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He looked me up and down and licked his lips. “Was there something you needed?”
I fisted my hands to keep from reaching for him.
“No.”
“Who came to the door?”
Right. I hadn’t told him that. Instead of explaining, I brought up the man’s picture on my phone. “Do you recognize him?”
Lane studied the photo for a moment. “No. I’ve never seen him before.”
Was the man really just at the wrong cabin? Was I just jumpy? Maybe, but I wasn’t willing to dismiss a potential threat that easily.
“He said he was looking for his friend’s nephew and must have gotten the wrong cabin, but his story didn’t sit right with me.”
“You think he was looking for me?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“Why would Alan send someone else to look for me? If he knew I was here, why wouldn’t he come himself?”
“I don’t know. You said he sent his driver after you before.”
“For all we know, Alan sent his driver with a message, and he chose to be more aggressive.”
I raised my brows and gave him a hard look. “You don’t believe that.”
Lane sighed. “No, I don’t. And I guess you’re right. He might not want to risk following me himself.”
“Alan has plenty of money, and it wouldn’t be a stretch for him to hire someone to come after you.”
Lane narrowed his eyes, studying me for a moment. “You need to tell me what you’re hiding from me?”
I shouldn’t. I’d promised X I wouldn’t scare Lane, but I’d already broken my promises to X. I’d touched Lane… far more than touched him. I’d fucking come inside him. I never did that. That’s how fucked up Lane had me. What difference did it make if I broke more rules?
A hell of a lot. Rules were necessary when I was working. Without them I was nothing but a cold-blooded killer. Rules kept me from completely going off the rails. A man who could do the things I could was never going to be counted among the “good guys,” but I could use my skills to help or to hurt. If I followed X’s rules, I could believe I was at least trying to be good.
Lane stared at me with a gorgeous pout on his face that made me want to spank the fuck out of him. “I want details. I have a right to know.”
“You’re mother—”
“I’m twenty-one years old. My mother doesn’t get a say in this.”
“She’s paying the bills.”
His expression turned hard. “Then leave.”
“You know I’m not going to do that.”
“Then tell me everything.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“What is this? I don’t think you’re really a bodyguard.”
Oh fuck. I did not need him trying to learn more about Vigilance. “You hired me to guard you, and that’s what I’m doing. Therefore, I’m a bodyguard.”
“Nice evasion. And as you pointed out earlier, my mother hired you.”
I let out a long breath. “I protect people and help them when the police can’t or won’t.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Who is the man my mother is supposedly friends with?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“What can you tell me?”
“That you can trust me to keep you safe, and you can trust my agency to find out everything we can to permanently keep Alan Hendon away from you and anyone else he has hurt.”
“You think there are others?”
“Yes, and we’re trying to learn more.”
“Fine, but…” He looked up at me. There was uncertainty in his eyes but also heat.
My breath caught. I wanted to reach for him. I wanted so much more.
“If you’re not going to give me any more information, then I have work to do.”
He pushed past me, and I couldn’t stop myself from watching as he walked away. Did he have to look so fucking good?
12
Lane
I seethed as I searched for the supplies I needed. I didn’t feel creative. The last thing I wanted to do was work on a mixed-media painting I’d been struggling with for weeks, but I needed something to focus on, something to think about other than how much of an asshole Giorgio was.
He knew it was wrong not to tell me everything he knew about Alan. What was it that made him think I was truly in danger? Even if Alan had stalked other men he’d dated, how did that change the level of danger he presented to me? What wasn’t I being told?
I considered calling my mother, but since she was the one who’d insisted any scary details be kept from me, I didn’t think she’d tell me more, even if she knew everything Giorgio and his boss did.
How could I be expected to take this threat seriously when no one was willing to tell me why I should? For all I knew, Alan would get tired of bugging me and move on to some other man who would give him what he wanted, which as far as I could tell was a toy to hang on his arm and agree with his opinions.
