The reminder of just how long it had been since he’d bothered to even check in had guilt sitting heavy in his gut. But beating himself up over it right then wasn’t a luxury he could afford, so he set it aside for later. “Just a couple of people to watch over her, as unobtrusively as possible. She’ll get antsy if they hover.”
“I can make that happen. I have a couple of guys between jobs at the moment, so they’ll be grateful for the extra work. I assume you want them to start yesterday?”
“Yes. Thank you. I’ll sleep a little better at night knowing she’s being watched over.”
Across the table from him, Cole snorted, his smirk returning full force. “No, you won’t. You won’t sleep right until your fucktwat of a brother is back in New York. And even then you’ll still have some bad nights.”
“Seriously, Brennan. That isincrediblyannoying.”
“I know.” Sliding out of the booth, Cole pulled a business card and a pen from his pocket and scribbled something on the back. “These are the men I’ll be putting on your girl. I’ll call you if they run into any issues.”
“Please do. If Mina gives them any trouble, I’ll happily impress on her the importance of doing as she’s told.”
“Like I said, some things never change. Later, Banks.”
Cole strolled back through the front doors of the restaurant and disappeared into the crowd. Without bothering to finish his coffee, Cyrus rose from the booth as well, tossing a twenty on the table to cover the drink and a tip for the waitress who had happily made herself scarce per his request. Making his way out into the cool, autumn air, Cyrus sent up a silent prayer to whichever gods were listening that he’d done enough to keep Mina safe.
But even with everything he’d put into place, he couldn’t shake the nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him it would never be enough.
* * *
The men Cyrushad hired weren’t nearly as discreet as they thought they were. Everywhere she went, that fucking SUV followed. Sitting outside her office, hanging out across the street from her meetups with her sources.
Even now, at dinner with the man himself, sheknewthey were waiting just outside. Which was ridiculous because what danger could she possibly be in with Cyrus by her side?
“You’re scowling, Ace.”
Turning her glare on him, she speared a piece of shrimp with her fork. “The goon squad is still here. Why are they still here?”
“Because their instructions are to watch you from the time you leave either my house or your apartment in the morning until you return to either residence. They are simply following orders.”
“Well, I don’t like it.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw and there was no mistaking the resolve burning in his eyes. “You don’t have to like it, but you do have to accept it.”
“Yeah, well, maybe a spanking would be worth a few minutes of privacy,” she grumbled, twirling her fork in her pasta.
“Trust me when I tell you that it absolutely would not be. Would you like a preview when we get home, or are you going to be a good girl and listen to Daddy?”
“Cyrus!” she hissed, glancing around frantically to see if anyone had overheard him. Although it seemed that everyone was focused on their own meals, she still shot him a furious glare. “You can’t call yourself that in public.”
“And why not?” Leaning forward, a smile curved his lips, the wicked intent in the gesture making her clit throb. “You are my little girl right now just as much as you are when we’re in my bed.”
“No, I’m not!”
“That sounds like a challenge.”
Her heart hammered at her ribcage as he rose from his seat and rounded the table to join her on her side of the intimate booth. “Spread your thighs, Ace, and don’t make a sound,” he murmured, resting his hand on her knee. “And if you have anything to say other than ‘Yes, Daddy’ when I give you an instruction for the rest of the evening, I will punish you, right here at this table. Do you understand me, little girl?”
“Y-yes, Daddy,” she whispered, shifting in her seat so that her legs were spread as far as possible in the confines of their table.
“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Reaching across the table with his right hand, he grabbed his plate and pulled it closer to him as his left hand traveled up the inside of her thigh.
When he passed the lace tops of her hose, he paused to caress the bare skin at the tops of her thighs, nearly making her whimper. But his admonition to not make a sound had her biting her lip at the last second to keep the noise from escaping.
“So, other than the goon squad, how was your day?” he asked, his tone completely relaxed and conversational as if his fingers weren’t a hair’s breadth from her very wet panties.
“Um. It was good.” She somehow managed to force the words out, breathless as they were. “Made some good progress on a couple stories I’m chasing. You could be a nice Daddy and help me out with a quickie interview about the Compton trial.”