My Protector

By Van Cole

Falling in love with my protector… huh. What would be more stupid than that?

After I witnessed a terrible crime, finding myself being hunted and on the run, I met… him.
I met the man meant to protect me, an older man, meant to shelter me from the men hunting me.
I just didn't know that when I signed up to work with him that I would be signing up to work with one of the most handsome, rugged, and edgy men in the world.

He's so cold and distant, and to make matters worse, we couldn't be more opposite.
We're on opposite sides of the law, and our life outlooks are different, but I know I can get through to him, somehow… hopefully before I'm caught, or before the trial, when I may never see him again.

My Protector is a standalone Gay Romance with a HEA and NO cheating!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Van Cole
• Release date: Mar 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215626931

Book preview

Chapter 1

Noah

It’s not every day that going undercover results in anything entertaining, but now here I was, watching a stripper eat grapes off the floor.

Personally, I thought it was a strange use for a stripper. Especially one as gorgeous as the beauty in front of me. She had a plentiful bosom, nearly busting out from the red, lacy bra holding them in. The thong she was wearing also displayed a tan, plump ass that even I would have loved to smack or grab on to. She was swinging her hips to the music as she picked each grape off the floor with her teeth.

Yeah, that’s right, bitch, Cal snickered. Pick those grapes up.

I had to fight the chuckle that was raising in my throat. I didn’t know if Cal had degradation kink, and if to him, this was punishment. I couldn’t blow my cover, I knew that. I had to pretend that I was the gang member that I said I was, working for Cal and his gang. I had to listen because they were bound to do something stupid soon.

I could argue that this was that stupid thing, but I doubted heavily that I could take them to prison on the ruse of being weird with a stripper.

Are you having a good time, brother? Darrel, who wanted to be referred to as Big D, walked in the room with a disgusting smirk on his face.

Cal jumped, grunting in pain as he ripped his hand from his pants. I couldn’t imagine that felt good, ripping his hand away from his junk really fast like that. The stripper looked up from the ground and gasped, falling flat on her butt as she noticed Darrel. I grit my teeth as fear washed over her face.

Big D was one of the one’s that I was really hoping would fuck up. I wanted him to go to prison so bad, but we had to wait. The law was tricky, which made justice even trickier, but I knew that in due time he would get what he deserved. I just had to be patient and let the idiot mess up on his own time. Then, I would book him on so many charges he wouldn’t be able to read them all. The way the stripper looked at him alone was all I needed to know what his rep was with the working girls. Only the bravest and most desperate working girls went to him. He was rough and mean, and apparently didn’t take no for an answer, but at least he paid. The rougher he was, the more he paid.

Still, no amount of money was worth peace of mind, and the look on this woman’s face told me that one day she was desperate enough to try his hand.

Well? Are you making my boy happy, Delilah?! Darrel walked toward her in a haste.

His army boots slapped hard against the floor as she screamed and crawled backwards toward the wall. His jeans hung low with his gold chains. His facial tattoos recoiled as his upper lip curled. He drew his piece, and I curled my hands into fists. This was the worst part about being undercover: I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t intervene on her behalf to stop any of this, I couldn’t tell him to shut up and sit down, I couldn’t tell him that he was under arrest. I couldn’t do any of that because here, he was in charge. I was not.

He grabbed Delilah by the throat, and her scream was cut off. Her tanned legs slapped against the concrete floor as she struggled. Darrel put his gun to her head, and I could see the silent tears stream down his face.

I don’t think you heard me, bitch. I said—

Darrel.

Darrel didn’t move for a minute as his brother stood. Cal, the actual gang leader, was glaring at his brother with a raging hard on. It was kind of awkward, considering that he was looking at his brother, but everyone in the room knows that hard on was reserved for Delilah.

Or, rather, we hoped it was for her.

That’s enough, Darrel. She was doing fine until you scared her.

Darrel rolled his eyes and threw her on the floor. She immediately started rubbing her throat and sobbing, curling up into a ball. I wanted to offer her my jacket, my help, but I couldn’t. I wish I could have got him on assault right there, but the truth was that would be useless without Delilah’s testimony, and I’d been in the law world for long enough to know that Darrel would either intimidate her or wine and dine her to get her to change her mind.

Man, you’re too soft, C, Darrel sighed and scratched the back of his head. I noticed his gun was still out, and I narrowed my eyes.

Darrel noticed the grapes on the floor and sighed. Soft and weird, man. What is it with you and the grapes?!

Cal looked embarrassed as he shook his head. That’s not the point, Darrel.

Big D.

Darrel, Cal said again, his hand in a fist. You came here for a reason, right?

Darrel huffed but finally nodded. Yes, I did. Here, clear the room. Bro to Bro, okay?

The guards and gang members, including myself, nodded. We weren’t allowed to stay for this, but I knew that I had a better chance of staying behind and seeing all of this than the rest of the idiots I worked with.

Someone take the whore out, Darrel waved his hand.

I took this opportunity to rush to Delilah. I gave her all the room she needed before offering her my hand. Slowly, she took it with a trembling hand. I guided her gently out of the room and when I was out of sight from Cal and Darrel, I offered her my coat. She took it gratefully before I rushed to my hiding spot.

I hid up on the second story, watching Cal and Darrel below. Cal sat on his big seat, the throne if you will. I watched as Darrel waved his gun around as he seemed to be having the same argument with his brother as he normally did.

We need to attack the Tigers, brother! Darrel growled. We need to do it while they’re wounded and down! We can attack them and take their territory!

Or, we could help them, Cal offered. We could offer them aid—

When did you turn so soft!? Darrel cried. We are Lions, not weaklings. We are made to rule these streets!

Suddenly, the air of the room changed. Darrel got a glint in his eye, and I leaned in. My hand went to my own piece, and for a moment, I wondered if I could finally catch him. Was this it? Was this my time?

Darrel, what are you doing?

See, brother, you’re too soft, Darrel laughed. Too kind. You’re never going to take the Lions to where they need to be in this world.

Darrel, put the gun down.

In a microsecond, I saw him take the pistol and aim it at his own brother’s head. Before I could even move, he fired. Cal fell to the floor loudly, a single line of blood moving from his skull to the floor.

It’s Big D, bitch.

I raced into the open room, ready to reveal myself and arrest Big D on murder charges. This was it, this was the time. As I sprinted in and opened the door, however, it seemed someone had beat me to it.

What the fuck!?

I looked at the man in the room. He had a first aid kit in his hands, and now he had a dumbfounded look on his face. He dropped the kit, and he screamed.

You…you! He cried.

You stupid kid! The fuck did you see!? Darrel demanded. The FUCK did you see!?

You killed Cal! The man screamed, pointing at him. You—

No, I believe you did that, Darrel pointed the gun at the man.

Now I needed to jump in and do something stupid to save not only the case but also the life of the man in front of me. I jumped in the scene, tackling the man to the ground. In this process, I raised my own pistol and fired blindly to the side of Darrel’s face. I knew I wouldn’t hit him, of course, but I also knew I would hit him. Sure enough, the bullet grazed his cheek enough to make him scream and drop his weapon. I took this moment to look at the man I had saved and force him to his feet.

Get up, I demanded.

The man got up with me, but for a soft moment, we didn’t move. I studied the man I had saved. He looked so much younger than I thought, surely younger than me. He looked like he couldn’t be any older than twenty. He had tan skin, lighter than Delilah’s but darker than mine. He had curly, short hair, and light brown eyes. He wasn’t too built, but he definitely had the frame of someone who had been living on the streets and knew how to defend themselves. He was, I had to admit, beautiful. I couldn’t stop staring at his light pink lips, which parted in surprise as he looked at me in shock.

It would be weird to say that the world shifted in that moment, but it felt that way. Holding his arm in my hand, looking at him, studying him… it felt like finding that missing piece of you that you had been searching for.

But he was a man.

And I didn’t have time for this.

Let’s move! I demanded, forcing the man to his feet.

To where!? He asked, running toward the double door exit.

ANYWHERE! I ordered.

I followed the man out on to the street before stealing one last glance at Darrel. I had nicked the side of his face, and blood was pouring from it like a leaky faucet. When he saw me, he screamed and aimed his gun at me.

He fired just as I shut the double doors and took off after the only witness to the crime.

My key to this case, and probably the most hunted man in this town now.

We were fucked.

Chapter 2

Liam

I couldn’t believe that what I saw was real.

It didn’t feel real. It didn’t even look real to me.

However, now as I was running down the streets