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“You’ll get the letters,” Beck interjects. “I’ll make sure of it.”
I wince and shrink down like I can disappear completely.
G.I. Joe. nods grimly. “We will have staff at each door on six-hour rotating shifts and additional staff at the perimeter of the grounds. No one is coming or going without proper clearance. From now on, this place is Fort Knox.”
Beck nods happily.
I’m about to object but I can already hear his argument in my head.I’m protecting my family.
He shoots me a look. It’s not a warning as much as an ‘I told you so,’ which surprisingly, he hasn’t yet actually voiced out loud. He isn’t the least bit smug about being right.
“The letters,” is all he says to me.
Sighing, I go fetch the stack of them from under my bed. Black rose petals sticking out from the flaps crumble to ash when I accidentally touch them. I hand them over guiltily to the security officer, who combs through them with brutal efficiency. I’m cringing and twisting in the wind the whole time. I feel guilty, for reasons I don’t totally understand.
When he’s done, he tucks them away in one of his many pockets. “In my opinion, this individual is escalating. Has anyone else touched these besides the two of you?”
I shake my head. “Not that I know of.”
“Alright. We have a lab guy who might be able to pull a print or some trace DNA. He turns his icy gray eyes on me. “Try not to worry, Ms. Reeves. We’re going to keep you safe.”
“Thanks,” I squeak.
“What I need you to do is to go about your days as you normally would. Don’t deviate from your schedule because what we don’t want is to tip this offender off that we’re watching. While you will always have security with you in your car and at any public place you go to, you will also have one following, looking on in case we need to make a move.” He speaks with such confidence it’s hard to believe that anyone is going to get past this guy or his team.
And Beck trusts them.
That speaks volumes.
It takes a full ten seconds but I nod. The truth is, I’m overwhelmed. I’m being stalked by some freak with a fetish for black roses. I have another creep who is expecting me to pay him weekly. Vivian is still lingering in the shadows with a watchful eye and my relationship with Beck is on weirdly shifting ground that I can’t let myself trust. That’s a lot for anyone, much less a pregnant woman.
Having a shadow in the form of a burly bodyguard is going to be an issue when it comes to payment time, but today isn’t that day. Today, I’m glad that Beck is looking out for me. For us.
“So, once we get everyone in place, tomorrow, we can lift the lockdown. But for today, if you could stay put on the premises it will give me time.”
I nod again. I appreciate the effort, how seriously this guy takes his job.
“You okay?” Beck leans in to ask me in a hush.
“I’m fine.”
“You look constipated.”
My cheeks flush. “I said I’m fine, Beck.”
He slides his arm around me. “We’ll handle it. Whatever happens.”
That sounds like something a boyfriend would say. I have to remind myself that he isn’t that. I don’t know where we are or what we’ve moved onto being from whatever we were, but he’s not that.
Still—right now, I needsomething.I lean into him and for a moment, I let him be what I know he isn’t.
12
SLOAN
Beck and G.I. Joe embark on an intense conversation about op sec and rotating areas of coverage as they meander around the property. Meanwhile, I walk down to the kitchen and make a sandwich.
Chef Karla has taken to grilling chicken since Beck read somewhere that I shouldn’t eat deli meat. I didn’t even know grilled chicken could taste this good. If things don’t work between me and Beck, I might askherto be my wife.
