Page 4 of Rescuing Erin

“Yes, Colin,” I sighed in frustration. “I’ve been briefed. Which means I’ve been given the redacted version of what’s going on. I want the truth. Why do I need to go into hiding? Where am I going? With whom? For how long? You know, actual information.”

“I told you, there have been threats made. I don’t know for how long, and you’ll see when we get there.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t work for me. I think this is another overreaction. I’m not leaving unless you tell me what the threat is and who made it. I’m an adult. I get to make decisions for myself.”

“If you’re an adult, start acting like one, instead of a petulant child who’s not getting her way, and go pack.”

If he thought I was acting childish then, he hadn’t seen anything yet.

“You can leave, Colin. I’m in for the night and Gerard should be in the hall by now.”

I assumed the night guard was at his post by now; providing my father wasn’t sneaking off the White House grounds like he frequently did. Gerard was one of my dad’s personal protection agents. He was technically secret service, but my dad kept Gerard particularly close. He was also now my nightly babysitter, even though Colin had an apartment next door to mine.

“You can’t dismiss me.”

“I can and I did. I’m done with this bullshit. You’re not going to tell me anything, and I’m not packing my bag until you do. So we’re done, which means you can leave. Gerard will lock me in for the night and watch over me like I’m a toddler, and tomorrow I’ll schedule a meeting with my father and tell him I’ve let you go.”

“Is that what you think we’re doing? Watching over you like a toddler?”

“Yeah, Colin. That is exactly what you’re doing. I hadn’t realized Zane Lewis offered adult daycare in his security site plans. You’re nothing more than an over-priced babysitter. I don’t need someone watching over me twenty-four seven.”

“The hell you don’t. And the fact that you’re as naïve as you are about the threats surrounding you proves my point.”

“I’m not naïve, Colin.” I closed the distance between us and pointed my finger in his direction. “I’m in the dark because you won’t tell me anything. It’s utter bullshit. I’ve said it a hundred times, you’re all overreacting and—”

“Someone was in your apartment, Erin. They tripped the silent alarm. By the time Gerard got here the person was gone. But they’d rummaged through your stuff.”

“What? When? Why wasn’t I told?”

“When you were at the Hope for All benefit.”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Colin’s unwillingness to answer pissed me off. “What else aren’t you telling me?”

“A lot. Pack your bags.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you. I’ll go stay at the White House with my parents.”

“The fuck you will. They’ve been there, too. I intercepted photos of you sleeping on the couch in the residence. Someone was trying to get the images to your father.”

“What?” I hadn’t meant to screech, but this was absurd.

A look of annoyance hardened Colin’s features, and he yanked me forward. My body collided with his hard chest and he lowered his head to my ear and whispered, “We are not having this conversation in an unsecured location. Your place could be rigged with either video or audio surveillance. I need you to trust me. Go pack your bags now.”

He set me away from him and stared down at me, daring me to disobey. Part of me wanted to just to see what he’d do. But logic won out, and I turned to go to my room to pack. I tossed the bare essentials into the suitcase the presumptuous prick had already set out for me. Now that Colin had told me my apartment could be bugged, I was in a hurry to leave. The thought that someone could be watching or listening freaked me the hell out.

If this was all just a clever ruse to get me to leave with him, there’d be hell to pay.

Chapter 2

“Hey, man. Thanks for stopping by.”

“Welcome to Texas, brother.” Cormac “Fletch” Fletcher held out one beefy paw and nearly crushed my hand with a firm shake.

Fletch was an intimidating man to those who didn’t know him. He stood about inch taller than me, but where I was toned and fit, he was bulk and brawn. Everything about the man screamed “scary motherfucker” until you got to his brightly colored tattooed forearms. Then you wanted to razz him about the cartoonish looking ink. Not that many people had the balls to say much of anything to the Delta Force Operator.

“I see you still haven’t taken my advice and found a laser removal center,” I said, poking fun.

“Yeah, when you find a plastic surgeon to fix your ugly mug, I’ll remove my juvenile indiscretions. Besides, Annie loves them.” The man’s face transformed from deadly operative to loving father at the mere mention of his daughter. “You gonna invite me in or are we gonna stand on the porch sweatin’ our balls off?”