“Don’t open the door, Sophie,” he said more sharply than he intended. “Make him tell you his name and show you his ID. He can hold it up to the peep.”
“Okay.” He heard the tremor in her voice and hated himself for being the one who put it there but not as much as he’d hate it if something happened to her.
Listening to the noises coming through the phone, he heard her ask Perez for his ID and heard his man comply. A door opened and shut and then she was back on the other end of the line.
“He’s here. Can you tell me what’s going on, please?”
“When I get home, sweetheart,” he said, knocking down the boundaries between them as fast as he set them up. He hated knowing she was worried and not being able to do anything about it. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
––––––––
IT WAS HOURS laterbefore he stood in front of the doorway to his apartment. Regardless of how well Detective Westfield knew him, the police didn’t appreciate that he and Gabe were the first on the scene of a murder. They’d answered the same questions dozens of times, more he suspected because the detective was looking for a legal way to give him grief than out of some misguided attempt to link them to the crime.
While he’d waited, he worked out an increased security detail for Sophie. His apartment was as safe a place as he could stash her. But if the guys who killed Rainier found out about him through the break-in at the jewelry store, it was only reasonable to expect they’d eventually find out about Emerson’s company’s involvement. The real question was why the burglary was even on their radar.And who the hell were they?
He’d need help to keep Sophie safe, and there wouldn’t be any more impromptu trips to the grocery store or anywhere else for that matter. Until he found out who was threatening her and why, and put an end to it, they’d be bound together, which would make keeping his hands off her damned impossible. Maybe having his guys around would act as a buffer. He didn’t know whether to be grateful or resent the idea. Before he keyed in his code, he sent a quick text to Perez, letting him know he was the one at the door.
“Thank God you’re safe,” said Sophie as soon as he stepped into the apartment.
Ignoring the man standing beside the door, she threw her arms around him, burying her face against his neck, fitting her slender body to his. He breathed in the crushed rose scent of her and for a moment simply held her. Over her shoulder, he saw a flicker of interest cross Perez’s face but it was gone as fast as it came. Stoic disinterest was a job requirement in his business.
“I’m fine. I was never in any danger.” He reluctantly disentangled himself from her arms but she twined her fingers with his. It would take more strength than he possessed to let go of her hand. So maybe having his guys around wouldn’t be the buffer he needed. None of which mattered while she stared at him with her wide blue eyes filled with concern. “Come on. Sit down and I’ll explain.”
Sparing her as many of the gruesome details as he could, he told her his suspicion that Rainier was responsible for the attack and what they’d found when they went to his apartment.
“But I don’t understand.” Her forehead creased. Not wanting to let go of her hand was the only thing that stopped him from reaching out to smooth it with his finger. “I get the robbery. It’s weird because the guy didn’t take much but at least the initial motive makes sense, but why would someone kill him? And why would someone try to kill me? I’m nobody.”
“You are not nobody.” He brought their joined hands to his lips and brushed a kiss across the back of her knuckles. Her eyes flared, and years of discipline were the only thing stopping him from pulling her into his arms, sheltering her with his body. “I’m not sure about the rest, but I’m going to figure it out. Until I do, I need you to stay here. One of my men will stay in the hallway at all times and you can’t leave the apartment unless one of us is with you.” It would be more than one of them. He wasn’t about to take a chance with her safety. Not with the people who’d killed Rainier looking for her. And he had to assume they were. Nothing made sense yet, but the weirder things got, the clearer it became Sophie was at the center of things. “Promise me, Sophie.”
“Of course,” she said without hesitation.
It was kind of refreshing to have a client willing to follow his instructions without negotiations. He’d spent hours explaining to the rock star’s girlfriend how the rules he put in place were for her benefit and not out of some perverse desire on his part to be a pain in her ass, an irony she never understood.
“It’s just—” She paused, chewing on her bottom lip.
He held his breath, caught between wanting to be the one tugging her plump pink lip with his teeth—catching her answering sigh with his mouth—and knowing she was about to say something he wouldn’t like.
“It’s not right for you to use your resources to protect me. I don’t have a way to repay you. It’s not fair.”
She didn’t say she couldn’tlethim take care of her and maybe that more than anything showed him she was afraid for her safety. He didn’t want her to be scared but it was reassuring to know she was taking things seriously.
“You don’t have to repay me, and I get to decide what’s right for my business. It’s a perk of being the boss.” He let go of her hand to cup her cheek. She turned into his touch and his heart seized.This woman was dangerous. He could lose more than he ever intended to give and smile while she took it. She had an innocence, a guilelessness that stripped away his better sense. “It’s late,” he said, getting to his feet and away from temptation. “I’ve got to finish some work. Why don’t you get some sleep? Don’t worry. Anthony will wait outside until I get back.”
Feeling more like a chicken than the badass head of a security firm, he headed downstairs to find some work to keep him busy until the woman in his apartment was safely asleep in her own room.
