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I feel the eyes and glance up. Allie’s smirking at me because she knows about Sheldon, but bless her heart, she doesn’t give me away to Mom. “Don’t you have somewhere to be, like in the ER?” I ask.
She laughs. “I’m not on shift again until later, so no chance of getting rid of me yet,” Allie retorts.
I reach over, almost pulling her from her chair as I give her a seated hug. “No chance we’d ever want to.” Allie practically grew up in our home after her father died. Her mom worked round the clock to keep a roof over her head. She was always appreciative that Allie was well cared for when she was away, and that was most of the time.
We’ve been visiting for longer than allowed when a nurse in blue scrubs bustles into the room, letting us know that visitation has ended. Allie looks at her watch, and her eyes narrow. “Wow, time flies. I need to get to the unit, but I’ll stop down at break, check on Jan, and text you if anything changes. You’re coming back a little later?”
I nod. “Yep, I’ll stop in for visitation before dinner because I’m not sure what the work schedule looks like for tomorrow,” I reply, gathering my purse and sweater before kissing Jan on the forehead.
When we walk out of the hospital room, Liam and Trent are still doing their thing, watching anyone who walks by with those intense, penetrating looks. At least until they get to me, then the raised brows and tightened jaw cause me to feel bad, but only for a moment. They probably have their undies in a bunch because I’m going to work tomorrow and didn’t hear about it first.
Allie takes off down the hall toward the elevator, and my mom pulls me in for a big hug. “I’ll be back in the morning to check on Jan. Give me a call if anything changes tonight, and thanks so much for coming home so quick. I don’t know what Jan would do without you managing the salon for her right now.”
“I know, Mom, and really, it’s not a problem. You’ve been here since she was admitted and should go home and rest.”
The guys don’t say a word until we’re in the car, ever the professionals. “We can’t keep you safe from this psycho if we can’t stay ahead of your schedule. This man is dangerous, Alexis, and he wants to pick you up. Do you know what will happen if he does? Any number of horrible things. Sheldon wouldn’t want me to tell you this, but with the way you look, they’d sell you in one of their upscale auctions. You’d end up being a sex slave to the highest bidder, or worse, sold for a month, and then sold again to someone else,” Liam states.
Trent gives him a glare, but Liam isn’t deterred. “If you’re planning to go to work tomorrow, we can make that work, but we need time to flip the itinerary around so we can have the perimeter secured while we make sure your place isn’t left alone, okay?”
“I’m sincerely sorry that you weren’t the first people I told, and I didn’t realize that you would need to flip your entire schedule. Look, guys, I really appreciate every single thing that you’re doing to keep me safe, and Sheldon told me the guy’s a trafficker, but I have to go back to work. There’s simply no choice. The woman lying in that hospital bed means the world to me and my mom. The salon is what puts a roof over her head, and while I can find another source of income, she can’t. I need to do whatever it takes to ensure her livelihood isn’t in shambles when she comes home.”
“We’re sorry you’re in this position, but that doesn’t change the need to keep your security details informed of the plans, Alexis,” Trent responds.
I should probably let my scolding go uncontested, but of course, I don’t. “In my own defense, I just found out what was going on about five seconds after you walked out of the room. It’s not like I was trying to keep you out of the loop.”
They don’t say a word, and I huff internally. They’ve probably already ratted me out to Sheldon, and I expect my phone to light up with his call any minute, but it does nothing of the sort. Instead, it stays as eerily silent as the two men up front have now gone.
“Hey, guys, I hate to do this seeing how you feel about the whole situation at the salon tomorrow, but I’m going to need to stop there before we head home today,” I mention as we pull out into traffic. “I need the schedule for tomorrow, and to make sure the salon is in order and such. Jan was working from home and only had a few customers scheduled for the last couple days but was planning to return to the shop tomorrow.”
Trent’s eyes narrow at me, but to his credit, he doesn’t say a word; although, I don’t think his jaw could lock any tighter. He remains silent but continues reading on his phone, and intermittently pounds out messages before turning his attention to me. “We’ve sent a security team to the salon. We’ll stop somewhere for lunch, which will give the guys a chance to secure the premises. Then we can go get your schedule and help you with anything that needs to be done,” Trent says.
I eye him with suspicion. “Sounds like a plan to me.” The change of attitude is surprising, so I check my phone to see if Sheldon has messaged me something that would explain it. Still nothing, but I push the nagging suspicion that something is wrong away, knowing how busy Sheldon must be dealing with Katarina and Chase in Italy.
Liam manages to find a parking space just down the block from a high-class sub shop, and we walk the short distance in continued silence. After a while, the hostess seats us, and the waitress finally stops by to take our order. Still, neither say a damn word to me until the waitress asks Trent for his order. “Ladies first,” he says, deferring to me while winning a full-blown pout from the waitress, who is all googly-eyed over the two well-built bodyguards in black suits, who both seem oblivious to her attention.
I order iced tea and the sandwich of the day: a hot, spicy shredded chicken with a topping of coleslaw, and I’m surprised when both guys order the same. Trent’s phone buzzes. It’s sitting on the table, and I try not to be nosy, but it’s impossible to miss Sheldon’s picture as Trent turns his phone over and takes the call.
The fact that he can call Trent but not me hurts. I try not to put too much stock into it. He is on duty and is calling a colleague, but still. One little text certainly wouldn’t take that long. Trent looks at me, observing for a minute before swiping his finger along his lip. “Roger that, Sheldon. Consider it done.”
He places his phone into his pocket as the waitress brings our lunch, and after about five more minutes, I’ve had enough. “Look, this silent treatment the two of you are giving me is for the birds. I said sorry. I meant it, and that should be that.”
Trent narrows his eyes at me, contemplating my words as he chews.
“I’ll try to be more mindful, really,” I tell him, taking a bite of my sandwich.
Liam takes a long drink of his tea, his dark hair falling over his forehead as he observes me over the large glass. “Time will tell,” he says, but his mouth turns up in a rare smile, showing a bright white set of teeth.
“Oh my God! The man actually knows how to smile!” I joke.
“Pretend you didn’t see it.” Liam smirks, giving me a wink.
We finish our lunches in relative silence, but the mood is much lighter. If I thought my words were going to get Trent to open up and tell me what Sheldon wanted, I’m more than wrong. Not one word. Perhaps it was only work. I’m still contemplating this and have finished my lunch when Liam asks the waitress for the check as she walks by.
“We should get you to the shop before too long,” he remarks as I grab my purse from the back of the chair.
I scramble to get money from my wallet, but Liam throws a hundred-dollar bill on the table when the waitress returns. “It’s taken care of, Alexis,” he states, standing.
“You didn’t have to pay for my portion, but thank you.”
