Page 112 of The Price of Forever

JORDAN: My bodyguard comes with.

ELI: You don’t trust me?

JORDAN: It’s not that. He comes with me everywhere. This ass needs extra eyes…don’t you agree?

ELI: I’m sure he doesn’t hate his job. He can come too. Just promise me I’ll get some alone time with you. I need you there.

My eyes fluttered shut. My entire body felt heavy. Seven was going to fucking hate this. And possibly hate me. But something deep inside, way past the trepidation, told me this was something I needed to see through.

JORDAN: Promise. See you tomorrow.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

SEVEN

“Liam, it was a real pleasure meeting you today.” I stood from my office chair, extending my hand over the new, mahogany desk that had arrived a few days ago. Liam stood as well, giving me a firm handshake.

Our interview had gone well, and he’d passed the pre-interview background check with flying colors. I planned on hiring him immediately. My second new hire for the business, but the first one to occur within the walls of my new office, which I’d been putting together on the sly in my downtime.

“Likewise, Seven.” Liam cast me an effortless grin. He had something of a boy-band aesthetic to him; he could become an A-list actor if the close protection thing didn’t work out. “I appreciate you taking the time. I really like what you’re building here.”

I smiled as I came around the desk, heading toward the door of my office. I believed Liam, even though it could have been a line of bullshit.

“I hope you’ll consider joining Silva Security,” I told him, opening the door. “I’ll be sending over the paperwork later today.”

Liam tipped his fingers in a salute. “We’ll talk soon, then.”

I watched him stride through the sparse foyer of Silva Security, my new headquarters on the seventh floor of the Fairchild’s charity building, the one they’d dedicated to Kaylee and Jordan. They’d given me the entire floor to use as I saw fit, even though I’d only asked for the suite. And, well, none of them wanted me to have any other floor but seven. Of course.

Excitement and urgency spread through me in equal measure as I returned to my desk. There was so much to do still. So much to take care of. And you still haven’t even fucking told Jordan.

The thought haunted me more than I wanted to admit. In the beginning, I didn’t tell her because it wasn’t her place to know. I’d kept those lines drawn.

But now everything had changed. There were no lines anymore, just murkiness and poor decisions. I was in too deep, that was for fucking sure. Because now I was both dreading and celebrating the expansion of my business.

Liam or Chico would become my replacement. Exactly what I’d planned from day one, whether Jordan liked it or not.

And I already knew she wasn’t going to fucking like it.

But there were a few things she was doing that I didn’t fucking like either. So maybe this just leveled the playing field. My mouth turned downward as memories of her confession from that morning flooded me. I didn’t have enough vocabulary to express how much I disliked the fact that she gave out her phone number—even an unofficial one—to fuckwad Eli.

But she knows he’s a fuckwad, too. She’s just doing it for the money.

That rationale grated on me. Her safety came first. Didn’t she get that? There was no way to stop her from engaging with him that didn’t include full-on control, and that wasn’t my style. I could only protect a client as far as they’d allow it. I knew this. I’d lived it.

But I’d allowed myself to get way too intimate with my client. I’d fucked up. And now I was trapped in my own mess.

I huffed as I returned to the new hire process for Liam. I got together his paperwork, prepping the email with the formal proposal. But thoughts about Jordan kept cropping up, no matter how hard I focused on the computer screen.

The only way out of this mess was through. We needed to stick to the original plan. She needed to get her own place like she said. No matter how fun it was to play house, she wanted to move out, and I’d have to let her. Even though the thought made me queasy.

But what future do you see with her?

My confusion lay in the fact that I could see an amazing future with her; but it was roadblocked by all the snafus in front of us. Her brothers would never sign off on us as a couple, even if her protection was handled by Liam or Chico. And then if we did happen to find a way forward together…? I wasn’t sure I could handle cracking open my heart again. I wasn’t even sure there was anything left inside there after Olivia.

My frown deepened as I took care of a few administrative tasks I’d been putting off. My phone vibrated with a message.

AXEL: Hey Seven. Legs just picked up Jordan from the apartment for our celebratory fuck-you feast. You’re coming, right?

---