“You can tell me,” I say. “Forget that we knew each other in a life before this one. If I was James, what would you tell him?”
“I’m not scared,” she eventually admits. “Freaked out that someone could be watching me in the dark and that she has access to my safe space? Yeah, sure.”
“What would you like me to do?” I ask her. “I can have one of my guys stationed there all the time if you want. Cameras. Extra locks. Whatever will make you feel safe.”
“Ah… I guess just the locks if it’ll make the guys shut up,” she says. “I’m not a huge fan of cameras watching me all the time.”
Aw, too bad.
“Big brothers are like that, or so I hear,” I say. “I’m in the area. I’ll have a chat with the building attendant and have them change the locks while you’re away. Maybe do a sweep inside if that’s okay with you.”
“That’s fine, but just so you know, it’s dirty as fuck in there,” she says.
“I don’t judge,” I reply. “I’ll drive out and give you an update in the morning.”
“Great. They’ll love that. Hey, since you’re coming tomorrow, Zeb and I want to go out to our defense class. Do you think you can sneak us out, or would that totally get you fired?”
“I’m the one in charge of your safety, not your manager,” I tell her. “So, as long as you two aren’t skipping anything you should be in on—”
“I’ll make sure Zeb and I lay down our tracks before time,” she cuts me off.
“And it’s going to cost you,” I add, glancing down at my shit manicure. God, this one is a disaster already.
Bonnie laughs, and the adorable noise makes me close my eyes. “Tell me the price. I’ll decide if it’s worth it,” she says, her voice somehow more raspy.
“You let me join in,” I reply.
She chuckles again. “Yeah, okay. I think watching you kick Zeb’s ass is worth that,” she says.
“If I have to sneak around to get the two of you to your extracurriculars, I think that’s a fair trade,” I say.
“Oh yeah? What other extracurriculars did you have in mind? The sneaking around kind, I mean,” she asks, and the flirting makes my breathing a little less steady.
“Hm. We’ll see how this goes first.”
Rockstar.
I have to catch myself from saying it.
She giggles, and the noise brings me back to the job at hand.
I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling since her beautiful voice got on the phone.
“I am a few miles from your apartment. I’ll text you if I find anything out of the ordinary and let you know what they say about the locks,” I tell her.
“Thanks,” she replies. “See ya, Gem.”
I tap the red button on my phone just as the movers lock up the back of their truck. A man with black hair pulled up into a ponytail approaches with his phone out. He taps a few times, says something to the mover, then they smile at one another when they part ways.
There’s something vaguely familiar about the man, though from this far, his face is little more than a blur. Before I can get out of the car to get a better look at him, a white sports car pulls up, and he gets in without a look back.
I can’t tell if something is actually off, or if I’m overly paranoid due to the fact that it’s about Bonnie’s safety.
The doorman greets me on my way into the apartment complex with a friendly smile, and I continue in until I reach the front desk where Hinson, the attendant, smiles my way.
“There you are,” he says. “It’s been a few days. Have you been sleeping over at that gorgeous best friend’s of yours?”
I laugh at the mention of Kade. “No, actually. I started my new job so setting up things has been consuming.”
