“Perhaps.” Owens nodded. “Lucky for you, you didn’t have to find out.”
“This time.”
The woman’s under-the-breath comment pissed Slade off far more than it should have.
“There won’t be a next time,” Slade informed her briskly.
Shadow’s blue eyes turned his way, her mesmerizing stare filled with overt curiosity. “No?” She gave a slight tilt of her head. “And what makes you think that?”
“Because I’m going to make damn sure that doesn’t happen.”
Their gazes remained locked for several intense seconds, and he tried like hell to figure out what she was thinking. But then the infuriating woman blinked it away, and just like that, it was gone.
“Careful, big guy.” Shadow gave a slight click of her tongue. “You shouldn’t go around making promises you can’t keep.”
Oh, I intend to keep it, all right. Whether you like it or not.
But before he could tell her that, Owens decided to step back in.
“Sweetheart, I understand that you’re used to taking care of yourself, and normally I’m prone to fully agree.” His boss seamlessly shifted from Tac-Ops owner to father. “But since you chose to start this war, I have no choice but to take control of the situation.”
Shadow eyed the powerful man with suspicion. “What does that mean, you’re taking control?”
“As of this moment, I’m assigning Slade as your personal bodyguard for the foreseeable future.”
“I don’t need a?—”
“You were damn near shot to bloody hell less than twenty-four hours ago,” Owens came close to losing his carefully controlled temper. “So yes, you do need a bodyguard, and I can think of no one else more capable than this man right here.”
Slade’s chest tightened at the sentiment. As far as atta boys went, that was a pretty damn good one. Especially considering they were talking about protecting the man’s only daughter.
“I take it I don’t have a say in the matter?”
“You lost your say when you chose to go off half-cocked after a man you had no business pursuing.”
“Pursuing?” Shadow snorted. “You make it sound like I was trying to date the guy.”
“I know exactly what you were trying to do.” Owens retorted. “And that little plan of yours was going to do nothing but wind up getting you killed.”
“He shot her dead while she was sleeping, Dad. Don’t you want him to pay for taking her away from us?”
“Of course, I do. And if your memories from that night are to be trusted, then I promise you, the manwillpay.”
“Memories are all I have left,” she reminded him. “And you’re right. Someone did try to kill me last night. Which, by the way, wouldn’t have happened if I weren’t on the right track.”
The woman did have a point.
Feeling compelled to back up her assumption, Slade told his boss, “She’s right. Stanton must have recognized her at some point and got spooked.” He glanced back over at Shadow with a shrug. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“I was careful,” she rebutted. “I never let myself get too close or?—”
“Doesn’t matter.” He cut her off. “Either he or one of his protection detail had to have noticed you watching him. And if you think your memories from that night are clear, I’m willing to bet his are, too.”
“I was six, Digger.”
“Again, it doesn’t matter. A man kills someone—especially someone who had, at one time, been close to him—they aren’t likely to forget the only eyewitness to the crime. Six or Sixty, I’d bet you’ve never been far from Stanton’s mind. And with him in the running for the most powerful political position in the world…”
“He isn’t about to let you ruin his chances at the White House.” Owens picked up right where his trailing words left off. “Which is why you must have round-the-clock protection until we can figure out a way to bring the bastard down. In the meantime?—”
