Claimed by my Unexpected Protector

Chapter Fourteen

Benny’s POV

I’ve been driving for nearly an hour, and there is no sign of her, maybe she did get a ride from someone . . . I should turn around and just head home, but something deep is nagging at me, a feeling in the pit of my stomach, which stops me from doing just that.

I take another turning, one that takes me out of the town, the lights of civilization fading behind me as the storm lashes around my truck. The road becomes narrower, sidewalks replaced by grass verges that come up to half the height of my tyres, the green blades taking on a swampy look from the downpour.

It's black all around me, the thunderous clouds turning the world dark as I hunch over my steering wheel, glaring through the windscreen in hope of seeing Eralia’s lone figure ahead. Two miles and there is nothing, and I’m about to give up, accept that even if she is walking, I’m looking for a needle in a haystack. I don’t want to, but at some point I have to accept defeat, I start to slow the truck, looking for a lane or driveway that I can use to turn around when, ahead, I make out red lights. I frown as I travel closer, realising that they aren’t moving. Has the driver broken down? S.hit, can he or she even get cell service in this weather?

I come up behind the vehicle, realising it’s a truck not unlike my own, the plates are covered in mud making them unreadable. I roll to a stop, pulling on the break and throwing open my door, about to call out when screaming reaches me. My muscles tense, the screams are terrified, audible, even over the wind and rain. Slamming my door, I run toward the vehicle in front, moving around the side, the area semi lit by my own lights as I find a man and woman struggling. The man has her in a tight grip from behind, his arm around her, dragging her toward the rear door as she fights with everything she has.

As the pair turn, the man no doubt trying to reach the door handle, the woman’s face comes into view, wild with fear under my main beam, Eralia.

‘What the f***k are you doing with her? Let her the f***k go, right now!’ I roar, racing toward them as the man freezes, Eralia’s gaze sweeping toward me as unfettered relief floods her white face.

‘Mind your business’ the older man growls, aggressively.

‘It is my business, when some asshole is dragging a woman into his vehicle against her will’ I retort, reaching them both and glancing at the bakery assistant, letting her know it’s going to be OK.

‘I said, mind your business’ the man snarls a second time, ‘before I make you.’

I bark out a laugh, shaking my head, ‘I wouldn’t start what you can’t finish man’ I retort.

The stranger shoves Eralia against the truck, her head hitting the window before she falls to her knees, crying out in pain.

My temper flares immediately, my instincts kicking in as he swings awkwardly at me with no finess. Dodging the wild punch, I grab him by the arm, swinging him around, and throwing him with practiced ease against his own truck before turning him back toward me as his eyes widen in shock.

I grab his jacket in my fists, pulling him toward me before slamming him back into the rear door and pressing my forearm to his throat.

‘Like I said, don’t start things you can’t finish’ I growl into his face.

‘Look man, she’s my daughter . . she ran away . . I’m just taking her back to her ma’ he tells me.

I don’t even look away as I call out to the bakery assistant, ‘you know this man Eralia?’

‘N . . no’ she manages to stutter as she pushes unsteadily to her feet again.

‘He’s not your old man?’ I press, applying more pressure to the man’s throat as he starts to gasp from the restriction on his windpipe.

‘No’ she repeats clearer this time, ‘he stopped to offer me a ride then grabbed me when I said no and tried to make me get in his car.’

The guy’s face is turning red as I growl loudly, ‘you put your hands on her? Tried to force her into your car? Is that what you did?’ I demand, fire burning through my veins.

‘Nah man, I was just trying to help her out, she’s got it all wrong, I wasn’t gonna harm her’ he gargles desperately, his fingers clawing at my arm as the force on his windpipe increases to the point he can’t breathe.

‘You f.ucking liar’ I snarl, ‘you lying piece of f.ucking s.hit.’

Pushing back from him, I bring back my fist and slam it straight into his face. The stranger drops to the floor like a dead weight, eyes rolling back as Eralia screams in shock.

‘Don’t worry, he’ll be OK, just have a hell of a headache when he wakes up’ I growl as I drag his limp body out of the way and tug open the back door before hoisting him up, over my shoulder and shoving him into the back seat.

Slamming the door, I tug open the driver’s door, turning off the ignition and pulling out the keys before shutting it again. I step back, raising my arm in a pitcher’s stance and throw as hard as I can over the roof of the truck, the keys disappearing into the muddy mess at the side of the road.

‘W . . what? . .’ Eralia gasps.

‘I wrap my fingers gingerly around her arm, leading her toward my own vehicle, the young woman allowing me to do so.

‘Just giving him something to occupy him when he wakes up’ I reply grimly. ‘Maybe searching for his keys for a few hours will make him think twice about grabbing women off the road. Plus, if he manages to find them, his battery will most likely be dead from the lights being on, so he’ll have a few hours waiting for someone to come get him to think about his life choices tonight.’

I walk around my truck and pull open the passenger door, releasing Eralia and waving a hand as she stares at me blankly.

‘Get in’ I order bluntly.

Finally, she becomes a little more animated, shaking her head, ‘no, it’s fine, I don’t need a ride’ she babbles, ‘I’ll be OK now.’

I glower at the stubborn woman in front of me as she flinches under my intense glare.

‘I am not leaving you here’ I reply firmly.

Eralia meets my gaze, her own stubbornness flaring in her dark brown eyes.

‘I do not want a ride Benny’ she snaps, the sound of my name on her lips sending a shiver through me.

‘Fine’ I shrug, ‘then you can walk . . .’

‘Thank y. . .’ she starts

‘But I’ll be driving along right behind you until you get home’ I add, smirking as her mouth falls open in shock.

‘You can’t follow me home’ she shrieks.

‘How will you stop me?’ I ask idly, pushing the wet hair out of my eyes and silently cursing that yet again, I am soaked to the skin despite my outward, calm expression.

‘Well I’ll . . .’ she stalls her eyes narrowing cutely, ‘you can’t just . . .’

‘I can and I will’ I retort smirking, ‘get in the truck, don’t get in the truck, but I’m going to escort you back to your house.’

We stare at each other, neither of us speaking before with a huff of anger, she drops her bag from her shoulder and climbs into my truck, slamming the door harder than necessary as I step back, making me chuckle.

Sliding back behind the wheel, I buckle my seatbelt and crank up the heating again, man this rain is like ice!

Eralia huddles back into her seat, arms wrapped tightly around her bag as she stares mutinously ahead.

‘Seatbelt’ I remind her, earning myself another flicked glare of defiance.

Shaking my head, I lean over her, making the bakery assistance flinch back, snapping her attention to me as she presses into the seat.

‘What are you doing?’ she demands, her voice a little shrill.

‘Well, if you won’t buckle your belt, then I will’ I reply, continuing to reach for the belt hanging beside her, ‘it’s a rule in my truck, everyone wears a seatbelt.’

‘I can do it myself’ she mutters, reaching under my own arm and snatching the belt connector, tugging it across her boy as I sit back, grinning in victory.

‘Oh shut up’ she mumbles as the familiar click fills the cab.

‘I didn’t say a word’ I reply, putting the truck into gear before pulling around the asshole’s vehicle, Damn I hope he never finds those keys, and continuing to follow the road ahead of us.

‘So’ I ask after a few minutes of swkward silence, ‘where do you live?’

Eralia hesitates for a moment before she mutters reluctantly, ‘I’m not going home.’

I frown at her words, ‘so where are you going?’ I query, please don’t say a boyfriend’s house, f***k me, I beg you, don’t say that.

The bakery worker stiffens, her eyes staring out the windscreen before she finally replies, ‘I have to go to the elementary school, I have to pick my kids up.’