AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"What?" I lower the barbell until it’s parallel to my chest. My biceps strain; my shoulders scream in protest. I grunt then begin to push up the weights.Slowly. Slowly.
"Use me to keep you updated on her movements."
"It’s what you’re paid to do."
"And you know I do it, but not for the money."
"Yeah." I straighten my arms, still holding the weights. My arms shudder, and my chest hurts. There’s a catch in my side. Sweat pools in my palms. The barbell begins to slip, and I lower it back into its cradle with a thump. My muscles release the tension they were holding, and pain slices through me. My breath comes in hard pants. Spots of black dance in front of my eyes.
"There are easier ways of killing yourself than with your own exercise weights."
"Har, har." I groan as I straighten to sitting position. "And wouldn’t the press have a field day with that."
"Speaking of which, you could have warned her before posting the news about your movie together."
"I don’t need permission from her," I growl.
"I thought you were past this shit, man. When are you going to pull your head out of your arse and do the right thing?"
"I am trying to do the right thing here." I snatch up a towel, then wince when my muscles protest. "Shit, I think I might have pushed it a little too hard."
"You think?" He sneers.
And that, coming from calm and collected Rick, gives me another pause. "What’s crawled up your arse?"
"The fuck you talking about?"
"I’m supposed to be the ornery one here, not you."
"Yeah, well. You’ve paired me up with that arse-hat, Finn. What else did you expect?"
"First, you’re the one who said he was the best person for the job."
"Well, he is." His scowl deepens.
"Second, you seemed to know so much about him, I thought you two were buddies."
"Fuck no. I barely know the guy."
I stare at him. Something’s bothering him, all right, but fuck if I have time to get into it right now. "You’d better resolve whatever animosity there is between you and Finn. I want no gaps in her security."
"You’re doubting my professionalism now?" he snaps.
"You’re the best there is. It’s why I want your attention focused on her. I need to make sure she’s okay."
"The fuck don’t you do that yourself, man? She doesn’t need her security detail babysitting her. She needs her man."
I tighten my grip about my towel. Not a day has gone by in the past few weeks when I haven’t asked myself this question. I flew back to New Zealand to prep for the shooting of the film. Now that Solene and I are back, so are most of the sponsors.
"I need a few more weeks to get everything in place before I send for her."
He glares at me.
"What?" I scowl back.
"You’re pussyfooting around this. It’s not like you, man."
"I’d like to see what you do when you’re in my situation."
