Her body trembled no matter how hard I squeezed.

She twisted out of my grasp and threw her hands down to her sides. “You say that, but don’t make a promise you can’t keep.”

I was taken aback but I knew as much as she did that she was right.

“Kelly,” her voice weakened, “what the fuck am I supposed to do?”

Staring into her lovely eyes, I lowered my voice and said, “Let’s calm down.”

Her eyes grew wild with uncertainty and fear. “How the fuck do you expect me to calm down when Madam is coming for me?”

I reached out and set one hand on her shoulder. She was warm to the touch, her muscles tense with anger.

“She’s pissed, Kelly.” Her eyes danced with mine. “And she thinks I’m lying to her.”

I wrapped my fingers over both her shoulders and squeezed. “You delivered the package, didn’t you?”

She openly stared with a slack mouth. “I’m not lying.”

Leaning forward, I dropped my chin and looked at her from under my brow. “I didn’t say you were.” I took her soft face inside my hands and brushed my thumb over her cheek.

“I’m freaking out, Kelly.” She stepped away and pressed her hand to her forehead before spinning around on her heels. “I’m losing control of my life.”

Blowing out a heavy sigh, I lifted my gaze only to find a couple staring from the other side of the street. I wasn’t completely certain that we weren’t being stalked by the media, and I didn’t want to stay to find out. Glancing around, I searched for members of the media who would have loved to take a shot at Kendra losing her cool. And just because I didn’t find any didn’t mean that they weren’t there.

“How the hell does he keep managing to find me?” She pointed up the sidewalk where her uncle had disappeared. “And why didn’t Madam receive the package?”

“I don’t know,” I said, closing the gap between us. “But we shouldn’t stand here for too long.” I lowered my voice, feeling the number of eyes doubling with each additional minute we stayed.

“I’m afraid you were right.” Her eyes zig-zagged to the left, then to the right. “What if Sylvia played me?” She stopped to focus her gaze on me.

“We’ll get through this.” I stepped closer. “Together. Just like we always have.”

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Kendra stomped her foot three times on the pavement. “I made a mistake and I’m going to pay for it.”

My chest tightened, knowing that Kendra was thinking about how we believed Madam had a hand in Tonya’s death. But I wouldn’t let what happened to Tonya happen to her.

“But not before I lose all my money to my greedy parents.” Her face twisted as she fought back the urge to cry. I opened my arms and she fell against my chest, sliding her hands around my waist, clinging to me as if her life depended on it. “My life is falling apart,” she cried.

Suddenly I didn’t care who was watching. All that mattered was making Kendra feel safe, feel loved, and making certain that she understood how much she meant to me. Kissing her pulsing temple repeatedly I held her in my arms, confident in taking the fight to her uncle. But Madam remained a wild card I couldn’t predict.

Holding her in my arms, I kept peppering small kisses to the side of her head.

“Stay with me, Kelly.” Her lips brushed against my shirt.

“I’m not leaving you.” I cupped my hand to the back of her skull and pressed my lips firmly against her forehead again. “We’ll make this right. Your family won’t get a penny from you.”

She was quiet for a minute as she wiped her cheeks dry. When she pulled her head off my chest she looked up into my eyes and asked me straight up, “What about Madam? What will you do about her?”

I knew what I had planned for her. But that was the long game, and I knew that what Kendra needed to hear was a solution we could act on now.

But before I had time to answer, we both caught sight of Madam’s shiny black limousine rounding the street corner. Together, we stared like gawking tourists seeing their favorite celebrity for the first time. It glimmered under the hot sun and, the closer it got, the heavier Kendra leaned into me for support.

Not bothering to pull to the curb, it stopped in the middle of the street and, a second later, Jerome’s large body spilled out the opened door.

Keeping a firm hold on Kendra, I widened my stance and braced for impact.

Jerome sauntered over to us, pulling on his suit jacket before ironing his big hand down his skinny tie, straightening out the wrinkles. “Kendra, Madam would like to have a word.”

I pulled her body tighter against my chest.

Kendra tipped her head back and glanced up to me.

I gave her a subtle nod, and together we stepped toward the open back door.

Jerome extended his arm and let his hand hit my chest. Coming to an abrupt stop, he shook his head. “Not you. Only the girl.”

My brows pinched.

Girl? He’s got to be fucking joking. How could he not give her the respect of calling her by her own name? What was Madam up to?

Kendra threaded her fingers through mine. Tightening her grip, she pleaded with me to not break the promise I had just made.

“We came together.” I narrowed my eyes at Jerome. “We leave together.”

Jerome locked his elbow and shoved his weight into my chest. With my entire body tensing, I glared at him before fighting him off. Clenching onto my designer shirt, he fought me back. And just when things were about to get heated between us, Madam stuck her head out the door.

“Boys. Boys. Boys.” Her brows were raised. “Please. Not here. Not now.”

Holding on to Jerome’s thick wrist, I stared into his eyes when I said to Madam, “I’m coming with Kendra. Where she goes, I go.”

“Not today, Mr. Black.”

Flicking my disbelieving gaze over to her, Madam’s eyes rolled over to Kendra.

“Don’t you worry, Kelly, she’s in safe hands.” Madam’s lips curled. “I can assure you that much.”

Jerome shook me, getting me to look back at him. His intense eyes were still locked on mine when Kendra stepped away from my side. “It’s okay, Kelly.”

“Jerome and I won’t let her out of our sight,” Madam continued. “Isn’t that right, Jerome?”

“That’s right.”

“Sweetie,” Madam turned to look at Kendra, “tell your boyfriend that you’ll be back to his place by nightfall.”

Kendra looked over her shoulder back at me but didn’t say anything.

“Now, move aside, Kelly, before you draw more attention to yourself than you already have,” Madam ordered.

Jerome pushed me back and shoved Kendra inside the limo.

I gritted my teeth, hating to see her being treated as if she wasn’t anything but a prized commodity.

“Now, Kelly, if I’m not mistaken, I think you have some work to be attending to yourself.” Madam batted her lashes. “Isn’t that right, honey?”

I glared as I watched her shut the door as the wheels began to roll.

Feeling helpless, I pulled out my cell and put a call in to Maxwell. He answered after the first ring. “Maxwell, I need you to do me a solid.” I told him where I was, what I was up to. “Catch up to her, and don’t take your eyes off Kendra for one second.”

“Everything all right, sir?”

“No.” My chest tightened, afraid Madam believed Kendra was expendable.