chapter141

Connor felt pretty embarrassed. He'd meant to follow Lydia quietly and make sure she was safe, but somehow he'd managed to lose track of her and missed the

whole fight.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, stepping in close and gently pulling her aside to check her

over.

He was so anxious that he completely forgot about things like personal space. In his mind, Lydia was already his fianc e and that made her safety his responsibility.

Lydia felt a little awkward at how close he suddenly was. She stepped back, cleared her throat, and said, "I'm fine."

Jimmy, who was still lying on the ground, looked like he might cry. If anyone wasn't fine, it was definitely him and his friends.

Connor looked Lydia up and down, finally letting himself relax when he saw she was really okay. He glanced at the group of guys groaning on the ground and couldn't help being impressed. Maybe the thugs weren't all that skilled, but Lydia's moves were no joke. Even as a man, he had to admit he admired her.

"Who sent them?" There was a chill in his voice now as he turned to Lydia.

"Just some losers from the company. Not worth worrying about."

Connor's eyes narrowed. "Was it Parker?"

Lydia's eyebrows shot up. "How'd you know?"

Connor hesitated, sounding a bit sheepish. I was worried you might get overwhelmed, so I had Aiden look into what Henry's been up to.

Lydia nodded in understanding. "I've got this under control."

"Aiden already dug up a ton of evidence about his crimes. He's collecting more now. Henry's probably going to spend the rest of his life behind bars."

Lydia couldn't hold back a laugh. "Well, thanks for that." She hadn't expected Connor to move this fast. When she'd arranged for Henry to get arrested, she never expected he'd ever walk free again. As for Parker and Rose, just tonight's attempted kidnapping would be enough to get them hauled off by the police. Their little family reunion would just happen to be behind bars.

Connor reached out and ruffled her hair, his voice warm and gentle. "You don't have to say thank you to me."

The way he said it, and the casual touch, caught Lydia off guard. Her cheeks heated up and she wasn't even sure why.

"Alright, I'll leave this to you. I'm heading back to see my grandma," she said, already making her way to her car. She didn't even think to invite him along.

Connor watched her, then turned to Aiden. Take care of this. I'm going with Lydia to see Mrs. Smith."

Aiden nodded right away. "Yes, Boss." He looked almost grateful for the order; he finally had a chance to make up for earlier.

"Oh, and unload the gifts from the

car," Connor added. He'd personally picked out a car full of

gifts top-quality health

suppfergents and two sets o

gorgeous jewelry.

"Yes, Boss."

Lydia watched as Aiden shuffled bag after bag and box after box from Connor's car

to her own, and she was honestly speechless.

"You..." She stared at Connor, not even knowing what to say. How was she

supposed to explain all this to her grandma?

Connor seemed to pick up on her

worry. "I'just drop the gifts inside and wait for you in the car. I

promise, I won't get in the way if you want to catch up with your

grandma."

He knew he didn't really have an official place in her life yet. Lydia couldn't exactly

introduce him to her family. He'd have to work on changing that.

"Alright," Lydia agreed, getting into her car first. Connor hurried to follow.

as the two of them

Aiden watched a

drove off. His expression turned cold as he turned back to the thugs, who were just starting to get up. Without saying word, he walked over and

had them all back of the ground in

about two minutes.

Don't even think about moving, he snapped, brushing imaginary dust off his hands.

Then he grabbed his phone and started calling backup.