Page 125 of Protecting Love

“And the numbers tie back to an old, organized crime case.”

He wouldn’t give her more. The less she knew the better. He’d be right there with her. He knew how it’d go down. He had Robbie on his side.

Her face paled just slightly. “Okay…”

“It doesn’t mean you did anything wrong,” he said quickly. “You didn’t. From everything I can see, you had no access to it and no idea what was in it. I made sure that was known. Avery will back it that she cracked the file and she made the connection. You saw nothing.”

“But?” she pressed.

“But because it connects to a federal case that was brought down months ago, it’s going to get flagged.”

Her lips parted. “Flagged how?”

“I spoke to my replacement at Organized Crime this morning. And because your name is attached to the chain of the device, they’ll want to talk to you. It’s procedure. I’d do the same thing Robbie is.”

She stared at him. Wariness present.

“You’re saying I need an attorney.”

“I’m saying it would be smart to have one present when they ask questions,” he corrected. “This is procedure. Not an accusation. You have nothing to fear and I got it all lined up for you. They will reach out on Monday and we’ll set a time to talk.”

Her arms folded over her chest. She was defensive now. “So you went to West first.”

There it was. The warning in her eyes said he was going to get roasted.

He was doing his job first and she was going to have to accept that.

He didn’t dodge it. There would be no reason to. “I went to the person responsible for your security. Yes.”

“You didn’t tell me. Again. I’m the last to know. Again.”

He blew out a breath. “I didn’t have answers yet,” he said evenly. “I wasn’t going to panic you over half-information.”

Her jaw tightened. “I don’t need you deciding what I can and can’t handle. And you knew right away what was going to happen because you’ve been in that position yourself. Don’t try to pacify me.”

He should have figured she’d take that stance. He’d always been told that London was the argumentative one, but he was getting plenty from Paris. “This isn’t about handling it. It’s about managing it correctly.”

The silence stretched between them.

He hoped he was getting through to her.

That she was seeing reason and not acting on impulse.

“You really think I’m in the clear?” she asked finally.

“Yes.” There was no hesitation in his answer. “From everything I’ve seen. Your name will be on a chain, not the architect of anything. They’ll ask questions. They’ll want access to the files you were given. That’s it.”

She turned away, pacing now, her version of processing. When she opened the cabinet and snagged a bag of chocolate out, he knew he might be in trouble.

“My father is going to lose his mind.” He didn’t argue that. “He’s going to fly in. He can practice in New York. You know that. Braylon is probably already on the phone with him.” She blew out a frustrated breath.

“You’d rather he not know?”

She shot him a look. “He’s probably waiting on my call right now so he can reassure me the same as you are. But he’s going to talk to me like I’m his client, not his daughter.”

Fletcher stepped closer but didn’t touch her yet. “Paris. You have nothing to worry about. And that’s me talking to you as my girlfriend. Not as my job. But my experience in my job is also telling you, there isn’t anything to worry about. It’s just tightening this all up.”

“I didn’t do anything,” she said, almost to herself. “So of course I shouldn’t worry. Or will it come back to me I had the file? That I turned over this information? Am I in danger?”