Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Setting the cup on the windowsill, I lay down behind her and wrapped my arm around her waist. “I did, but it wasn’t your fault, and I treated you like it was.”
“This is normal for me, Xander. People follow me around and take photos. Do I like it? No. Did I want this bullshit on my vacation? No. Do I want to try to have a good time anyway? Yes.”
I kissed her shoulder. “Okay.”
“I’m sorry your picture is being taken too. You didn’t ask for this.”
“I don’t give a fuck about myself. But we’re going to be more careful, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Do you still want to go on the boat today?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll make you a deal. You agree to move into my house for the rest of your trip and I’ll take you out on the boat.”
She sighed. “Why do we have to move?”
“Because this place makes me nervous. It’s remote—anyone could be staked out in those woods. There are no security cameras. There are no shades on the front windows—practically the entire wall is glass.”
“Does your house have cameras?”
“No,” I admitted. “But it has blinds and curtains. We have neighbors who’d notice a stranger lurking around the house and report it. People look out for each other here.”
“Is this going to be okay with your dad?”
“Are you kidding? He adores you. It will be just fine.”
“We won’t be able to sleep together.”
“Why not?”
“Xander!” She rolled onto her back and looked up at me. “I can’t sleep with you in your dad’s house, while he’s there. Mabel and Devlin are there too, right?”
“Oh yeah. I forgot about them.” I thought for a moment. “I guess it’s too crowded to stay at the house. I’ll book a hotel room.”
“Xander, we’ll be fine here,” she said, snuggling up to me. “I’m not afraid when I’m with you. And I will take all the precautions you tell me to. I won’t stray from your side. You will truly be stuck with me from now until the moment I leave.”
“Fine. But the other thing we’re doing is working on some self-defense moves. I won’t always be there.”
“I don’t need—”
“You want a ride on my boat, you learn the moves,” I ordered.
She sighed dramatically. “Fine.”
“And if I see that guy around here, I’m going to fucking smash his camera. Possibly his face.”
“You have my permission,” she said. “Although I’d like to remind you that just a few days ago, you said if you had to get into a fight for me, it meant you hadn’t done your job.”
“Well, things are different now.” I looked at her messy red hair, clear green eyes, and freckled nose, experiencing a strange tightness in my chest. “And if someone I don’t like gets near you on my watch, he’s done.”
She smiled, slowly, sweetly. “My hero.”
It sort of hit me like a lightning bolt.
NINETEEN
kelly
While Xander made breakfast, I sorted through my texts and emails. Much of it was unimportant, work-related stuff that could have waited until I got back—dates I needed to put on my calendar, collaboration pitches, songwriter suggestions for the next album—but no one seemed to understand the concept of “getting away.”
Then there were my parents to deal with. My father wanted to talk over the PMG deal with me, review its many pros. And my mother had had another premonition—this time, the bear didn’t eat me, it just carried me off to his cave and kept me there like a prisoner.
I ignored my father, texted my mother I was doing fine, took a few deep breaths, and moved on to my voicemails. Most were insignificant, but there was one from Wags that made me slightly nervous.
“Hey, Kelly Jo. Sorry to disturb you. But the situation with the disgruntled bodyguard—his name is James Bond, believe it or not—is getting a little heated. He says he’s going to sue for wrongful termination unless you want to settle with him privately for ten grand. He claims he can give you details about which members of the team were leaking info and why. Let me know what you want to do.”
I called Wags back.
“Hey, Kelly,” he said when he picked up. “You got my message?”
“I got it. I don’t know what to do, Wags. I don’t want a lawsuit, but silencing this guy with money doesn’t feel right either. He obviously knew what was going on and didn’t stop it or come forward.”
“I agree with you. I think he’s bluffing about the lawsuit. This guy doesn’t have the money for attorneys and all that. Suing someone is a tedious, expensive pain in the ass.”
“And what difference would it make to know who was leaking the info? It’s not like I’d ever hire any of them again. I don’t really care whether it was one of them or all of them. And I know why—money.”
“So I’ll tell him no private settlement.”