Alec covered her trembling hand with his. “Did you know Beth Ann Pierce?”
She nodded slowly. “She didn’t work there long. Is she one of the missing girls?”
“Can you tell us anything about her?”
“Beth Ann was scatterbrained. Always late, never listened, terrible following directions, that kind of thing. It drove Regina crazy. She showed up late for the pre-event briefing last Saturday. It was the last straw. None of us were surprised when she fired her on the spot. It was just a matter of time.”
“Do you know where she went afterward?”
“No. Beth Ann and I weren’t close.”
“What about the others?” Rhys asked. “Did she have friends at work she might’ve turned to?”
“I’m not being unkind when I say she annoyed everyone. Most of us just tolerated her. But I still don’t understand why I’d be in danger. I’m not a blonde, and I’m a long way from eighteen.”
“No, but hair can be dyed,” Rhys suggested. “And you could easily pass for a teenager.”
Emily scowled. She’d heard that for years.
“You’re no longer working for Regina,” Alec stated firmly.
“I can’t just quit. I have bills, tuition, rent.”
“You have to work two jobs to do it?” Rhys asked, sounding appalled.
“I’m a waitress and a banquet worker. On a good week, I bring home a little over five hundred dollars”—she gestured toward the table—“I’d need to serve waffles by the truckload to make ends meet.”
“The hours are awful. If the pay is bad too, why stay?” he asked, forking up more whipped-cream-laden bites.
“I get benefits here. I cracked a tooth last year. Do you know how much a crown costs? Regina pays better, but that’s all I get, and it’s on an as-needed basis. She usually stays busy, but I can’t bank on ‘usually.’ Here, the hours are dependable. So I need both.”
“You’re getting a man on you,” Alec informed her, his tone allowing no room for debate.
She needed clarification, however. “A man? As in a tail? Is that one of theseveral notches?”
“As in a bodyguard.”
“How does that work exactly? There’s a wedding this weekend. I’m pretty sure the father of the bride won’t want a big, burly guy with an earpiece and a Glock shadowing the help after dropping ten grand on shrimp and canapes.”
“We’re professionals. He won’t be quite so in-your-face,” Rhys explained. “Besides, we don’t want to tip Regina off if she’s involved.”
“I don’t like this,” she uttered to her plate of cold egg whites.
“Neither do I,” Alec said, gripping her hand tight, “but this is about your safety. Your choice is to accept a bodyguard or give notice effective immediately.”
She’d hit the ATM that morning. Her bank balance was dismal. Quitting wasn’t an option. Reluctantly, she accepted the alternative. “When do I meet my professional shadow?”
Rhys wiped his mouth and replied, “You’re having breakfast with him.”
When she looked at Alec hopefully, he shook his head. Her gaze tracked to the man across the table. He saluted her with two fingers and a dazzling grin.
“There’ll be several of us,” he said. “But you’ve got me first.”
Emily sighed. “Oh, goodie.”
Chapter 14
Breakfast had gone long—longer than she’d expected, longer than Alec had time for. Between Rhys being officially assigned as her bodyguard and the team laying out protection protocols, there hadn’t been space for anything personal. Not for the conversation she and Alec needed to have. Not for the questions she still didn’t know how to ask.
