Page 120 of Jonas

I’d only gone a few days without a phone, yet it felt strange using one. No, not strange, stressful. I hadn’t thought much about it but now that I was, it felt good not to be attached to a cell twenty-four-seven. It felt good not to hear the ding of a text or the pinging notification of an email, or the rush to answer a call before it went to voicemail.

In a world where everyone is accessible at all times, it felt great to be disconnected. I vaguely wondered how long I could get away with not carrying a phone daily.

Jonas drove. I updated Kira. She listened then said she’d handle it. I said goodbye and ended the call. When I was done, I turned to look at Jonas.

There was something formidable about him. He didn’t have to do or say anything to radiate strength. He was definitely the kind of man you wanted at your side when the shit in life hit. I wished I’d had him all those years ago when I was struggling to make sense of a childhood that was extremely painful, yet some parts were so beautiful I was glad for it. The juxtaposition was a mind fuck. Not because I was too weak to get through it—obviously, I had gotten through and I’d made it out better for it—but because if he’d been at my side, that struggle wouldn’t have had such a crushing weight.

“Did Penny say anything to you about Cash?” Jonas asked, breaking the silence.

“No and I asked. All she said was he looks like someone she knew and it took her off guard.”

“Did she say who he looked like?”

“No, and she changed the subject. The woman was as skittish as a kitten, so I didn’t think it was smart to push. She’s concerned she was paranoid, and by running out of work she actually drew attention to herself when there was none before.”

“She’s probably right. But like you told her, it’s not every day someone finds a catastrophic security breach.”

“Zane will protect her, right?”

Jonas jostled my hand. “Zane talks a big game, but under all that bluster, he’s a softie. No one will get near Penny. And Kira was right; sometimes with Zane, it’s better to ask for forgiveness, especially when his protective instincts kick in. He wants all of us clear of Black Team. From what I know about them, they lean into the gray always. But more times than not, they’re operating outside of societal laws. We might push the boundaries, but it’s not often we step so far outside that we’re at risk.”

“Um. I call bullshit, Jonas. I heard with my own two little ears Zane threaten to kidnap the President. I think with just that he broke like seven hundred and twenty-one laws.”

Seeing Jonas smile in profile was a thing of beauty, but when he glanced over at me and flashed his perfect grin, it was body shiver inducing.

He looked back at the road and backpedaled. “Not often doesn’t mean never.”

“Right.”

The silence that ensued was comfortable and somehow comforting. It almost felt like we were just an ordinary couple out for a drive.

One day.

Once all of this was over, Jonas and I would be free to do whatever we wanted.

“Remember, phone in your pocket,” Jonas unnecessarily reminded me.

From the moment he’d merged onto 495, the vibe in the SUV changed. Gone was the sweet hum of normalcy. Jonas had clicked back into operator mode with a huge side helping of testosterone that was almost suffocating.

“I’ll keep my phone in my pocket,” I assured him.

According to the GPS, we were less than a mile away from the pub, and Jonas’s worry was ratcheting up.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” I told him.

“No, baby, something’s gonna get fucked up. I feel it.”

I didn’t like the words he’d said, but more—I didn’t like the slight tremor in his voice.

“Okay, if it gets fucked, we’ll still be okay. You’re gonna park at the dentist’s office across the street, you’ll have eyes on the entrance. I’ll call if something feels off.”

“I’ll be across a busy four-lane street without eyes on the back door or the parking lot.”

Right. Nothing I was going to say was going to ease Jonas’s worry.

“You remember I do this for a living,” I snapped.

“I remember, Dee Dee. I know you can handle yourself. But still, I’ve got a feeling in my gut that’s twisting and getting worse by the second.”