“You’re not going to that mall.”I know I sound harsh, but I can’t help it.Just the thought of her wandering around that place by herself is enough to make me see red.“It’s too crowded to be safe.”
“But—”
“If you want to meet with your friends, you can do so here at the house or at some restaurant in Oak Lawn—afterI make sure it’s secure.”
Nora’s lips tighten, but she wisely doesn’t voice any objections.She knows this is as far as she can push me.“Okay, I’ll ask them to meet me at Fish-of-the-Sea,” she says after a minute.“What about my haircut?”
I eye the long, thick ponytail hanging down her back.It looks beautiful to me, especially with the end swinging back and forth over her shapely ass.“Why do you need one?”
“Because”—she pants as we pick up the pace—“I haven’t had so much as a trim in two years.”
“So?”I still don’t see the problem.“I like your hair long.”
“You are such aguy.”She can barely speak but somehow manages to roll her eyes.“I need to shape this mess.It’s driving me crazy.”
“I don’t want you cutting it short.”I don’t know why I care all of a sudden, but I do.“If you trim it, don’t take off more than a couple of inches.”
Nora gives me an incredulous look as we stop to let a car pull out of the driveway in front of us.“Really?Why?”
“I told you.I like it long.”
She rolls her eyes again as we resume running.“Yeah, okay.I wasn’t going to shave it off or anything.I just want to get some layers put in.”
“No more than a couple of inches,” I repeat, giving her a hard look.
“Uh-huh, sure.”I get the impression she’s doing a third eye-roll in her head.“So I’ll go for the haircut then?”
“Not at the Chicago Ridge Mall.Find a quiet place nearby, and I’ll have my men secure it.”
“Okay,” she gasps as we begin a full-out sprint.“It’s a deal.”
Before I leavefor the city, I make sure Nora is fully set with her plans for the day.I assign a dozen of my best men to be her security detail and give them orders to be as unobtrusive as possible.She probably won’t even notice their presence, but they’ll make sure nobody suspicious gets within three hundred feet of her.
“I’ll be fine,” she says when I hesitate in the hallway before leaving the house.“Really, Julian.It’s just a haircut and lunch with the girls.I promise everything will be all right.”
I take a deep breath and release it.She’s right.I’m being paranoid at this point.The precautions I’m taking are the best way to keep her safe outside the compound.Of course, I could always keep herinsidethe compound for the rest of her life—that would be optimal for my peace of mind—but Nora wouldn’t be happy that way, and her happiness matters to me.
It matters far more than I would’ve ever expected.
“How are you feeling?”I ask, still reluctant to go for some reason.“Any nausea?Tiredness?”I glance at her stomach—a stomach that’s still flat in the tight jeans she’s wearing.
“No, nothing.”She gives me a reassuring smile when I look up to meet her gaze.“Not even a hint of nausea.I’m as healthy as a horse.”
“All right then.”Stepping toward her, I lift my hand to lightly stroke her cheek.“Be careful, baby, okay?”
“Okay,” she whispers, looking up at me.“You too, Julian.Stay safe, and I’ll see you soon.”
And before I can step away, she rises up on her tiptoes and plants a brief, burning kiss on my lips.
19
Nora
“Rosa,are you sure you don’t want to go with me?”
“No, no, I told you—I have a lot to do before dinner.Señor Esguerra is trusting me to impress your family with this meal, and I don’t want to disappoint him.You go ahead, have fun catching up with your friends.”Rosa practically shoos me out of the enormous kitchen.“Go, or you’ll be late for your hair appointment.”
“All right, if you’re sure.”Shaking my head at Rosa’s stubborn sense of duty, I head to the main entrance, where a car is already waiting for me.Thankfully, it’s not the limo, but a regular-sized black Mercedes.I won’t stand out too much, though this car, like the limo, also looks to be equipped with bulletproof glass.
