I shrug.
“Seems fitting, since that’s all you’ve eaten since dinner last night,” I point out, helping her into her coat and handing her the sandwich I made before I finish my thought.
“That, and, like you, it packs a lot of goodness in a small package.”
She smiles softly as I usher her out the door.Once inside my vehicle, she takes a healthy bite of her sandwich and, with a mouthful, turns to me.
“You’re getting pretty good at saying the right thing.”
Chapter11
Bess
“I’m calling Roy Battaglia.”
Hugo is already pulling his phone from his pocket as we approach his cruiser, but I quickly block his path, holding up my hand.
“Wait.Why do you need to call Roy?”
I desperately want some control back.I feel like I’m a bit character in a convoluted plot and someone forgot to give me the script.It feels like I’m the only one struggling to keep up.
Roy Battaglia runs a security company that mostly entails the installation and monitoring of security systems regionally, but he also runs a trained team of protection officers providing a variety of security services almost anywhere in the country.I’d rather not have him sic his guys on me, watching my every move.
Hugo forcefully blows out a breath before inhaling audibly through his nose, visibly calming himself.
“Because as much as I’d love to shackle myself to your side twenty-four seven, I can’t.We are short-staffed, Savvy is already doing more than she should be in her condition, and we need all the manpower we can pull together to get to the bottom of what the hell is going on here.”
He drops his hands on my shoulders.
“And until then, you’re not safe.”
He gives me a little shake when I open my mouth to object.
“Someone clearly thinks you have something they need; information of some kind.They waited for a time when you weren’t around—which means you were being watched—broke in like pros, went through your apartment and your business, grabbed what they thought was pertinent, and casually proceeded to burn it down.At least try to.”I get another little shake before he adds, “Tell me you realize you are not safe.”
Better than anyone, but that doesn’t mean I want anyone else at risk.I don’t want more people dragged into my family’s mess.Because I have a serious suspicion, even if it perhaps wasn’t my brother doing the actual breaking and entering, he’s definitely at the root of it.Although it doesn’t make sense to take my laptop and some bills, and leave the almost three hundred dollars in the till or anything else that might have value.
Not sure what he was thinking; maybe that he could hit me up for any insurance money?Given how long they may take to pay out, that wouldn’t have been the smartest of plans, even for Ken, who has a history of less than smart decisions.
The truth is, I have no real idea who my brother is.I know nothing about him, except that he’s desperate and I don’t blame him.If, as he claims, the Lotus Squad is after him, he’s in big trouble, and I could well be too.
But as much as I dread involving more people, Hugo does make some compelling points, not the least of which is the stress this situation is putting on others.
So this is what catch-22 feels like.Stuck between guilt over the potential harm I’m bringing into people’s lives on one side, and on the other the kind of guilt that has forced my lips sealed for two decades.
“I realize that, but I can be careful.”I try to negotiate in a last-ditch effort.“Besides, if anyone would’ve wanted to harm me, why would they have waited until I was gone?”
“And what if they don’t find what they’re obviously looking for?”he counters sharply.“They may come back to ask you in person, and I seriously doubt they’ll be polite about it.Or maybe they decide you’re a loose end of some sort they need to eliminate.All that assuming we’re dealing with someone of sound mind, because if not, all bets are off,” he ends in a raised voice.
His obvious anger rattles me.Although he’s usually calm and laid-back, I’ve seen him upset, sad, and even happy, but I’ve never seen him angry like this.
Still, at the risk of angering him even further, his comments spur me on to make one final point.Something I’d tried to highlight before but which fell on deaf ears.That’s when we were packing up a few more things for me and Ragnar, and Hugo wouldn’t take no for an answer when he made it clear he expected me to stay at his place.
“Why then insist I stay with you?Wouldn’t I be putting you, or even worse, Carson, in danger?”I indicate.
The mention of his son starts a muscle twitching in his already clenched jaw.I figured that last point might give him pause.
“Can I propose a compromise?”
