We were safe.
For now.
I nudged Wally in the ribs with the tip of my elbow. “Do you believe me now?”
He nodded, catching his breath. “Yes. Yes, I do.”
“We need to call the police. We need to—” I reached for my phone in my messenger bag, but grimaced. My bag was gone. “Shit. Shit, shit,shit.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I threw my messenger bag at them. I lost it all.”
“All?”
“Everything, Wally. My phone. My wallet. They haveeverything.”
Wally hushed me gently. “Hey, it’ll be okay, Vivian. You’ll come with me. You’ll be safe.”
“I don’t know. I’ve already dragged you into this. I don’t want you to be in more danger than you already are.”
“You’re forgetting something very important, Viv.”
“What?”
Wally smiled. “My father’s a bonafide badass.”
Chapter 8
Jesse
Igot home early, around 9:00 p.m.I had a productive day, banging through my to-do list with impressive efficiency. There was an issue with payroll that I sorted out during lunch. I had a total of four client meetings in the afternoon, all of whom signed Pegasus Star as their primary security service once I was done pitching. My teams were all organized, the new hires were undergoing a strict training regime that I came up with, and all my dispatched bodyguards reported a total of zero hiccups.
Everything was running smoothly. Easy, predictable clockwork.
Just how I liked it.
I stepped off the elevator and into the penthouse, shrugging off my suit jacket from over my gun holster and loosening my tie. I was exhausted, more so than usual. Maybe Devin had a point about taking a break, though I’d rather die than admit that he was right. I could already imagine the smug look on his face.
I paused in the living room, noting a shuffling sound coming from the kitchen. From where I was, I could see that the fridge door was open, a pair of bare legs visible just below.
A pair of female bare legs.
Did Wally have a guest over? He knew the rules —no overnight guests without letting me know first. He wasn’t prohibited from bringing people over; I just wanted a little heads up so I could avoid awkward situations like this one.
I approached the stranger and cleared my throat. The woman yelped despite my caution.
“Holy shit!” she shouted, slamming the fridge door closed. “Don’tdothat.”
I recognized her voice first. Soft and delicate.
“Vivian?”
She gave me a sheepish smile. “Hey, Mr. White.”
“What are you doing here?”
She was wearing one of Wally’s t-shirts. My son was by no means a large man, but it looked massive on her, practically swallowing her whole. I did my best not to stare, but it was hard not to. Her skin looked soft and warm.