Page 6 of The Female Warrior & The Charming Gentleman

“No. Everyone’s accounted for. The bomb was specialized to take out only Jarom’s bedroom. Just a moment, Autumn; I’m on another call with Jared Coleville.”

Settling into the seat, she turned the vehicle on and awaited Aiden’s response. It was a relief no one had been hurt and that she’d gotten Jarom out safely. A huge relief. She didn’t want to imagine a world without Jarom Love in it. Even if he was a playboy and she could never date him, he inspired and blessed millions of people with employment, charitable foundations and donations, and social media posts and speeches that uplifted instead of degraded.

The phone picked up in the car, and she set it on the console. Glancing at Jarom, she noticed his hands were shaking slightly. That surprised her. He’d shown no fear earlier when he thought she was an assassin and could’ve killed him at any moment.

“No one was hurt?” Jarom confirmed.

“No.”

“One of my guards betrayed me?” he asked quietly.

“Garrett Redland,” she saidjust as softly.

“Garrett?” His brows arched. “Garrett’s been by my side for years. I thought he was a friend.” He passed a hand over his face and looked out the window at the forest surrounding them.

A few seconds passed. She should just let him ponder, but she heard herself say, “Are you all right?” She felt sympathetic to his anguish, though she had no clue what it would be like to own a twenty-million-dollar mansion in the forests of Aspen that had exploded. She did know how it felt to have someone want to kill her; she felt that often.

“I’m …” He swallowed and admitted in a tightly-controlled voice, his hands clenched, “Angry. I’m through running from Benjamin Oliver and his minions.”

Her eyes widened. He was surprising her left and right. The world would expect a man like him to be hiding in the space behind his seat, head covered with his arms.

“You’re not scared?” she clarified. There was no dishonor in being scared, knowing one of the most devious criminals of their day was after him. She’d been scared too often as a child. She loathed that feeling.

“No.” He bit out the word as if it were preposterous, his gaze determined and his head tilted at a proud angle. This wasn’t a man who backed down.

“I figured you for a pretty boy wimp,” she admitted.

He actually smiled at that. “I might be a pretty boy, but I’m no wimp.”

She could see that. She wanted to tell him she’d seen that and felt that in his bedroom and closet. More important than his physical strength and appeal, she was impressed with his emotional resiliency.

Thankfully, Aiden’s voice clipped on before she could admit to Jarom she’d been enthralled with him for years andshockingly was more intrigued the more time she spent around him. That was not a good discovery for her. She’d assume most celebrity crushes would disappoint if met in real life. Not Jarom.

“Take Jarom to the commuter airport in Aspen. Paul luckily didn’t get far after he dropped you off. He’ll come back for you and drop you both off in Kalispell.”

“Kalispell?” Her neck was tingling.

“The Colevilles will take you and Jarom in until we figure out why Benjamin Oliver wants him dead. I thought Benjamin only wanted to kidnap him for his vast resources or utilize his fame and platforms for one of his nefarious plans.”

Autumn did not want to go to Coleville, Montana. Easton Coleville was fun to flirt with, but she had no designs on a relationship with anyone. She darted a glance at Jarom. Because she could never havehim.

She could keep the likes of Easton Coleville at bay. He was a top-notch charmer for certain but no real temptation to her.

The real problem with Coleville was the fact that Mama Millie Coleville loathed Autumn, and she didn’t know how to act around motherly figures. This was going to be uncomfortable.

“All right,” she said.

Despite her feisty nature, her respect and gratitude for Aiden Porter was off the charts. He’d recruited her from the FBI moments after Charles had broken up with her. It was a time when she’d desperately needed to change her life and her zip code. Some would claim it was heavenly intervention, but Autumn didn’t believe heaven cared for her one way or another.

Aiden had taken her training to a different level and given her a life she’d never dreamed of. He and hiswife Chalisa were some of the best people on earth in her opinion. Aiden and his pilot Paul Braven had become like brothers to her.

“Tell your boyfriend hi for me,” Aiden teased.

“Signing off, boss,” she replied and pushed the button for drive.

“Boyfriend?” Jarom asked.

She didn’t let herself look at him. “I think my boyfriend is the least of your concerns at the moment.”

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