Page 127 of Protecting Love

“Tell me exactly what’s going to happen,” she said. “I want to get it all out. Then I’m going to call my father, and put it from my mind for the rest of the weekend.”

“They’ll request a meeting. You’ll have counsel present. They’ll ask about how you received the file, whether you accessed it, who else handled it. You answer honestly. Which works in your favor.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay,” she repeated. “But I want you here when I talk to my father. So don’t leave just yet.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’m not letting you,” she said, walking to get her phone.

Because protecting her—officially or not—wasn’t something he planned to walk away from.

And the realization of that had his heart pounding for the first time since he was assigned to watch out for her.

30

HAPPEN REGARDLESS

“Well, hello there, handsome,” she said the next Friday.

Fletcher twisted his head when Paris said those words to him.

Paris let out a light laugh and put her hand on his arm.

“Didn’t expect you to say that here.”

“I checked to make sure no one was around. What are you doing at this end of the hall? I’ve got a meeting with West.”

“Right now?”

“Yes,” she said, frowning. “Why?”

“Because so do I?”

“Crap, do you think he knows?” she whispered and pulled his arm, then his body around the corner. She probably looked like a fool sticking her neck out to see if anyone just saw her make that move.

“He knows a lot of things. Can you be more specific?”

“About us?” she asked, her voice still low.

“Considering your parents know and I had dinner with them two nights ago, I’d say it’s a good bet.”

Her parents told her to tell West, but she argued he wasn’t her boss. Not really.

He owned part of her business, but that wasn’t the same thing.

And Fletcher didn’t appear to be that concerned with West knowing.

To her, she just had to get through everything one hour at a time.

The meeting with the FBI had come and gone.

Just like she expected, she had three attorneys in there with her along with Fletcher.

Braylon representing The Carlisle Group, Spencer as the lead attorney who managed her firm, then her father.