“What—” she started to ask but couldn’t finish her words. “What…” She sat there, her cheek stinging, her nose clogged with drying blood and he was there, standing there—really standing there—with dirty boots, a gun, and a freaking flashlight.

“What’s what?” he asked harshly.

“What…” she actually wanted to ask him how he came here and why he looked like that. But her attention was again taken by the sound of Mr. Scarred Eye’s groan. “What did you do? Did you shoot him?” she asked instead.

“Did you hear a shot ring out?” he asked sarcastically, kicking Mr. Scarred Eye in the gut which sent him to roll on his back. Henry Bell then circled towards her back and worked on her already loose binds.

“What are you doing here? How did you find me? Do you know these guys?”

“Shut up, Dalton. I’m really pissed right now.”

“What?” she asked incredulously. “Pissed? With who? Me? What did I do?” she demanded, standing up when her hands were free. She felt for her cheek and winced, then she wiped her nose, and stared at the back of her hands. “Oh my God, I’m bleeding. My skin’s ruined.”

“Hey!” Henry shouted, gaining her attention. “Are you for real? Don’t you realize that you’ve just been kidnapped and that those guys outside could rouse any minute now?”

She looked at him strangely, feeling lost. “Didn’t you take care of them?”

“I did, but I didn’t kill them,” he snatched her hand and pulled her towards the door. “We have to go now.”

“Ow!” she shouted, taking her hand back. “It hurts! Oh my God,” she winced, massaging her hand.

“Can’t you just shut up for once? You could have been killed with that mouth of yours!” he shouted at her and without warning, bent down to carry her across and over his shoulders.

“What the hell are you doing? Bell! Get me down, you bastard!”

“Now I’m the bastard,” he grunted as he straightened on his feet and started walking. “I just saved you and I’m the bastard?”

“Get me down!” she wailed her arms around.

“If you don’t shut up, I’ll leave you to these guys and I won’t look back, understand? Just shut up!”

“How—” she started, but closed her mouth. He was freaking serious with his threat, she knew that, so she tried real hard not to open her mouth.

Henry carried her all the way and he never stopped for a rest. The man had been running at some point even, imagine that! And she had been really quiet. It was probably the longest time she endured the urge to say something and it was a record for her.

“You can put me down now, Bell. The shack is out of sight,” she finally uttered.

He did just that. But not like some knight who gently placed down the damsel in distress. He literally let go of her legs and arm and it sent her slipping off his shoulders and on the ground. “Hey! Watch it!”

Her guardian just looked down at her and said, “Get up. We have to go.”

“You’re such a bastard!” she cried out, flipping her hands out to take off some mud, straightened her dress which was now good for nothing because it looked like clay. “Ugh! I hate you!”

“Oh, that’s how you talk to your guardian now? The one you’ve been bragging about earlier?”

Angelica froze. “You heard that?”

“Of course I did. You didn’t care how loud you get…” he started to walk away and she stumbled, jumping from one spot to another, evading as much muddy area as possible.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t wear my Prada,” she muttered.

“Faster, Dalton, we don’t have much time before those guys come after us,” Bell cried over his shoulder.

“Coming!” she hissed back with fury.

 *****

Henry was trying to control himself not to shout at Angelica. It would do no good, and it would not make anything less complicated. The woman, as he now knew, had lied to him.

“Get in the car,” he ordered.

“Don’t order me—”

He opened the passenger side and looked at her pointedly. “Get. In. The. Car.”

“Fine!” she gritted and climbed inside.

He slammed the door and ran to the driver’s side. When he got in, she looked away and positioned her body towards her side of window. He chose not to say a word and focused on getting as far away from the place as possible. He had never lost his temper to anyone before and he was finding it hard to cool his head.

“You told me you were not in danger,” he uttered when he finally calmed down.

“I thought I was not, okay?” she snapped, turning her head at his direction.

“Then why did those guys take you? What were they looking for?”

“I don’t know, okay? You tell me. You obviously know a lot about these things than I do. You were friends with my father and he appointed you to be my guardian. Why is that?”

So, she really didn’t have an idea why her father entrusted her to a guardian. That much he could tell, but he knew she was lying when she said she didn’t know what her kidnappers were looking for. “I’ve been trying to answer the very same question myself,” he answered.

“Who are you really? As far as I know you’re a lawyer and Philip’s friend—”

“Oh, so you know about me already?”

“Yeah, of course I do. Everything about Philip, I know,” she said shamelessly.

You don’t know he forced his wife to marry him, he wanted to say. “You’re too honest for your own good, Dalton.”

“I speak what I want to say.”

Henry nodded and shot his ward a glance, “I know. And that’s why I know you’re lying when you said you don’t know what those men are looking for.”

He saw her open her mouth then closed it again. “And if I do? What’s it to you?”

“I’m your guardian. I have the right to know.”

“Who said I’m accepting you to be my guardian? After tonight, I don’t think I know you at all. Lawyers don’t usually carry guns and follow kidnappers—” she stopped, her thoughts obviously changing their course because she was now leaning towards him, her eyes questioning, “Wait a minute. How did you know where they took me anyway? Were you following me? Oh my God, you’re stalking me now?”

“What?!” he cried in disbelief. Where did her thoughts come from? Is she really for real? “What the hell are you talking about? I was watching out for you outside the hospital. I was not stalking you,” he gave his last sentence a good punctuated sound just to be clear.

“Why were you watching out for me?” she asked.

“Because I knew you were in trouble. I can spot a lie as easily as you can spot men.” Okay, he did not really mean that. It just came out of his stupid mouth.

He sensed that she was offended by his statement, but she did not say anything about it. It was like she was used to hearing that sort of things. “Why?” she asked once again, “Why did my father ask you to be my guardian?”

Henry looked at her for a brief few seconds, breaking his sight out of the road. “Because he thought you’ll be in danger.”

“He did? Why?”

His eyes closed in frustration and he took a deep breath. The lady sure knew how to test his patience. “Why do you have to ask a lot of why’s? Just accept the freaking answer that your father thinks you’re in trouble and he asked me to protect you. Period.”

“Why you?”

“God, really? Stop with the why already,” he complained.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” she shouted. “I am lost here, okay? I need answers.”

“Asking why your father chose me to protect you won’t answer any questions. Now, let me ask the most crucial one here. Where are the documents those guys were looking for?”

Angelica pushed away and leaned back against her seat. “It’s in the hospital.”

“And what are they about?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed. When he just looked at her, she snapped her head at him, “What? I don’t really know, okay?”

That look in her eyes told him she was telling the truth. “You didn’t see them? How can you say you have them?”

“I have them, well, at least I think,” she held up her hand when he opened his mouth. “But it’s in a saving device. I can’t open it. But I really have a feeling it’s what they are looking for.”

“Did your father give it to you?”

“No, I found it in his study.”

“Today?”

“Yes, today. It was a good thing he kept it there and not in his room or those guys would have found it already when they sneaked in—”

“What? What did you say?” he asked when she did not finish her sentence.

“Nothing,” she shook her head.

“No, you were telling me someone sneaked into your father’s room.”

“I didn’t say it was my father’s room. Wait, you know?”

Henry rolled his eyes. “Who wouldn’t? The place was a mess.”

“Then why are you still asking me?”

“To be sure if you knew about it or not, and you obviously know about it, and you were obviously trying to keep it a secret.”

“Whatever…” she muttered, closing her eyes.

“We’re not done talking yet,” he pointed out.

“I’m tired. Just drive.”

 *****

“I can’t go in there looking like this,” she told him when they arrived at the hospital. “People will wonder.”

“You just got kidnapped, almost got killed because of your stupid mouth, and even now as we waste time talking about how you look people are coming to get something from you and you still have the time to drag this mess? Just get out of the car and we’ll get that device. What are you waiting for? Move,” ordered with his eyes.

“But—”

“I can carry you on my shoulders if you want.” That did it as he had thought. She growled at him before opening the door.

“I’ll tell everyone I saved you that’s why I look like this,” she stated as they briskly walked towards the emergency doors.

“You know what? You don’t have to do that. No one will care what you look inside a hospital.”

“In my case, people will care. My colleagues will wonder.”

“Whatever. But don’t say anything unless someone insists that you explain, okay?”

“Shut up,” she shot back at him, pushing the emergency doors open.

She led him towards a series of corridors and people both injured, sick, or working, thankful that no one stopped to look at her. Henry was probably right. No one will notice. But there were always some parts of the hospital that didn’t welcome dirty people and they would have to pass through it before they could reach the doctor’s lounge.

“We have to be fast and careful—what are you doing? No, you can’t have that in here. Are you stupid? How did you get through with it?” she asked, horrified, seeing him holding a gun.

“We went through the emergency doors. Police of all kinds enter the area. There was no detector. And don’t worry, this is just for precaution. Go do your thing and I’ll see to it that you’ll be safe,” he answered with enough sarcasm she wanted to kick him right on the groin. After all, she found out how effective it really was—just like in the movies. And she had a lot of practice earlier.

“Excuse me, what are you doing here?” a nurse suddenly popped out of nowhere.

“Hey, Rob, it’s me, Dr. Dalton. I’m sorry, just some trouble with my car earlier. I’m here to change,” she forced a smile, noticed Henry behind her and she prayed really hard that he hid his gun out of sight. “And this is my friend,” she pointed her thumb behind her.

“Ah, sure,” Rob was scratching his head as they walked away towards the door of the doctor’s lounge.

“Okay, we’re safe,” she whispered when they finally entered the room.

“Where’s the device?”

“It’s here,” she walked towards the small kitchen and at the table where she left her computer. Good thing about the room was that it was full of people who were too busy to clean up their mess, so you’d always find your things where you left them without a trace that someone had touched them. “Do you think it would disable or something if I try out some possible passwords?” she asked.

Henry’s gaze turned serious as he frowned down at the screen. “I don’t know. I’ll have to check it out.”

“Oh, so now you’re an expert with computers? We have to find someone who is more capable.”

“Who?”

“The police perhaps? Look, I know you’re trying to fulfill your part as my guardian and all but I don’t really know you enough to trust you with this.”

His frowned deepened as he turned his head to look at her. “What are you planning to do then?”

“Call the police. That’s what I should have done this morning in the first place,” she said simply, shrugging her shoulders. “They might give me protection or something then.”

“You don’t have to do that,” he stated, looking back at the screen, dismissing the topic.

“Of course I can and I’m doing it right now. I’ll call the police,” she made a move for the phone but his hand was too quick to grab hers. “What are you doing?”

“You don’t have to call the police, okay?”

“And why is that?” she tilted her chin in challenge.

She saw him struggle for a second before he closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he said, “Because I am the police.”