Page 12 of The Attraction
“Harper, sit down,” Felisha yells at me to gain my attention, pushing me back to my seat by the shoulders. “We won’t let anything happen to you. Now let Sandon tell us what he knows. Knowledge is power, you know this.”
She is right, and her stern advice is what I needed to stop my brain from spiraling.
“Firstly, I have checked out this Ashton Taylor, and he is trustworthy. Ex-American Army and now runs a high-end security business based in Chicago. I have just got off the phone with Remington, and his sources are saying the same as mine. We can trust him. Secondly, Chester is still safely in the US, and regardless of the prospect that he in theory could get a fake passport, Ashton’s team aren’t letting him out of their sights. Thirdly, we think you are just a steppingstone, and he is not actually interested in you. It turns out there was another man involved behind the scenes of your father’s financial collapse, and he was based in Chicago, looking after some of the American businesses. Your father was not a criminal but just a businessman who got too greedy and stepped over the line of safe investments. But his business associate in Chicago was not just greedy but dirty, laundering money for some underground crime bosses. And from what we can gather, Chester started piecing information together about this other man when he was in jail for all these years, and he is trying to track him down to finish the job he started with your father. And to get his parents’ money back, which is all he was trying to do when he found your father hiding out. Talking to Ashton, we aren’t sure he ever meant to murder your father, but it looks like he has never given up on wanting to get that money back.”
Trying to take in everything Sandon is saying, the only thing that computes is that he wants his money, and he is mentally unstable obviously.
“How much is it? I’ll give it to him so he goes away.” Yes, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll sell everything I have if I need to.
“No!” Felisha voices strongly.
“There is no way we are having any contact with him. And to be honest, that will only open you up to more danger.” Sandon reaches out and takes my hands in his, trying to get my attention. “We will protect you, Harper. I promise nothing will happen to you or your family. I need you to trust me, our team, and Remington and the Darby team. At the moment this is a very low-level threat, but of course, one we won’t ignore. Ashton is only coming to talk in person because he wants to share the intel he has, and sometimes it’s better not to put that sort of thing in an email.” He squeezes my hands again, which I’m too freaked out to notice, then he asks me one question. “Do you trust me?”
“I do, but to be honest, I’m pissed.” And scared, but I’m not admitting that out loud. I won’t give my fear any power.
I learned to shut down my emotions a long time ago. I just never imagined after all this time that I’d have to do it again.
I’ve always been the one to take charge and make shit happen, and especially when Felisha’s life was falling apart, I took great pride in my strength. So, digging deep, I’m about to do it for myself this time.
Sitting up straighter in my seat, I tell the fear in my stomach to fuck off because that emotion is no use to me.
“Right, so what’s the plan?” I look to Sandon, and as he is about to answer, the door opens again, and Flynn, Remington, and Forrest stride into Felisha’s office.
“Nice of you to knock,” I grumble as they surround us and look like they are about to kill someone.
“Are you okay, Harper?” Flynn leans down and pulls me up into a hug. He is the only one who can get away with that. We have been building this brotherly-sisterly connection that is one I’m not quite sure how to manage, but I have to admit, it’s a nice feeling.
“Uggh, get your arms off me, I don’t want to piss off your girlfriend.” I push him away, trying to make light of the moment.
“Where’s the fourth one? Don’t you four normally move as a pack? You are missing the head guy,” I sass, walking away from them to get some space because it’s all too overwhelming.
“Don’t do that,” Flynn says to me.
“Do what?” I shrug.
“Use comedy to deflect. You forget I’m the king of that tactic, and it doesn’t work on me.” He tilts his head to the side in sympathy.
“Well, what do you all want me to say? I’m sure you know as much as I do. Sandon will protect me, and it will all go away. Now, get back to work. Nothing to see here.” I look around the circle of people who are all observing me, and they each have different expressions on their faces. Remington and Sandon look like they are happy that I trust them, and I can tell their brains are working on what they are going to do. Felisha is worried. Flynn looks like he just wants to hug me again and protect me from the threat.
But Forrest, he looks so angry. His eyes are focused on me with precision, and if I move, they follow me. Security and logistics aren’t his thing, he’s the finance guy, but right now, if Chester walked into this room, I think he is the man I’d be most worried about. There is fire in his body, and he is ready to put everything on the line for me, the woman who he is not interested in because I’m a one-night stand kind of girl—or so he says.
I can’t look away because his intensity has me mesmerized.
“She will stay with me,” Forrest commands like there is no room to contest his words.
But it’s enough to shake me out of this trance. “Wait, what? No, not happening. I can take care of myself, asshole. I don’t need your grumpy ass hovering over me.”
“Not up for debate.” He glares at me again.
And before I can answer, Sandon agrees with him. “It actually has merit. If we leave her address as the current rented apartment but she doesn’t stay there, it is an added level of protection. That way she is never alone, and we don’t need to post a guard outside the door, which she’ll hate.”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!” I storm toward Forrest with my hands on my hips. “You can’t stand being near me because I piss you off constantly when I speak, yet now you want to be roommates. Why?” I ask, pushing him in the chest.
“Because you need me.” It’s almost a growl.
“Let’s get this straight, I don’t need any man in my life.”
He grunts with frustration. “You. Need. Me. Understood?” His eyes are boring into me like he thinks that can make me agree.
