Page 75 of The Forbidden Bodyguard

“But won’t.” Josh doesn’t look up from his phone as he swipes, as I silently chuckle. “Okay, let’s go through this quickly, as we know Stella is due at her father's this morning sometime. The team has already reported activity at the Voss residence very early this morning.”

“Activity?” I ask, my cup freezing in midair.

“Marino Security.”

Jayden and I share a look. He’s been fully briefed and rang me late last night to see how I was doing.

Shit. That’s how I was doing.

And getting the painting didn’t help. Stella thinks her life is set on course, and she has to marry that asshole.

I packed up my things and dropped the key with Gary before catching a cab to a new hotel nearby. Then I headed to the office.

While we have a team watching her building, knowing Stella has no private security and is so exposed has me on edge.

There’s a wild tiger inside me pacing and waiting for Marino to touch my mate.

If he tried, I’d leap and rip his throat out.

He’s not getting his hands on her.

She belongs to me, and if she hasn’t figured it out yet, I’ll damn well show her. When she’s in my arms, I feel at peace. I see my future, our future, and intend to see it happen.

I’ve walked beside her in my role as her protector, soaped her hair in the shower while caressing her breasts, and sat eating poached eggs at her kitchen counter.

Stella is my home.

The BHS contract I signed states that relationships with clients are frowned upon. Forbidden. Roles like this don’t come along very often. All private security companies ask for the same terms, and we all know one another. It’s a small industry.

I don’t know if Josh saw me kiss Stella last night.

I also don’t know if he cares.

But I know what’s important.

She is.

Clenching my fist under the table, I know my patience is wavering. We have one day—one fucking day—to convince her to walk away from this.

Or find a legal path to extract her.

Marino owns me.

Last night Victor confirmed what we suspected and are now piecing together. He’s the one forcing his daughter into marrying Marino.

But why?

“What sort of activity are we talking about?” I ask.

“Four guys headed up to Voss’s penthouse first thing and haven’t left. Whether they’re staying in the building is unknown, as they didn’t pull up in a vehicle.”

So they walked?

I doubt it.

“Marino is keeping tabs on the guy. He owns him, as he said,” I state. “But four of them in the one building seems like overkill.”

Why would he send that many guys to live there when he could circulate them outside like any stakeout-style operation?