Page 7 of Protecting Hailey

He was right.

I was the best man for this job and it was time I started to act like it.

I crossed my arms and glared at him. “What did you tell them my fee was?”

He had the good grace to blush. “Uh-I—I—” he stuttered and then rubbed his mouth.

I arched my brow.

He straightened, looked me in the eye, and said, “$50,000.”

I dropped my arms and nearly shouted, “For the day?”

He shook his head as though he would never take advantage of a friend like that. “No, no, for the week.”

I rolled my eyes. “And how much of that is your fee?”

He smiled. “I was hoping we could discuss that after this meeting.”

I sighed. My dad knew I didn’t need the money. Jager was a genius when it came to researching and choosing stocks. We had all invested with him when we returned to civilian life and made a fortune within the first year. We were still investing and profiting, but this business was our way of maintaining a purpose outside of army life. For that matter, my dad didn’t need the money, either, since I paid his bills.

“Fine. We’ll talk about it later.”

He patted me on the shoulder and walked me back to the couches.

“Please, Mr. Machado, you have to take this job,” said Anne. “Your father has told us so much about you. I know you will protect our baby.”

Her emotional plea pulled at my heartstrings.

“You don’t have to worry, Mrs. Jones. I’m taking the job.”

Her shoulders slumped, and she nearly fell back onto the couch from relief. “Thank you.”

Daryl reached across the floor and shook my hand.

“Hailey is recovering in a private hospital right now. We’ll pick her up tomorrow. You can start then. Let me send you the address.”

She pulled out her phone from her purse and started typing.

A few seconds later, my phone beeped with a message.

“I got it,” I said after checking the screen. “But I’d like to start tonight. I want to check the security cameras, do a property search, and just familiarize myself with the house before your daughter returns.”

Mrs. Jones beamed at her husband. “That sounds great! Yes, thank you.” She reached inside her purse and handed me a keycard. “I’ll text you the alarm code.”

I nodded and accepted the key.

After Mr. and Mrs. Jones left, I turned to my father and smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

“For what?” he asked, still watching them leave the hotel.

I wanted to say for believing in me, but I knew that would sound weak to my father. Instead, I said, “For the pep talk.”

“Those friends of yours are too soft on you. Don’t forget who you are.”

I wondered who my father thought I was because, in my eyes, it changed all the time. At the moment, I was Hailey Jones’s bodyguard. Someone had tried to kill her, and I was the only one that would stand in the way of them trying it again.

I had a million tasks to complete before she arrived in the morning and only one night to do it.

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