AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s okay. I’m here for you.”
“That hoodie man must be connected to Aidan,” I say. “There’s no way around it.”
“I’m gonna get some extra muscle around the house. It’s time we revisited my bodyguard idea,” Rob says. “I’m gonna call Clay, too. We should stick together.”
I nod.
Yes, we should.
27
AMBER
Proving that I wasn’t crazy, the extravagant spread of food turned out to be poisoned—not all of it, but every piece of the lamb navarin was, for sure. Too mild to kill, but strong enough to send a message. Even though no one at Hartley Marine had ingested anything from ARTable, I still feel sick to my stomach thinking about what could’ve been.
Knowing Aidan’s jealousy and arrogance, I’m sure what he wanted was to take me while Rob was lying in the hospital. And then he would laugh his way to eternity while watching him suffer for losing me.
“Is everything alright?” Rob asks right after I end my call with Mama. I’m wearing yet another of his shirts. He ordered six pairs of Alexander McQueen jeans for me, and a set of Armani t-shirts and underwear. I wear the jeans (there’s no chance I would survive wearing his pants), but as far as shirts go, Rob’s are still my favorite.
“Yeah. She’s okay. Jarrod is around, and the police are still patrolling.”
“Good.”
Two days in, Matty seems to be taking the stay-home order in stride. No sign of his anxiety. The police presence actually intrigues him more than anything. He’s been asking questions, and the officers have been happy to answer.
“Rob, I’m going to talk to Officer Cooper, okay?” Matty says. Rob thinks Officer Cooper might soon take over Wyatt’s status as the coolest guy in the world.
“Go with Andre,” Rob says, mentioning one of our ‘extra muscles.’ Andre is in charge of Matty and me, while Dave is stationed at the front atrium. They are two of the six men that Rob originally offered me as bodyguards. With the way Andre looks and talks, he could very well be CIA (think Josh Brolin inSicario), while Dave resembles a young John Wick—aloof, but alert.
“I’m coming with you,” I say, wanting to get some fresh air for myself.
“Rob!” Clay says, emerging from one of the libraries, which Rob calls the main study. “You’ve got to see this.”
“Go. I’ll keep an eye on Matty,” I say and step outside, following the boy and Andre the bodyguard.
“Matty, wait up!” I say, noticing the boy running, seemingly determined to find Officer Cooper.
Matty rounds the garage at a sprint. “I saw him walking over here.”
“He was answering a call earlier,” I say, keeping up.
“Nah, he’s gone.” The young Hartley seems really disappointed.
“Well, you can talk to him some other time. Maybe he’s back in his car.”
“If you two keep running around like this, I think I’ll lose at least twenty pounds before this assignment is over,” Andre quips.
Matty pinches his lips together. “I guess I’ll just have to play Minecraft now. Do you play Minecraft, Andre?” The boy turns to our bodyguard, who shakes his head.
We slowly make our way back to the house. Halfway there, we hear a whistle—Officer Cooper’s signature call to Matty.
Matty perks up. “There he is!” He runs to the officer. The man is standing in the distance, right next to the workshop—the space where Matty and Rob paint and make handicrafts. His cap is pulled low, and he’s wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses.
I run to them, keeping enough distance so that Matty doesn’t feel I’m in his space. We’ve been cooped up for days, and I’m sure he’s not far from reaching a state of ‘too much Amber.’ When the boy is close to Officer Cooper, the officer turns his back to me.
Andre steps closer to the man.
“Officer Cooper!” Matty says enthusiastically. “Come on, tell me about your police dog.”
