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“Is that all you are taking?” She asks, her tone surprised
“This is good. Do you have undergarments?”
“I have a lot here.” She opens one of the suitcases and starts to bring out the different panties and bra styles. “I’m sure Bruce would like them on you. You have a beautiful skin tone.”
“Bruce is not my boyfriend,” I say and hear a scoff from Ice, which I ignore. “I don’t want anything lacy and no thongs. Just something comfortable,” I state. Things I can sleep or run in for days.
She gives a bewildered look, like I’ve lost my mind for not taking advantage of the plethora displayed for me. The me before being on the run would have taken the entire suitcase, but the me now needs practical, not sexy or fancy. Besides, no one is seeing any sexy or lacy underwear on me.
I pick a few bras and try them on, taking a few more than planned with some panties before saying:
“Thank you. This would be all for me.”
“Great. Do not hesitate to have Bruce call me if you need anything else.”
“I won’t. Thanks again, Emily.” I return to my room to hang up the clothes as I hear her chat a little with Ice before the door closes.
While I’m still folding my clothes, I hear a knock. Opening it, Ice is standing there with my new laptop and phone. My smile is wide. I practically snatch them from him.
“The phone is activated. My number and Boss’s number are on there, and your laptop is also set up with WiFi. Log in password is ADoherty.”
“Thank you!” I want to hug him, but I stop myself in time.
He leaves and I quickly log in and download the app to speak with Jonah.
Once the app is downloaded, I ping Jonah and wait for the sound while folding my clothes. It then occurs to me that I need shoes; I can’t wear my gym shoes everywhere.
It doesn’t take long to hear the sound of Jonah joining. I race to speak to him.
“Hi, Sprinkles,” he says and I smile. He’s truly the best guy.
“Hi, Jonah.”
“Are you okay? Is he treating you well? He sent me a message that your unit was broken into. I don’t know how they would know unless someone here is feeding them information. Since you are with him, I will cut off all information about your whereabouts.” He pauses after the quick rundown.
“I’m fine and yes, I’m staying with him, and I hope you find out who’s after me soon, so I don’t have to stay here too long.” I do not say Bruce’s name because it may not be safe.
“I will, just hang tight. Ping me if you need anything, otherwise, I’ll check in at our usual date and time. Make sure you set the time correctly,” he reminds me; time zone has always been my flaw.
“I will, I promise.”
“Alright, got to go, stay safe and alive.”
“Bye, love you.”
“Love you too.”
Chapter six
Bruce
Taking my tie off, I slam into the chair. I always dislike the moments whenever I’ve to dress formal, but it was necessary for this client’s meeting. The to-do list has been laid out with the team, and everything should be good with the client’s son’s protection. After a heavy exhale, I check my messages and see one from Ice, reporting that all of Alexis’s stuff has been delivered and, of course, she called Jonah right away. Also, a request for a thousand puzzle pieces, which I’m quite sure had Ice’s head spinning. To be honest, it’s an unexpected request, but I ordered two and sent them to her.
Now that I’ve had a moment to breathe, I can think about the moment when she came into my room last night. I had no idea what to make of it. I lay still but my hand was close to my gun. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep because I wasn’t sure if she was sent to take me out. But it surprised me when she laid on the floor and slept with her backpack tightly in her arms.
Before leaving the room this morning, I watched her for a few moments, same way I did last night when she asked me to stay with her, and both times I’m stunned by the level of my innate urge to protect her, which was why I told Ice to stay with her. He was surprised but he obeyed my orders.
Ice is my wingman and right-hand man; he’s in every meeting and always with me. Yet, for the first time ever, I needed him to protect her and not me. The building is safe and couldn’t be easily penetrated, but if they’ve tried getting to her under Jonah’s supervision and he came to me, anything is possible.
