“Hey.” He sounded distracted.
“Brody. I need you to trace a call for me.” I didn’t break eye contact with Jo, and her eyes widened as I spoke, realization dawning in her gaze.
As my chief of security, Brody could make a lot of things happen that I didn’t like to dig too far into.
“Number?” He was more alert now. This was the kind of security issue he liked to be handed. And he never asked too many questions at the outset.
I had time to explain it to him later.
I started to recite Jo’s number from where it seemed to be engraved on my memory, but she moved suddenly, and fast, whipping my phone out of my hand and making it to the other side of her desk before I could react.
She pushed her hair back from her face, her cheeks pinking as she watched me watching her.
I didn’t move, curious what she planned to do now.
She put my phone to her ear. “Ah, Brody was it?” She nodded. “I’m sorry about that. Please disregard the previous instructions. There’s no need for a trace on any number. Thanks.” She hung up before Brody had any chance to reply again but kept hold of my phone in her hand.
“What the hell was that?” she asked.
I shrugged and kept my voice even as I replied, “Someone had to do something to find out who those fuckers are.”
“But that’s sure as hell not your job.” Annoyance colored her cheeks darker. “It’s not your call or your duty to find anything out. You shouldn’t be over here taking control of anything.”
The door burst open and Wesley came into the office. “You’re damn right about that.” But he wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at Jo.
“Listening again, Wes?” Her tone was dry.
“Damn right about that, too.” He nodded without an ounce of shame.
But we rarely felt shame for using our wolf senses.
“And what do you suggest? I’m sure you have something.” She glanced down at my phone, the gesture habitual, and looked shocked to see she was holding mine instead of her own. She set it on the desk.
“Call the police.” Wesley gestured grandly with an arm. “That’s what they’re for, right? Serving and protecting? Keeping people safe?”
My wolf sat up and took notice, and I reacted. I wanted to keep her safe. No one else could be trusted to do that.
“Look.” My tone was conciliatory now. “I think I can probably help. Let me make up for your horrible experience last night.” I didn’t phrase it as a question. There was no choice for her to make.
I could keep her safe, and I intended for her to let me do that.
Guilt roared through me, making my wolf fidget again. If I hadn’t left Clover’s…but I couldn’t think like that. I’d seen Dad, I’d seen Mom, and no one should have attacked Jo.
That logic didn’t appease my wolf, though. It wanted to prowl.
Jo raised an eyebrow and folded her arms, drawing my attention to her breasts. “But you had nothing to do with last night, so what do you have to make up for?”
“Does it matter?” Wesley cut across any answer I’d been about to make. “Have you met the alpha of the Silver Claw pack?” He gestured at me without even looking my way. “Hello, this guy hasmoney. He has power. He has influence like no one else in town. If he says he can keep you safe, he can.”
“He has no reason to.” She responded to Wesley before turning to me. “How exactly do youplan to keep me safe?” She even did the air quotes, the ones that signaled someone’s doubt or mockery.
I chuckled. “Oh, any number of ways.”
I didn’t list them. That level of detail would probably scare her, especially off-the-cuff like this. Number one on my list was moving her into the penthouse and never letting her out, but she probably wouldn’t go for that, and it hadn’t really worked for Rapunzel. I wouldn’t lead with that suggestion.
“I have a guarded car service I can arrange for you. One of my pack soldiers will be your chauffeur and bodyguard on duty for the next few days, just in case the person who called makes good on their threat of running into more of their wolves. This service is quite discreet, so my guy wouldn’t be obvious, and you wouldn’t feel like you had a babysitter.”
That didn’t mean she wouldn’t be watched every moment she was out in public. Just that my men knew how to conduct themselves.