Under His Guard
568 Words
CHAPTER SIX: Under His Guard
Nathaniel didn’t hesitate.
The moment Marcus Hale took another step forward, Nathaniel shifted Maryann behind him, one arm spread wide as a shield. His other hand slipped into his jacket—not for a weapon, but for his phone.
“Get back,” Nathaniel said, voice calm and lethal.
Marcus smiled. It was the same smile Maryann remembered from her nightmares—thin, knowing, cruel.
“So,” Marcus drawled, eyes fixed on Maryann as if Nathaniel didn’t exist, “you finally found someone brave enough to stand in front of you.”
Maryann’s nails dug into Nathaniel’s coat. Her body trembled despite herself.
“Leave her alone,” Nathaniel said. “This ends tonight.”
Marcus laughed softly and took another step.
That was his mistake.
Nathaniel moved fast—faster than Maryann expected. He shoved Marcus back with force, sending him crashing into the side of the car. The sound echoed sharply in the quiet street.
Marcus snarled and swung.
The punch landed against Nathaniel’s jaw.
Maryann screamed.
Nathaniel staggered only a step before retaliating. Years of restrained anger exploded as he drove Marcus into the pavement, fists flying—not wild, but controlled. Focused.
“Don’t,” Nathaniel growled between blows. “Ever. Touch. Her.”
Marcus clawed desperately, managing to land a sharp elbow to Nathaniel’s ribs. Pain flared, but Nathaniel didn’t stop until the man lay gasping beneath him.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
Nathaniel froze, breathing hard.
He stood, dragged Maryann into his arms, and turned away as police lights flooded the street with red and blue. Marcus cursed from the ground, eyes burning with hatred as officers restrained him.
Maryann’s legs gave out.
Nathaniel caught her instantly.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered fiercely. “I won’t let him near you again. I swear it.”
That night, Maryann didn’t go home.
Nathaniel took her to a high-rise building guarded by security at every entrance. The elevator ride was silent except for her uneven breathing.
Inside the apartment, everything was clean, quiet, safe.
Too safe.
She stood stiffly near the door, arms wrapped around herself.
“This is temporary,” Nathaniel said gently. “I have security here. Cameras. Guards. He won’t get within fifty meters of you.”
She looked at him then—really looked.
A faint bruise darkened his jaw. Blood spotted his knuckles.
“You got hurt because of me,” she whispered.
He crossed the room in two strides and cupped her face, forcing her to meet his eyes.
“I got hurt because someone tried to take what matters to me,” he said. “There’s a difference.”
Her breath hitched.
“I’m scared,” she admitted.
“I know,” he said, pulling her into his chest. “That’s why you’re staying.”
She clutched his shirt, grounding herself in the steady beat of his heart.
“Just until this is over,” she said weakly.
Nathaniel’s lips brushed her hair.
“This is over when you’re safe,” he replied. “And not a second before.”
Later, as Maryann lay awake in the guest room, she realized something terrifying—and strangely comforting.
For the first time in years, she wasn’t alone with her fear.
Nathaniel stood guard outside her door.
And anyone who tried to reach her would have to go through him first.
- Writer
