If the man rotting in his dungeon was any indication, Jacqueline’s fate wouldn’t involve a courtroom or a sentence handed down by a judge. It would be private and very, very painful.
We talked a while longer. Eventually, I ended the call and stared at the knots in the hardwood for a moment, letting my cousin’s words settle over me. They didn’t erase the fear, but they dulled the edges enough to subdue it.
Finding a fragile sort of comfort in that, I slipped back into bed. The tension slowly drained from my body, exhaustion crashing over me all at once.
Chapter 22
Kian
“All I’m saying is that you’re reckless around her,” Amir protested, sitting across from me with his ankle resting on his knee. “You can’t ignore security and protocol because?—”
“I can and I will,” I cut him off. “The windows to the car were bulletproof, and rest assured, I can protect myself and Sophie.”
He huffed. “I’ve never seen you act like this, boss.”
“Amir, I really wish you’d stop playing babysitter.” I raised my head and met his eyes. “Maybe you’re too focused on me because you’re avoiding a certain female.”
“Ridiculous.” He huffed, puffed, and finally exhaled like the weight of the world had personally offended him. “I should have known there would be problems the moment she lost her sandal.”
I rolled my eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn’t stick. “You’re getting melodramatic in your old age.”
Thank fuck he didn’t know I still had that sandal tucked away.
“I’m younger than you,” he shot back, indignant.
“Two years younger isn’t much,” I muttered, eyes still on the screen. “And don’t you have something better to do thantalk my ear off?”
“If Sophie walked in here and talked nonstop for hours, you wouldn’t say a word.” He pushed himself up from the chair and headed for the door, shaking his head as he went. “Next thing you know, we’re going to have little redheads running around.”
“If we do, you’ll be contractually obligated to babysit. You know, since you’ve become so good at that.”
That did it. He practically fled, muttering darkly under his breath until the door slammed shut behind him and silence reclaimed the room.
I exhaled, smirking faintly.
Outside, the distant chatter of the staff going about their day intermingled with the cries of seagulls. But inside my head, none of it registered.
My eyes were glued to the same goddamn spreadsheets, the numbers blurring as my thoughts drifted elsewhere. I blamed the distraction on the woman under my roof—her presence had a way of making focusing impossible.
That, along with the fact that I’d reviewed the security footage of her movements more times than I cared to admit, lingering on the way she smiled with ease when she spoke to my staff. The gentle curve of her lips when she laughed. It was enough to make me consider an all-female roster.
A sharp knock snapped me out of my daze.
I sighed.
My right-hand man would be the death of me today.
“Come in,” I called.
The door creaked on its hinges, the sound oddly loud in the quiet room.
“You busy?”
My head jerked up, heart skipping a beat.
Sophie stood in the doorway, the early afternoon light beaming off her soft features. She wore an off-white dress that fell just below her knees, straps slipping slightly off her shoulders, revealing a hint of skin that somehow made the room feel warmer.
“You’ve changed,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
