Sheltered By The Coldhearted Billionaire Boss

The black, armored SUV tore through the wall of freezing rain just outside the Washington D. C. city limits.

The heavy tires slammed to a halt, sending a wave of muddy water crashing against the rusted iron gates of the Harmon estate.

Cale shoved the driver's side door open. He instantly deployed a massive black umbrella, stepping into the torrential downpour.

He jogged around the hood of the vehicle. His movements were sharp and practiced as he pulled open the heavy, bulletproof rear door.

A custom-made black leather shoe stepped out into the deep puddle. Ice-cold water splashed against the polished leather. Javier emerged from the cabin.

He stood perfectly still. His cold, flat gaze cut through the sheet of rain, scanning the ruined, overgrown front yard of the estate.

A sudden flash of lightning ripped across the black sky. For a fraction of a second, the harsh white light illuminated a tiny figure.

She was curled into a tight ball in the mud, pressed against the base of the stone pillar holding up the iron gate.

Javier pushed Cale's umbrella away. He ignored the rain soaking into his expensive wool overcoat and walked toward the stone pillar alone.

His leather shoes made heavy, sucking sounds against the thick mud with every step he took. The sound grew louder as he closed the distance.

At the sound of the approaching footsteps, Ella flinched hard. Her shoulders jerked up to her ears, and she buried her face deeper into her knees.

Javier stopped exactly one step away from her. He stood tall, looking down at her violently shaking shoulders.

Freezing rain dripped from his sharp jawline. He slowly bent one knee, lowering himself into the mud until his eyes were level with the top of her soaked hair.

He reached out with a hand covered in a black leather glove. His fingers clamped hard around her chin.

He forced her head up.

Ella's hollow, terrified eyes slammed into Javier's dark, temperatureless stare. The air trapped in her lungs refused to move.

"Stop this pathetic self-destruction," Javier ordered. His voice was a low, heavy rumble that vibrated over the sound of the crashing rain.

Ella panicked. She thrashed against his grip, her hands flying up to push him away. Her muddy fingers swiped across the lapel of his coat, leaving thick brown streaks.

The muscle in Javier's jaw ticked. He didn't let go. Instead, his leather-clad fingers dug tighter into her jawbone.

"You have two choices," Javier stated, his tone completely devoid of pity. "You get in my car, or you stay in this mud. The system has already discarded you."

The words hit her like a physical blow. The mention of the foster system made her pupils dilate until her eyes looked completely black.

Her chest heaved. A broken, wet hissing sound scraped up her throat as she fought to pull air into her lungs.

Javier released her chin. His eyes dropped to her pale, trembling lips, waiting.

Ella bit down on her lower lip. She bit so hard the skin broke, and a drop of warm blood mixed with the cold rain on her chin.

"Mr. Shepherd," she rasped. The sound was barely human, torn from a throat raw with screaming.

A microscopic shift happened in Javier's eyes. The rigid tension in his jaw relaxed just a fraction of an inch.

Without a word, Javier reached forward. He slid his arms under her freezing, mud-soaked body and lifted her straight off the ground.

Ella let out a short, sharp gasp as her feet left the earth. Her hands instinctively flew up, her fingers twisting into the wet wool of his collar.

Javier held her firmly against his chest. He walked with steady, even strides back toward the idling SUV.

Cale immediately pulled the rear door open wider.

Javier leaned in and deposited Ella onto the dry, heated leather seat.

He pulled back, walking around the back of the vehicle to the opposite side. He opened the door and slid into the seat next to her, leaving two feet of empty space between them.

The heavy door slammed shut. The violent sound of the storm was instantly cut off. The blast of hot air from the vents hit Ella's freezing skin, making her teeth chatter violently.

"Drive," Javier commanded.

The engine revved, and the SUV pulled away from the ruins of her life.

The armored SUV rolled slowly away from the rusted iron gates, the headlights cutting through the heavy rain.

An old man stood directly in the middle of the path. Arthur, the Harmon family's longtime butler, clutched a broken umbrella, his body shaking in the wind.

Cale pressed the brake pedal. The heavy vehicle came to a smooth stop. He looked in the rearview mirror, waiting for Javier's order to force the man out of the way.

Javier stared at the old man through the windshield. His expression didn't change. He raised one hand, signaling Cale to wait.

Ella heard the squeak of the brakes. She threw herself across the wide leather seat, pressing her palms flat against the cold glass of the window.

Her shaking fingers fumbled for the button. The thick bulletproof glass slid down, letting the freezing wind whip into the heated cabin.

Arthur stumbled forward. Tears streamed down his deeply wrinkled face as he looked at Ella's soaked, shivering form.

Ella shoved her scratched hand out into the rain. Arthur grabbed her fingertips, his hands trembling violently. A loud sob ripped from his chest.

"Survive, Miss Ella," Arthur choked out, his voice cracking. "Never look back. Just survive."

Ella's eyes burned. Her throat closed up tightly. She ripped her hand away and spun around, dropping to her knees on the floorboard to face Javier.

She pressed her palms together in front of her chest. "Please," she begged, her voice a raw scrape. "Take Arthur. Take him with us."

Javier leaned back against the headrest. His dark eyes slowly dragged over her kneeling, pathetic posture.

"No," Javier said. His voice was flat and even. "My residence is a secure location. I do not harbor useless liabilities."

The dam broke. Hot tears flooded down Ella's freezing cheeks. She lunged forward, her fingers grasping for the cuff of his coat.

Javier swatted her hand away without hesitation. He reached over and pressed the master control switch on the door panel. The window glided up, sealing shut and cutting off Arthur's loud wailing instantly. As the SUV accelerated, Javier caught Cale's eye in the rearview mirror. He gave a subtle, sharp nod, tapping his index finger against the armrest twice. It was a silent, pre-established signal. Cale understood immediately: dispatch a secondary team, secure the old man, and place him in a discrete, fully funded assisted-living facility. Ella didn't need to know.

The tires gripped the wet asphalt, leaving the old man shrinking rapidly in the side mirror.

Ella collapsed backward onto the leather seat. She pressed both hands hard over her face, her shoulders shaking as a muffled, ugly sob tore out of her throat.

Javier opened the center console. He pulled out a perfectly folded, pure white cotton handkerchief and held it out toward her.

Ella didn't look at him. She shrank away from his hand, pressing her back flush against the cold door panel.

Javier's face hardened. He dropped the white square of fabric onto the empty space between them and looked out the window.

The only sound left in the cabin was the low hum of the engine and her jagged, wet breathing.

Minutes dragged into an hour. The violent adrenaline crash and the freezing cold finally drained the last drop of energy from Ella's body.

Her crying slowed to occasional hiccups. Her head rolled sideways against the glass, and her eyes slid shut.

The SUV merged onto a rough patch of the interstate. The heavy chassis bounced over a deep pothole.

Ella's unconscious body tipped sideways.

Her head dropped hard onto Javier's thigh. Her soft, cold cheek pressed directly against the expensive fabric of his suit pants.

Javier's entire body went rigid. The muscles in his thigh locked tight. He could feel the faint, warm puffs of her breath seeping through the fabric to his skin.

Cale's eyes darted to the rearview mirror. "Sir. Should I pull over?"

Javier looked down at the girl sleeping on his leg. He stared at her pale face for three full seconds.

He raised his hand and gave a sharp flick of his wrist. Keep driving.

The black SUV sped down the pitch-black interstate. The rhythmic hum of the tires against the wet asphalt filled the silent cabin.

Two hours passed. Javier's right leg began to burn with a dull, heavy numbness from the weight of Ella's head.

He shifted his knee a fraction of an inch to relieve the pressure in his muscle.

The tiny movement disturbed Ella. Her eyebrows pulled together in a tight V, and a whimper slipped past her lips.

Her hands shot out in her sleep. Her fingers clamped down hard on the fabric of Javier's pants, her knuckles turning white.

A fresh tear leaked from the corner of her closed eye. It rolled down her cheek and soaked into his pants, leaving a dark, wet stain.

Javier stared down at the expanding wet spot. A heavy, uncomfortable tightness formed in the center of his chest.

He slowly lifted his right hand. His leather-clad fingers hovered an inch above her damp hair.

His jaw clenched. He did not remove his glove. Instead, he extended his hand, the stiff black leather of his index finger pressing almost roughly against her cold skin as he swiped the tear away. He immediately retracted his hand, his muscles coiling tight as if he had just touched a live wire.

The heat from his skin seemed to ground her. Her rapid breathing slowed, and the tight crease between her eyebrows smoothed out.

Javier flexed his fingers inside the leather glove and returned his arm to the armrest.

At three in the morning, the streetlights of the D.C. suburbs began to flash through the windows, casting moving shadows across the seats.

Cale pulled the SUV to a stop outside an unmarked, secure transit garage. He put the car in park.

He turned his head slightly. "Sir, should I wake her for the transfer?"

Javier looked at the exhausted girl. "Get out," he ordered coldly.

Cale nodded, opened his door, and stepped out into the damp night.

Javier pushed his door open and stepped out. He walked around the front of the vehicle and opened the driver's side door.

As he settled into the driver's seat, Ella, still asleep, slid sideways on the back seat-the angle of the parking garage ramp tilting her loose, limp body toward the floorboard.

Javier reached back instantly. His large hand gripped her shoulder, stopping her from hitting the floorboard.

He didn't wake her. Leaving his seatbelt unfastened, he leaned over the console, and pulled her limp body over the seats, settling her into the passenger side.

He leaned across her, pulling the seatbelt over her chest. The metal tongue clicked into the buckle right next to her hip.

Javier started the engine. He put the car in drive and headed toward the center of the city.

The first harsh beam of morning sunlight pierced the windshield, hitting Ella directly in the eyes.

She blinked rapidly. Her eyes opened, staring blankly at the massive glass skyscrapers towering above them.

She realized she was sitting in the front seat. She whipped her head to the left and saw Javier's hands on the steering wheel.

Panic seized her throat. She shot up straight, pressing her back hard into the seat. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

Javier didn't take his eyes off the road. "Regulate your breathing," he ordered. His voice was flat and steady.

The absolute calm in his tone acted like a physical weight on her chest. She forced herself to take a deep breath, her racing heart slowly decelerating.

She swallowed hard. "Where are we?" she whispered.

Javier turned the steering wheel with one hand. The SUV descended into the private, brightly lit underground parking garage of a high-rise building.

He pressed the brake, bringing the car to a halt. He turned his head and looked directly into her eyes.

"This is your home now."