my fist through something. Preferably Elliott Montgomery's face. I want to make him pay for every tear, every moment of fear, every fucking bruise on her body.

"I want to take it all away," I say, not giving a damn if Lucrezia hears me. Hazel turns and locks her beautiful eyes on mine. "Every fear, every nightmare, every bad memory. I want to erase him from your life completely."

A tear spills down her cheek and I have to grip the door handle to keep from reaching for her.

"You can't," she whispers.

"Watch me."