Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that she’s very regimented. Everything has to be a certain way.”
“Well, good. She probably gets that from me.” He paused. “Anyway, you’re not there to make friends.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
“No funny business. You get what I’m saying? I’m not stupid. I know my daughter is a very attractive woman.”
I had to laugh at that. Not because Juliette wasn’t attractive, because she sure as hell was. But Juliette wouldn’t let me near her with a ten-foot pole. I chuckled under my breath. “She doesn’t seem to like me very much.”
“Good. Keep it that way. Your job is not to make her like you. It’s to protect her.”
“Understood.” I tugged at my hair. “I take my job very seriously, sir.”
“Juliette and I got off to a rough start in our relationship,” he said. “But she’s the most precious thing to me. I’ve done a lot of things wrong, but Juliette is something good that’s come from my life.”
I had to smile at the rare moment of softness coming from a man who was normally tough as nails. It didn’t last long, of course.
“So, if anything happens to her, you won’t see the light of day,” he added.
“Nothing’s going to happen to her,” I assured him. And if it does, it will be because her stubborn ass can’t get out of her own way.
“Well, glad to hear you’re confident in your abilities. Don’t let your guard down. And keep me apprised of anything suspicious.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll be checking in again soon.”
“Looking forward to it,” I lied as he hung up.
I let out a long breath and rested my head against the back of the seat. The call with Vince had left me feeling a little rattled. Not sure why. Maybe I was still getting used to the fact that my life wasn’t really my own anymore. Anytime I had to talk to him, it was a stark reminder of my new reality.
The passenger-side door suddenly opened, and Juliette slid into the car. I’d been so preoccupied, I hadn’t noticed her walking toward me, which wasn’t good. My eyes should’ve been on her from the moment she left the building until she was safely in the car.
“What’s gotten into you?” she asked, likely noticing that I was on edge.
“Nothing.” I started the engine and glanced over at her. “Put your seatbelt on.”
She reluctantly followed my order. “I was going to…”
It surprised me that she didn’t give me shit for telling her what to do. Still tense, I chewed on my bottom lip as I drove.
“Did something happen today?” she asked.
“No.” My tone was curt.
“Wes…”
“What?” I snapped.
“If we’re gonna do this, you need to be honest with me. Am I in danger?”
Shit. I didn’t want her to think that. I also didn’t want to admit that her father made me nervous, but I didn’t want to freak her out for no reason, either.
“Nothing’s wrong, Juliette. Truly. Your dad called to check in. That’s all. I told him everything was fine.”
“If everything is fine, then why are you in a mood?”
“Because I’m not a machine,” I answered. “When someone reminds me what’s at stake, I can’t help but react. But there’s nothing new. Nothing to worry about. The call was just a kick in the ass for me to remember why I’m here, even if you make it easy to forget sometimes.”
She blushed. “Was that a compliment?”
“I guess you could say that. There are worse places I could be than hanging out with you, even if you’re cranky. You’re a good distraction. And this still beats a lot of other gigs.”
“So I’m one step up from guarding a laundromat that’s a front for money laundering?”
I chuckled. “Many steps up from that.”
“Oh good.” She winked.
She seemed to be getting more comfortable with me, and that was a win that might just cancel out the call from Vince. I calmed down for the ride back to her place. But the calm was short-lived.
When we returned to the house, Juliette noticed that I’d turned down the temperature—quite a bit—before we left this morning.
“What the hell? It feels like Antarctica in here, Wes.”
“It was hotter than hell earlier. You said you didn’t want me to take off my shirt. I turned down the temperature so that wouldn’t be an issue when we got back.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “You don’t have the right to do that.”
“Well, if the thermostat is off-limits, then I do have a right to take off my damn shirt when it’s hot in here.”
Juliette proceeded to adjust the temperature back and storm off to her bedroom. She only came out once to grab something from the fridge and take it to her room.
I’d picked up some food while Juliette was at work earlier, so I made myself dinner and took advantage of the space she’d allotted me.