Page 37 of Small Town Secrets

Doubt flickered across her face in the form of her averted gaze, before she stared back at him, that doubt now vanishing beneath an easier mask. “Whitney’s never been on a holiday. If I can fit time in between work and study, that sounds like a great idea.”

A genuine slow light entered her eyes—like a woman releasing some long-standing belief, while still very much wanting to hold on—her pupils flashing their beautiful cornflower-blue. “And… I suppose I should consider us sheltering at Aggie’s place.”

He suppressed a jolt of surprise at her sudden change of heart, that she was actually willing to accept some help. “Even though you don’t want to?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t. But Gerry’s stunt might be the beginning of something much bigger. Mom and Dad are targets too, so I can’t rely on staying at their place. I can’t let my stubbornness put Whitney at risk.”

He brushed a thumb against the back of her hand, then squeezed her palm within his in an offer of support. “Aggie’s cabin is in the middle of a large and isolated, fenced-off field. Whitney will have plenty of room to play, and people can’t simply wander over to your door like they can right now. I’ll set up surveillance systems and alerts, so we’ll spot anyone entering long before they get to the house.”

“We’ll?” She lifted a brow, her lips doing an inquisitive curl at the corners.

He smiled and gave an easy shrug fully aware he pushed his luck. “I mean, Gerry did single me out. You don’t want anyone coming after me too, do you?”

“Ha!” She threw her head back in a genuine laugh. “Somehow, I can’t imagine you being the ‘run and hide’ kinda guy.”

“You’re probably right about that.” He chuckled and took his hand back, though her face was quick to fall into a slackened and somber expression. “So, the offer isn’t really about protecting yourself, now, is it?”

His jaw muscles drew tight, and he likely mirrored her solemn look, the unspoken part of her question being that his presence would be about protecting her and Whitney. “Is that such a bad thing?”

She stared at him for a while and the strain around her eyes softened. “Not bad, no. Just... a huge leap of faith.”

He paused before caving to his instinct to jump in with a reply, weighing his words carefully because, even though she had every right to doubt him, he didn’t want her to doubt him at all. Not after all they’d been through already. Certainly not in light of where his feelings for her were determined to go.

“So, let’s look at it this way.” Seeking to instill confidence, he sat a little taller and kept his tone sure. “Your new injury means you won’t be leaving the house much for some weeks anyway, and when you do return to work, your parents can resume babysitting duties at the cabin. I’ll never be alone with Whitney, if that’s something you’re concerned about, and there’ll still be times when I’ll be busy working.”

“Right, you’ll have your life and I’ll have mine.” She pressed her lips into a thin line and gave a resolute nod. “Got it.”

A hospital staff member stepped out from an adjoining corridor marked ‘Radiology’ and called Laila’s name. She shot to her feet, taking a few quick steps toward the corridor, only to pause and smile back at him. “Looks like tomorrow will be filled with catching up on sleep and packing my bags.”

Twenty-Two

Laila perched on the aged timber back step of Aggie’s guest cabin, her focus trained on Whitney, as she skipped down the sandy path leading to the large, tree-lined field ahead. The setting sun glinted through the Jack pines to her right and birds chirped within the safety of this makeshift oasis, Whitney blissful and oblivious to the violence and hatred that had landed them here.To her, this was just a holiday.

Behind Laila, the savory scent of Adrian’s cooking wafted through the screen door, the man himself occasionally coming out to ferry plates to the outdoor table where they planned to have a little ‘‘family’’ picnic.

Unlike her, Whitney and Ramos reveled in this experience, while she stayed rooted to her spot, nursing her three-day old sling and not at all sure this was what she wanted. She’d known Ramos just a couple of weeks, and here she was trusting him around her child and with her life. Her only certainty was that, if anything bad happened with the syndicate or the agitated townsfolk out there, she wanted to know she’d taken every opportunity to keep her child safe.

“It’s okay.” Adrian’s voice preceded the light creak of wood boards behind her, before he sat at her side, Whitney still bouncing by the long grass ahead. “It’s just us here.”

He put his arm around her waist and pulled her in, prompting her to look at him. “Maybe that’s my problem. It’s just us here and no one besides Aggie for miles and miles.”

Despite her protest over being an outcast, she offered a weak smile and leaned into him some more, his presence, in truth, helping to ease some of her tension.

He took a slow moment to eye her, then turned away to watch Whitney, the low sun illuminating his dark eyes to a glowing treacle color. “If it helps, you can think of me as your private bodyguard.”

“I don’t have to imagine. You are my private bodyguard.” A genuine smile took her over. “My BWB.”

He switched his attention back to her, brows slammed together in clear confusion. “BWB?”

“Bodyguard with benefits.” She shrugged and looked ahead, trying not to cringe or laugh at her attempt at humor. Probably an early sign her brain wasn’t coping with so much peace and quiet.

But Ramos gave her the grace of a chuckle. “Who in this town would ever guess that Miss Laila Egan could be so wicked?”

Though her cheeks burned at the truth in his question, she opted not to rush in with a quick reply. With all the new risks and this man taking up so much space in her life, she had this one guilty pleasure with him and didn’t much want to run from her ‘wickedness’ just yet.

“You have more time to hit the books.” His voice returned to a neutral tone, as though he sought to spare her. “Now that you have a live-in babysitter and no work to distract you.”

“Babysitter, bodyguard… while my life’s getting simpler, yours only gets busier.” No longer liking her sense of habitual doubt, she reached out and pressed her fingertips to the prickly stubble over his chin, turning his face to her and offering genuine warmth in her smile. “You can stop trying to convince me now. I’m here, aren’t I?”

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