Elias shifted on his feet as he listened to whatever Rhys said. “I do. Nine millimeter. And, yeah, I’ve been keeping an eye out.”
Whoa, wait. He had a gun on him? Here?
She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised since he’d not only been traveling at night alone but also coming to the mountains where bears and other critters were regularly roaming about. One couldn’t be too careful these days. But was there a reason he hadn’t told her he had a gun? Maybe because of her hysterical crying?
She winced at the thought.
“I understand. But like I said, I’m not going to force her. As Ana’s friend, Quinley is welcome to stay as long as she wants.”
Elias’s voice was controlled and even, and she envied him that ability when she wanted to scream at Rhys in her frustration.
Hadn’t he listened toanything she’d said?
Her ankle started to cramp from her rapid tap-tap-tapping, and she frowned before seating herself at the bar in front of Elias. This time, it was her heel that jiggled her impatience on the rail at her feet.
She held Elias’s gaze while themencontinued to discussherlife, and if her father was there, she was sure he’d be right there in the mix as well.
And wasn’t that just typical? Though, to be fair, she had dangled off a balcony railing yesterday, so maybe they were a wee bit justified in questioning her processing skills.
“I agree that she needs guards until the threats have been handled. I won’t argue that. If she’s honest, don’t think she’ll argue the need either. But it has to be on her terms.” Silence followed. Then, “That means they come to her and stay wherever she chooses to stay.”
Quinley stilled. Blinked. He’d defended her. Elias had given in on the guards which, she reluctantly agreed,werea good idea given the threats, but he hadn’t given in on Rhys wanting to move her about like a chess piece.
Elias had negotiatedforher. If Rhys wanted her to have guards, fine. But she wasn’t staying with her parents or going somewhere she didn’t want to. She could even stay here. And didn’t that make her want to hug Elias so tight that he was the one panicking over the inability to breathe.
She held out her hand and waggled her fingers to indicate Elias return the phone. “Enough.Enough, Rhys,” she said, raising her voice so she knew he’d hear her over the phone.
Elias’s gaze held hers as he handed the phone back to her with a bold stare that encouraged her to stand her ground, God love him.
She pressed the phone to her ear. “Rhys, I called to apologize for handling things so badly, and I have. I mean it too, but I also mean it when I say I’mnotstaying with my parents. Please have the guards bring my purse and—and a bag of clothes to the cabin. And have your press department draft a statement for me about…last minute cold feet. I’ll record it with permission to postifI agree with it. Once that’s done, I’m sure things will calm down and everything will go back to normal.”
“The guards are nonnegotiable,” Rhys argued, all pretense of patience gone from his voice. “I’ll send your things and have a security detail enroute to you immediately. They will remain with you until the threat is gone.”
“Fine,” she said with a wary glance toward her host.
“I’ll also arrange for another place for you to stay.”
She supposed it was a reasonable offer, a kind one given the circumstances and how it probablydidlook to outsiders, but the highhandedness in his tone? Wasn’t that part of the reason she’d fled in the first place? Because of Rhys taking over her life in ways she didn’t like? Didn’t agree with? “I’m fine here until the guards bring my things. And I’ll make my own arrangements. The bodyguards are enough.”
“Quinley.” Rhys cursed. “Themomentyou use your cards or show your face in public, it’ll be chaos. I can book something through a laundry list of companies no one has heard of. Think about what you’re doing. If anyone finds out you’restayingwith the limo driver, I won’t be able to protect you.”
She heard him. And maybe he was truly trying to watch out for her or maybe he was trying to save face himself, but itangeredher to no end that people—strangers—would judge her and herfriendshipwith a man who’d literally rescued her in her time of need, and deem their relationship something it wasn’t. When it was none of their business.
She stubbornly refused to back down. “I will decide where I go. I need to do this on my own, Rhys. And I need time to figure some things out.”
“You can’t taketimesomewhere alone? Does it have to be with him?”
Her ex-fiancé’s voice rose in volume, and she responded accordingly. “Of course not. Elias is a friend. We aren’t involved. We aren’ttogether. I’m telling you it’s not like that, and I need you to hear me.”
Phone pressed to her ear with one hand, she leaned her head in the other, elbow on the island as her head pounded with every pulse of her heart. “Rhys, I-I greatly appreciate you offering me protection from the death threats, but I’m not— I’m not yours to worry about. Not anymore.”
Silence. A silence so thick that even the phone didn’t crackle or hint at being connected.
When it stretched and she heard nothing but the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears, she raised her gaze and glanced at Elias. He still watched her, unblinking, making no effort to continue with dinner prep and blatantly eavesdropping.
“I’ll have my press team put together a statement for you to release,” Rhys said in a flat voice. “I’ll also send your purse and a suitcase with the second guard detail.”
“Thank you. Rhys, please, will you try to??—”
