He sighs. “I know, baby.”
I narrow my gaze. “Do you?”
“Yes. Of course I know that.”
“You’ve already had me on a lockdown.”
“And I’m about to put you on another one.”
“I will not stay in your penthouse again like that. I nearly went crazy last time.”
“It’s your penthouse too.”
I wave my hand, dismissing that.
“It’s for your safe?—”
“I am aware it’s for my safety,” I snap. “But we have to find another way.”
“I don’t want you in the office anymore. It’s not safe there, not when I don’t know how many traitors I have in my midst.”
“What about work?”
“What about it? Your current job is null and void with the dismantling of the contract and PR team. Whatever needs to be overseen will be handled by the smaller team, and I can have them brought here when they need to work directly with you.”
“I can agree to the office, but I won’t give up my work with the school pantry and some other charities I’m interested in working with. I also have photo shoots and brand deals for Lennox Rose coming up; I can’t do those from here, and I’m not backing out of them.”
“I’m not asking you to back out of anything besides the office. That’s where you’re most vulnerable. As far as everything else, we’ll make it work by putting more security in place. I’ve hired an additional personal security guard for you, a female, and she will quite literally go everywhere with you. Jenkins can’t always move through female places like restrooms, so Flores will accompany you in those spaces, and then the two of them will be with you at all other times unless you’re at home. It’s the everyday Langford Holdings that is the problem. We’ve found some answers, but we’re missing others. Something about this isn’t adding up and I’m not risking you while we figure it out.”
“So, unless I have a planned outing, you want me to stay here all day because something isn’t adding up and you don’t even know what it is?”
“Yes.”
“Asher,” I groan. “What am I supposed to do all day?”
“We can find another type of work, but it needs to be remote so you can do it from here.”
“And if I don’t agree to that?”
“Then I’ll fire you and make certain you’re not allowed inside the building unless you’re with me.”
“You would not do that!”
“You underestimate what I would do to keep you safe. Firing you is one of the least sins I would commit.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
“It’s not just the poisoning, Ella. I had to remove you from the hospital early. You weren’t supposed to be discharged until today, but you’ve been home for two days.”
“Why?”
“There was a threat intercepted by our team. Sergei learned what hospital you were in and knew that I was with you, and he sent a team after the two of us.”
“To do what? Kill me? Kill you?”
“No. To corner and intimidate me while you were vulnerable in the hospital. They can’t get what they want if I die. I hold all the power and if I die that power passes to my brothers, so it won’t help their cause. But they could hurt me and make me watch while they hurt you, to get their point across. Their message was hidden on the stalker letter. They have demanded that I sign Greenspan over to them or they’re coming for me. And they’re coming to me through you.”
Fuck.
