Roses are red, violetsare blue. If your folks could see you now, imagine what they’d do.
A threat. But like Ashleysaid, a subtle threat.
“Your parents don’t know you’re…”I gestured at the note.
“They don’t, and they don’tknow about the stalker, either,” he confirmed. “Even small town gossip neverquite got to them. My grandma knows, obviously. And my sister, she caught mewith Mike Everly when I was seventeen. I had to switch bedrooms with her to buyher silence.”
“Switch bedrooms?” I asked,stomach sinking at the thought of Ashley having tobuyhis sister’s silence.
I was closer to my sisterthan anyone else in the world. I’d moved across the country to stay with her andMia. Now that she was getting married and she’d have someoneelseto look afterher, I didn’tknow what I’d do with myself.
Protective older brother wasmy whole identity. I’d joined the army so I could send her my pay to help with Miaafter that asshole who fathered her had run out on them.
She waswaybetteroff with Faith. I couldn’t wait to see them happy together.
“They were basically thesame,” Ashley said. “But mine had a view of the stables. Y’know, I don’t eventhink she cared much about the horses? I think it was just about taking it awayfrom me. The kind of cruel thing kids do to each other.”
I would have given my sisterthe moon if she’d asked. On the other hand, she would never have asked. She’dneveraskedmefor anything.
“You like horses,” I said, rememberingthe riding crop.
“I like horses,” Ashleyagreed. “We breed horses, my family, I think I said. Breed and show. Grandmaloves them, and so do I. I think my dad wants other things. I think my momliked them once, distantly, but I don’t think living on a ranch in small townArizona was exactly what she imagined her life ending up like. She and dad havebeen retired a while and Maisie’s in charge now.”
“And that’s like… lucrative?”I asked.
Ashley shrugged. “Horses can beworth a fortune, depending on the horse. Imagine what a racehorse is worth, y’know?The value of one who’s already winning is a lot higher, but hundreds ofthousands of dollars isn’t a ridiculous price to pay, and that’s foronehorse. I mean,we get duds, too. Horses who can’t or won’t run, who have a weird gait or markingsthat aren’t really attractive and nothing else to make them particularlyvaluable. They’re notallracehorses. I like those ones the most, tobe honest. I like when they go to excited kids who I know will love them evenif they’retoo short or too slow or whatever.”
“What I’m hearing here isthat you’re rich beyond my wildest dreams,” I said. Obviously, the kind ofperson who could afford a bodyguard had to havesomemoney, butAshley seemed like every other struggling twentysomething I’d ever met. Hedidn’tfeellike he camefrom money.
“We’ve got money,” Ashleyagreed. “Not billions, but… money. Country money.”
“Country money as opposed to…?”
“City money,” Ashley said,putting the note he’d picked out back in the box along with the new one.
A full shoebox of notes likethat, and this was the first time he’d accepted help?
I was right about him. Hewas tough as old leather underneath the lip gloss and chipping nail polish.
“We couldn’t afford a niceapartment in New York between us,” Ashley said. “Not outright, anyway. We couldprobably get a loan for it.”
“I think I get it.”
All I’d learned fromthis shoebox was that Ashley had every right to be scared.
We sat in silence for a fewmore minutes, Ashley petting Mr. Lumpkins and cooing at him that he was a goodboy and he’dtake him home soon. That made me smile.
This was what I’d thought ofwhen Gray had mentioned being a bodyguard. Making people feelsafe. Protectingthem.
The most natural thing inthe world to me.
I hadn’t realizedbefore that this was the kind of client I wanted. People whoneededme, instead ofpeople who had to have me because their position demanded it. Celebrity clientswere fine, and they provided steady work, but I already liked this job betterthan any previous one.
“You seem lost in thought,”Ashley said.
“Just thinking about what agood career move this was.”
Ashley snorted.
