“Of course she can’t stay here,” Lex said, his voice sounding closer.“Those bastards will come back.”
Oh, she planned not to be around when they did.She had to talk to her brothers.She reached for her phone where she always kept it and remembered she’d dropped in the water.Stupid move, Jillian.Until Petrosian had his money, she wouldn’t be safe.There was no saying what they’d do to her to get to her father.Cruel Lips already thought she was a porn star.
A knock on the door then Lex entered her bedroom.He didn’t say anything, just leaned against the doorway and watched her.
“Does Douglas follow you around everywhere you go?”she asked.
“Most of the time.”
She tried to close the suitcase, but it was too full.She pushed at the bulges and tried again.“I think I’ll stay with Chris for a few days until I straighten out this mess.”
“No.You’re staying with me.”
So the thugs could follow her to his house?She didn’t think so.
“Could I borrow your phone?”She sat on her suitcase and tugged at the zipper again.
Lex sighed, lifted her out of the way, and zipped it up with zero effort.He turned and peered at her face.
She gave him a tiny smile.“Thank you.”
“In two weeks we’ll be married, Jillian, so moving in with me is the logical thing to do.”
“Logic has nothing to do with this.”He’d be safer that way.She started zipping up the second suitcase.
“So you’d rather put Chris and your agent in danger?”
Jillian frowned.She had gone with her instinct and hadn’t really thought this through.After her mother died, Chris had become her go-to person whenever she felt threatened or unhappy.She couldn’t put him and Greg in danger.“I’ll check into a hotel.”
“Then I’ll check inwithyou.”
Jillian sighed.“Lex.”
“I’m not letting you deal with this alone,” he added when Jillian opened her mouth.“The penthouse is safer.I have better security than any hotel, a private elevator accessed only by those who know the code, motion detectors in the house, and Douglas.He’s an ex-counterintelligence agent and can take down anyone.”Lex grinned before adding, “He can help you dismantle a gun faster.He thought you seemed a little rusty earlier.”
Jillian scoffed at the idea.“Forget about the gun.I want to learn his fight moves and how he disarmed—” She stopped, realizing that she’d caved again.Oh, he was good.“Fine.I’ll stay for a few days, until I fix this mess.”
“Why you?Your father created this mess.He should fix it.You’ve already given him the money.”
She dragged the first suitcase off the bed, almost hitting her toes.She jumped back and cursed.
“Leave it before you hurt yourself.”He lifted the suitcase like it weighed nothing and pinned her with a glare.“Why you?”
“Because that’s what children do for their parents.”She waited for him to bring up what she’d told him, that her father had said she wasn’t his, but Lex just handed her his phone and carried her suitcase outside.
Jillian sat on the bed and dialed Ricky’s number.
“Where the hell have you been and why weren’t you answering our calls?I swear if you pulled that crazy-ass zombie shit you pulled whenever you felt sorry for yourself, I’m coming over there to whoop your ass.”
Tears rushed to Jillian’s eyes again.“Oh, Ricky.”
“That shit wasn’t funny when you were young, and it ain’t now either.We went to your house several times and called every goddamn hotel in town, Jillian.Chris wasn’t returning our calls either, and when he finally did, he didn’t know where you were.”
Petrosian’s men must have followed her brothers to her place, but hearing the concern in Ricky’s voice made up for all the heartache she’d gone through the last three days.“I’m fine, Ricky.”
“You don’t pull shit like this, Jillian.You don’t do that to us.We thought…” He sighed.“We thought Petrosian grabbed you.We scouted his clubs the last several nights, but… Where are you?”
“At my place, but I’ll be gone in…” Lex walked into the room and indicated with his fingers.“In five minutes.”
