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I dropped Jack’s hand, which he clearly didn’t like.
“Fine,” Jack said, and tugged on the cuff of his suit. “Once you leave with Bea, you want to set her up for the next couple weeks?”
Cal nodded. “Caribbean?”
“Or Arizona.”
Caribbean? Arizona? They were either speaking in code words or their own special language. Or were they just taking a quick geography listing test?
“I’ll see you in forty-eight hours,” Cal said. Forty-eight hours? Cal must be going on shift at the station again. His schedule had to be all messed up with running in and out of work like he was. “In the meantime, you’re going to look into this company selling issue?”
Jack nodded.
“I still don’t understand why my father’s company is an issue.”
“The sale of it is concerning,” Jack started. “Since the meeting still stands, it is assumed his wife is taking over and continuing forward.”
“Why is this so concerning?”
“Because money is involved. A lot of money. And people do stupid things for money.”
“But my father’s company, profits or otherwise, doesn’t involve me,” I said again. To which Jack crossed his arms.
“That we know of. But paperwork, legalities, and logistics tend to hide. I think you’re more involved than you realize.”
“How?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know yet. But I have someone looking in to all of this.”
Great. If things weren’t crazy enough, another shadow of doubt got added to my father’s company. Jack’s logic made some sense. Brock had been looking for something in my house. Clearly one or both VanBurens didn’t want me around. But why?
“So, your plan is that I stay in your house while this person you hired looks in to all of this?”
“My plan is to keep you safe until this issue in its entirety is resolved and you are no longer in danger.”
“When is the sale of company supposed to happen?”
“In the afternoon of January second.”
That was a few weeks away…something I opened my mouth to say, but Jack cut me off before the first syllable came out.
“Don’t attempt to argue with me. You’re staying with me, for as long as it takes.”
“I’m not yours to control,” I said.
He crowded my space. “I’m looking for much more than control,” he rasped, so only I could hear. “And deny it all you want, but you are mine, Lana. I recall you moaning that very admission while I was buried inside you.”
My lips tingled and my body shot light like a freshly tappe
d snare drum. I was caught in his eyes, his dominating presence. All thoughts were routed to the one moment Jack had just painted in my mind. I had been his. Welcomed that thought. But that was the past.
“As you well know, control is something I enjoy, but in this circumstance, my main objective is your safety,” he said, straightening his shoulders and moving away from me. His presence was hot, but with the few inches of distance, it was quickly cooling. And I wanted it back. So badly I wanted that heat back. How did he do that? Go from blood burning words to indifference in zero point two seconds?
He didn’t fight fair, and my heart had the scars to prove it. Pressing my lips together, I tried to physically stop words, questions, anger, from coming out. Speech would only make things worse at this point. Because in the end, Jack was right. I’d done things my way, and Bea had gotten hurt. I couldn’t argue. Didn’t want to, because I cared about her. And, like it or not, the fire flared the fear that I’d been carrying this whole time. Someone was after me. And wasn’t seeming to go away.
Jack moved beside me and rested his palm on my lower back. “Keep me posted,” he said to Cal, then guided me down the hallway toward the exit. He was so close that his touch and scent enveloped my senses and reminded me of a time I’d gotten lost in both. Had been wrapped up in all that intensity that was radiating under his strong frame.
I glanced over my shoulder at Cal. He tossed me a wink and said, “I’ll see you soon.”
