I raised a brow as I took the folder and pulled the sheet up and under my arms at the same time, “You had this ready to go?”
He nodded, “I knew you would want to go back as soon as you could. I’m still working on tracking down who tried to take you and figure out why, but I wanted to be prepared in case I didn’t solve it before you were fully healed.”
I flipped through the folder. It held personnel files, official ones from the Army. There were five men, all former Rangers who had worked with Rome in some capacity for a period of time. The final paper broke down their potential employment, pay, benefits, and schedules. “Who are these men?”
“I worked with all of them. They passed the most brutal security backgrounds I could put them through. They have no affiliation with anyone in Bly Enterprises, and while I don’t fully trust them, I know they will do whatever they need to in order to keep you safe.” He explained and crossed his arms over his chest. “During the workday, all five of them will be assigned to you. At night, they’ll take shifts maintaining a perimeter around you and wherever you may be.”
He was gearing up for an argument; I could see it in the way he set his jaw. He assumed I would fight back like I had in the past, never accepting the additional security he wanted.
I looked through the papers one more time. The men had stellar records, similar to Rome. “I don’t know about this, Rome…”
“Please, Bec. If not for you, for me,” he pleaded.
I smiled softly at him. “I just meant, we should pay them more. They deserve twice as much if they have to deal with the two of us all day, every day.”
Rome sighed in relief, his arms falling to his side. “It didn’t feel right paying them too much, considering it would be you paying them, not me.”
I chuckled, “I wouldn’t even notice these withdrawals. It would take millions for me to finally notice.”
Rome rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. He took the file and placed it back on the shelf, giving me a great view of his backside. I could flip a coin off those cheeks.
“Okay, rich girl. God forbid I try to make sound financial decisions,” he joked.
I barked a laugh. Rome turned back to me with a smile on his face. I pointed at him, “Can you maybe put on some pants? It’s hard having a serious conversation with you with that thing waving about.”
Rome smirked, “I can tell you something else that is hard.”
“Oh, don’t you worry, I’m very aware.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
BEC
When I had agreed to the additional security personnel, I hadn’t been expectingthem. Yes, I read their personnel files, but when you have five hulking men following you around, the reality comes crashing in fast. They were all rather friendly with Rome and seemed like great, well-rounded men. But I knew with one flip of a switch, they could transform. I wouldn’t want to be on their bad side.
They had all been debriefed on what we were dealing with. They knew about the notes, the threats, and even the rumors my dad was spreading. There was no need to debrief them on the kidnapping attempt. Everyone knew about that. I hadn’t seen it directly, but I knew the story was everywhere. I just hoped that with time, it would die down.
“Is this really necessary?” I mumbled to Rome as the elevator rose to the executive floors.
“Extremely necessary. You won’t even notice they’re there,” he explained.
One of the men who was standing behind us actually snickered at Rome’s remark. So did the elevator attendant. At leasttheyrecognized how ridiculous this was. Between Rome, myself, and the five new bodyguards, we barely fit in the elevator, and we had to take two cars to go from Rome’s house to the office. It was a ridiculous entourage.
With them having no connections to Bly Enterprises, Rome felt safer having them around me, especially while I was in the office. So if having them around meant Rome felt better, I could compromise. It was the least I could do for him.
I was still staying at Rome’s house. We both claimed it was for security, but we both knew it was because it felt more like home. My penthouse, while beautiful, was empty of life. Rome’s cramped home had life bursting at the seams. Between his family and the love everyone radiated, there was nowhere else I wanted to be. I also didn’t want to be away from Rome. For so long, I thought I hadn’t had a home because I couldn’t find the right space. Turns out I was looking in all the wrong places. Rome was becoming my home.
His name really was ridiculous at times.
I had asked his mom about it a few days ago. He was named after his father, Romeo. Lucia didn’t want it to be confusing referring to the two of them, so she dropped the ‘O’, and herecame Rome. She hadn’t realized it seemed as if he was named after the English pronunciation of the city until he was nearly one.
And thus, Rome was my home. Not the city, but the man. I chuckled softly at the double entendre.
Rome raised a brow in question. I just shook my head, waving him off. There was no reason to start teasing him so early in the morning. I should at least wait until after lunch.
The elevator doors dinged open, and every eye on the executive floor turned our way as we entered the office. They all knew what had happened and knew why I had not been here. I wasn’t sure they were pleased I was back, though. If the rumors my dad was continuing to spread were to be believed, my appearance in the office meant everyone was in danger. I wouldn’t be thrilled if my boss were putting me in harm's way, so I couldn’t really blame them.
What Icoulddo was prove that there was no risk. Though the five men following me didn’t help with those optics.
