Page 43 of Protective Phlox

The driver looked at me in the rearview mirror. “Vlad.”

The second one looked over his shoulder. “Guy.”

“So here’s the thing, guys, I have no problem with you coming in and keeping an eye on me, but please try to remember that this is a hospital. It’s best to be inconspicuous, which means no tackling people unless you’re positive they’re a threat. Don’t pull your weapons for anything unless someone pulls a gun first. No coming into the washroom with me, and try not to scare the other patients. You all look like you’re ready to go on a murder spree. It’s not really hospital vibes.”

“We are supposed to stay with you at all times,” Goran said, and I could picture him coming into the bathroom to make sure I didn’t crawl out a window or get attacked by a little old lady with a cane.

“Goran, I know you take your orders from Nathan, but I don’t want everyone wondering why I need so much muscle. That draws attention. Also, and this is very important, no one mentions that I took off my ring.”

The three men sucked in a collective gasp. Goran looked at my hand, his face paling. “Why? Where is it?”

“I never take this off,” I said, pulling out the chain hidden beneath my blouse and showing off the red diamond ring beside the heart locket that held the picture of my sister. “My mother doesn’t know I got married, and this is not the time to spring that on her. Since Nathan likes to make grand gestures, the ring won’t exactly go unnoticed.”

“Oh my god, you’re going to get me killed.” Goran ran a hand down his face as our SUV pulled into the hospital parking lot without the rest of the procession.

“Trust me, that is not my goal. I don’t have the best relationship with my mother, and she is here for heart surgery. I’ll tell her about Nathan once she’s done her rehabilitation.”

“Okay…but please, for the love of everything holy, don’t tell him that we knew and didn’t force you to put it back on. You will get us killed, maybe worse.” I nodded.

“I promise it is only while I’m at the hospital. I’d never rat you guys out,” I said, and Goran smirked.

“You aren’t going to ask what is worse than death?”

We pulled into a parking spot, and I looked out the window as I shook my head. “I’ve seen firsthand that there are many things worse than death, and I don’t want any of you to end up in one of Nathan’s torture rooms. So as soon as I leave the hospital each day, I’ll put it back on.”

I grabbed the door handle, but Goran laid a hand on my shoulder. “Let us get out first, always. That is not just a rule for here, but anywhere we go.”

Nodding, I answer, “Alright.”

The three men got out together, and it didn’t take long for Goran to tap on my window before opening the door. I looked up at them and realized that no matter what, they were going to stand out. They could’ve been auditioning for any Secret Service part and gotten it. Black suits, wrap-around glasses, little bugs in their ears, and I knew they had guns hidden under their jackets. It was a reality slap like this that worried me about Cutter’s future. What did that look like? Would he end up on an FBI board somewhere?

I’d made my bed the day that I made the conscious decision to throw caution and sense to the wind and sleep with Nathaniel Mikhailov. If I died because of this world, that was one thing, but it would destroy me if something happened to Cutter or any other children we had.

My shoes softly clicked on the white floor as I made my way to the wing where my mother waited for surgery. Shawn had texted earlier with that information. Could I be so lucky for him not to be here? We followed the hallway to the waiting area, and I groaned as soon as my eyes landed on the familiar face sitting in the corner.

Shawn looked up as if sensing me and smiled as he stood. He looked the same—like he’d just walked off the front cover of a golf magazine. I walked over to him and couldn’t figure out what it was that I ever saw in him.

“Anna, it’s so good to see you,” he said, practically lunging at me for a hug. As subtly as I could, I held up my hand to stop Goran or one of the other guards from breaking both of Shawn’s arms and legs.

“Has my mother already gone in for surgery,” I asked and stepped back out of his hold. His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything as he looked over my shoulder.

“I wouldn’t advise making sudden moves like that again. I’ve had some trouble with work and need to take guards with me wherever I go. I wouldn’t want you to get shot accidentally, ” I said, my lip curling up. I let the comment sit between us, knowing full well that the last time I’d seen him, it was me who had been waving the gun around.

“Oh, is it serious?”

“I can’t speak about it. You know how it goes. So, is she in surgery? I didn’t think she was scheduled for another hour.”

“They were running ahead of schedule, so they took her in early. Can we grab a coffee and chat somewhere a little more privately?”

I really didn’t want to do this, but I figured that we might as well get it out of the way now.

“Sure, there was a private sitting room back the way we just came that was empty.”

Leading the way, I stepped into the room, and Shawn followed. But before Goran could follow, I turned to him and shook my head. His face was void of all emotion, the sunglasses hiding his eyes, but I could still feel his reluctance to let me be alone in a room with a man he didn’t know.

“Can you ask Guy or Vlad to grab a couple of regular coffees and just guard outside the door?” His lip twitched, and I was positive he was going to argue. Instead, he closed the door and stood right outside. The back of his black suit showed through the glass panel and nothing else.

“They are pretty intense.” Shawn pointed at the door.