Page 126 of The Bodyguard

Chances are I’ll be doing it from the sidelines but I’m okay with that if it means she wakes the hell up and lives.

After all, I failed her.

I should’ve insisted that I be at the house this morning when she had her team meeting. With a number of her team listed as suspects of the threats she’s been receiving, I shouldn’t have left her alone.

Savannah said she was safe at home. That it was a team meeting. Asking what could happen with everyone there and her guards out front?

Well, we know the fucking answer to that now, don’t we?

She could get shot by an insane former best friend. A sociopath.

And it wasn’t her call. I was in charge of protecting her.

And I failed.

I hear a noise and my eyes shoot open.

“Fucking hell,” I whisper, rubbing my face. “I could have shot you.”

Josh smirks. “You wish.”

“You hope.” I smile.

US Navy SEAL vs. Delta.

Even though I’ve never confirmed it—and can’t—our unspoken competitive banter is always there.

Josh steps farther into the room and stands over her bed for a moment. “What’s the update?”

“Blood transfer. Surgery to remove the bullet. She should recover, but the next twenty-four hours are crucial.”

He nods. Then he glances around the room. “Where is her family?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know, man. But if this was her last will and testament reading, I can tell you where they’d be. Right fucking here.” I growl.

“Jesus,” Josh curses. He watches her some more, then turns to me.

I read his mind.

He wants to know what happened between us and it’s time to confess.

“Yes, I’m in love with her. Yes, I will hand in my resignation,” I say, despite what Aidan said to me today. I don’t give a fuck about money. I have more than enough.

I broke the rules and would do it again a million times to share that time again with her.

“I should just fucking scrap that clause.” Josh sighs. “It’s not going to stop any of us. If we want a woman, we’re taking her.”

Yup.

I softly snort out a laugh and stand, sliding my hands into my pockets. “Yeah.” But it’s not that simple for her and me. “But she’s not mine. Savannah belongs to her fans.”

We stand there silently, both of us staring at the movie star lying in her hospital bed.

There’s a heaviness as I take in the woman I was tasked with protecting and how I’ve failed my friend. His business reputation is at stake here as well.

“I’m sorry,” I say into the silence of the room.

He knows what I mean.

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