Page 11

I sense a part of me would hurt severely if I gambled wrong with her life, so I need him to stay close to her and keep me abreast of everything with her. He’s the only one I trust, undoubtedly, to keep her safe.

The fear I saw in her eyes yesterday; I hope I never see that again.

I ping Jonah; he knows how to stay in contact and be untraceable. Malik has sent him all the encrypted ways to reach me without leaving a trace and updates of what happened yesterday. It doesn’t take long for my work phone to buzz with his name Jonah flashing on the screen.

“Hey,” I say.

“How is she?” he asks.

“Good. She was a bit shaken yesterday with the damaged unit, but okay after we got her out of there.”

“Did she sleep?”

Now that’s an interesting question.

“Yes, she did.” No point telling him she slept on the floor in my bedroom unless he already knows, but Ice would have told me if she had mentioned that to him.

“That’s good, thank you. Please give her everything she needs and bill me. I’ll reach out again soon.”

“Happy to send you the bill,” I tease.

“I bet. Let me know if anything goes wrong or if she’s not okay.”

“Get off my phone, Lloyd,” I say before hanging up on him. I’m a little irritated that he’s known her more than I do, or I’m just fucking jealous of him.

I call Ice.

“Hey, boss,” he answers.

“How’s is our guest?”

“Quiet, with the Jigsaw puzzle. I had to get the table in your office and put it in her room. She said she needed a table to set her pieces on. I checked on her about thirty minutes ago and she’s seriously zoned into the puzzling thing.”

“Good, be sure to check in on her again.”

“Boss, can I trade places with Smith?”

“No, I need you watching her.”

“Okay, any update on her deceased bodyguard?”

“No, not yet. I’ll update you once I hear something. In the meantime, keep her indoors.”

“Got it, boss.”

Chapter seven

Lexi

I spent most of the day with the puzzles. I want to order stuff on the internet, but I don’t have any money and I’m clueless about my location. All I know is, I’m in some fancy high-rise apartment in the heart of Chicago. I can hear the bustling sound of the city, and that’s about it. The open floor unit is decorated in shades of brown. I have pretty much stayed between my room, living room, and the kitchen, except of course when I went to Bruce’s room. Chef is a great cook and a pleasant man. Ice and I don’t say much to each other, other than the nods I give him when he checks on me.

The day goes by quietly, and I went to bed early. Bruce wasn’t back, which was fine. No point waiting to see him and experiencing emotions that I can’t explain. The way his eyes hold mine and send quivers all over my body is a new experience for me. Jonah’s warning echoes in my mind, to stay away from him. The question is, why is Bruce eliciting weird feelings of wanting to climb him like a fucking mountain. Shut it down.

I close my eyes to sleep.

I woke up startled, look around my surroundings, my bag is next to me. I lay back but I can’t go back to sleep. I toss and turn in my bed. I don’t want to take my pills. With a frustrated huff, I grab my backpack, pillow, and blanket, and head to Bruce’s room. I open the door and relief washes over me to see that he’s there. With each step toward him, I cringe a little, but I move stealthily toward the spot where I slept the day before.

I freeze when I hear rustling sounds. As soon as it stops, I get in position on the floor again. Not comfortable, but I can sleep, and it’s better than staring at the ceiling or sleeping like a log. The sound of his breathing is all I hear for a while before I finally fall asleep. When I wake, he’s not in bed. I pull my belongings and head back to my room.