Page 22 of Blame It On The Carols

“You have more than enough on your plate this morning,” she commented, nodding to the two guys who were already heading toward me. “It’s my treat.”

“Well, thank you. I appreciate it.”

I turned and almost bumped into one of them as he stood a mere inch away from me. I raised my eyebrows and stared at him until he took a step back.

I shook my head and inhaled deeply as I headed to my car, wondering if I could get in and speed off before they could get in.

Fifteen

Aiden

“Seriously, I got itfrom here. You guys can watch the perimeter. She’s safe inside with me,” I said for the fifteenth time to the bodyguards who had been assigned to Makayla.

They were obsessive and I could tell that she wasn’t a fan of them the way she rushed in and took Jackie up on her offer to help stock supplies in the back. We didn’t have anything that needed to be stocked, but it was a great excuse to get her away from them.

“We won’t be far,” the older one said, his voice gruff as he pushed his sunglasses back up his nose and turned to leave.

Why they were wearing sunglasses and black suits was beyond me. The whole point of getting someone down here to help with security was to keep her safe, not draw even more attention to her.

I closed the door and pulled my phone out of my pocket to call Curtis. By the second ring, he answered.

“Hey, I don’t want to sound like a dick because I’m grateful that you sent a security detail down here for Makayla, but can I ask what in the world you were thinking with sending those two?”

He laughed on the other end, which helped lighten my mood.

“Those guys aren’t her real detail. Her regular security team was unavailable, but I pulled a few strings yesterday, AKA I offered a huge holiday bonus, and two of them should be arriving today. I’ll send over their information here in a few, along with their travel details. For now, she’s going to have to deal with the other two until they’ve officially been relieved of duty.”

“Does she know about the change?”

“Not yet. I’ve been busting my ass all night and most of the morning to get things settled. I’ll send her a text here in a few to let her know.”

“Sounds good. Let me know if there’s anything you need from me in the meantime. She’s at the bar with me today so she can rehearse with the choir for the competition. I haven’t figured out things for this evening yet since I’m supposed to work, but I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.”

“Just go about business as usual. Her team is highly trained and knows what to do. Your best bet right now is to continue as if there isn’t a threat.”

“Easier said than done,” I said, shoving a hand through my hair.

---