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“So, what’s our schedule like after we land tomorrow?” I asked. “I understand this is the last photoshoot for a while. Do you do anything differently than the others? Retake shots or something?”
She shook her head. “Each shoot is its own. This one is forest-themed. Thank goodness it’s not back at the beach.”
I almost choked, thinking about her in a bikini, and took a long sip of water to cool myself off. “That sounds … interesting.”
She laughed. “Really, it’s going to be pretty boring for you. I just stand around all day.”
I highly doubted it was that easy or boring, at least when it came to her. “It makes more sense to know why we’re flying to Germany. I’m guessing they aren’t using a set?”
Alessia shook her head. “No, the photographer refused to use them. Says he can tell they’re staged, and he needs to be ‘authentic to his artistic talent.’” She snorted. “He’s full of himself, but he does a good job. It’s the only reason I tolerate his mouth.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How so?”
She waved a hand in dismissal. “It doesn’t really bother me. I have a thick skin and a very real sense of self-worth. But I wouldn’t put up with it regardless if he wasn’t such a genius when it comes to lighting.”
I couldn’t believe how quickly the morning turned into the afternoon. After devouring her salad, I took pity on her envious glances toward my pasta, giving her the last bite off my plate. The conversation started light—the typical getting-to-know-you things but quickly turned more personal as we relaxed in each other’s company. I surprised myself by telling her about how I’d grown up in South Texas with my alcoholic father. My mother had died in childbirth when I was six, and I’d had to grow up hard and fast. I’d joined the Marines as quickly as I could, determined to never look back. He’d died when I was in boot camp, finally succeeding in drinking himself to death. We bonded over the loss of our mothers, though she was older when hers had died from cancer. My father had gone even harder after she’d gone, and any money he made went straight to the bottle. She skimmed around the subject, but it seemed hers had changed in ways that caused a rift between them. After that, she talked about her job, favorite movies, books, and childhood memories, clearly wanting to change the subject. She was regaling me with uproarious stories of getting back at her overprotective brothers when her phone pinged, making her jump.
“I didn’t realize we’d been here for so long,” she said, looking self-conscious and a little aggravated. We’d talked well into the afternoon, and I was more than a little pleased that she seemed to be having as good of a time as I was. “I never lose track of time.” She sounded more upset than I thought the situation called for. True, we’d been there for a few hours, but she’d admitted she didn’t have any real plans for the day, and we’d both been enjoying our conversation. There was a sexual tension both of us were trying to ignore, but the heat and chemistry had weaved back and forth, probably another reason we’d lost track of time.
“I didn’t have anywhere else to be,” I said magnanimously, rising and letting her out in front of me before escorting her out the door with a hand on her back. She shuddered at the contact as heat rose between us. I snatched my hand back, determined to keep things professional. “Where to next?” I asked when we were back in the car, but she was back to closing me out, keeping her head down, focused on her phone.
“A.T. so that I can drop you off.” Her tight smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I have plans for the rest of the day, and I’m sure you want some time … visiting … before we leave tomorrow.”
I frowned. “My job is to assist in your security.”
“Starting tomorrow morning at the airport,” she said lightly. “And just until we get back here. Four days total, so by Friday, we’ll just be distant memories of each other.”
“Until the next engagement.” I matched her tone. “I’ve been informed that I’m assigned to you for the foreseeable future.”
I saw her irritation out of the corner of my eye.
“That may be, but I only agreed to security while I’m officially working. I don’t need a babysitter at home,” she spoke firmly, clearly preparing for an argument, but I wasn’t in a position to argue with her, nor did I want to. While I had copies of all the accumulated information on the threats, logs of attempted contact, and protests that occurred at places she’d been over the last few years, it wasn’t my place to tell her she was being pig-headed, even if she was. And that again didn’t make sense. If she was reasonable enough to realize she was vulnerable while working, surely she realized she was even more so at home, where she, and more importantly, her routine were easy to evaluate.
“I’m not here to argue.” I avoided the subject, returning to the original question. “And I don’t have anywhere else to go. I planned to spend the day catching up with your brother and begging to get a pass into the training complex to get some shooting in, but knowing you aren’t happy with Keene makes me feel a bit like a traitor for thinking about doing it now.” It felt like one of those times when the truth was best, even if it reminded her she had a good reason to be wary of my motives.
She sighed. “Just head back to A.T. I’ll drop your bag off at Keene’s since I’d bet money you planned on staying there. I have to exact some sisterly revenge anyway, so it’s not like I’m going out of my way or anything.”
I kept my mouth shut, not sure what I could say since she was correct, and I really didn’t want to know what she had in store for her brothers. I was able to convince her to exchange phone numbers—at least I had a way to check in on her, and she could get ahold of me if need be—and then she was gone, not taking so much as a backward glance in the mirror as she drove off, leaving me at the entrance to the A.T. office building.
Blowing out a breath, I headed to Keene’s office, not sure what else to do. He looked worse for wear, his tie gone and his shirt wrinkled. His attention was on me before I so much as walked through his door, clearly having been informed by security I was back in the building and anticipating my arrival.
“How is she?” he asked without preamble. His worry for his sister was honest and clear.
I shrugged. “She’s not happy being saddled with me, but she was polite. We just came from lunch. She’s more than a little pissed at you, though. And I think, even more, she’s a whole lot of hurt.”
He took the blow, not surprised in the least, but I could see my words had hit home. “She’ll get over it.” He said the words with false bravado, but I couldn’t let it go.
“Why do you think she needs the interference?” I slouched in the chair opposite him, interested in his answer. “You made her sound like an ignorant teenage brat, sticking her head in the sand and pretending all is right in the world while carrying on without a worry.”
He snorted. “Because she is. I’ve known that girl her whole life. She’s that stupid Chihuahua who thinks she’s as big and vicious as the room full of Rottweilers circling her, wanting to eat her whole.”
It was my turn to snort. “Shelve your preconceived notion of your little sister for a moment and think objectively.” I started counting on my fingers. “One … assuming she wasn’t bluffing this morning and did, in fact, change her bodyguard’s file in case her brothers came snooping, she had qualified security. One who her eldest brother vetted at her request.” I held up a second finger. “She took down that SWAT officer in a single move, without so much as blinking. You might think she’s got an over-inflated opinion of her skills, but I’m telling you, no one is that confident taking down a skilled police officer without having at least some serious dedication to self-defense. And three,” I held up the last finger, “she’s a hell of a lot more aware of her surroundings than the average person. During lunch, she sat with her back to the wall, kept track of every move the entire restaurant made, evaluated exits and escape strategies, and never lost focus or awareness of where anyone was sitting in the room despite our conversation.”
He scoffed at that, but I leveled a serious stare at him.
“She might not have formally trained at A.T., but she’s absorbed a lot more than you thought while growing up or taken classes elsewhere. I’m not saying she’s Superwoman, but she has more than basic knowledge of self-defense, awareness, and security protocols. She’s clearly knowledgeable of the same content you offer in those courses set up for high-profile politicians and business executives. All of that tells me that not only is she aware of the danger she’s in, but she might have an even better grasp of it than you do, and she’s prepared to deal with it as best as she can.” I shook my head. I was on a roll that I couldn’t stop. “What does it say when I can come in, a total stranger to her, and see that in the space of hours, and y’all, who have the same training and know her better than anyone on the planet, have such a distorted view of her and her abilities.”
For the first time, Keene looked shaken. He was silent for long minutes before whispering, “Gideon thinks she’s seriously thinking about moving. She’s been pulling away from us for a while. He thinks it’s going to come to a head.”
