Page 71 of Betrayed

“She’ll panic,” Arturo predicted, “which is what we want. Scared people get reckless and make mistakes. She’ll contact her friends and when she does, we’ll know.”

“But these friends, the terrorists, what if they decide to come after me, thinking I know more than I do, or that I really have access to Derek’s files?”

“You do,” Jonas replied. “Derek laid it all out for you on that flash drive.”

“I haven’t seen any of that.”

“They don’t know that, Mari,” Jonas added further. “Even if you didn’t know, these aren’t the type of people willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

She looked up with alarm. “Are my children at risk?”

“We’ll assign someone to them,” Arturo assured her, while shooting a scowl Jonas’ way. “You’re scaring the shit out of her.”

“She needs to be aware of the risk. From experience, our subs seem to go off half-cocked and get into it up to their defiant little asses if left in the dark.”

“I’m not his sub,” Mari reminded him tersely.

“You are,” Arturo asserted. “You’re just too stubborn to admit it. In any case, you will have full security 24/7, and your bodyguard won’t ever be more than a step away.”

“Won’t that look odd?”

“Not if it’s me.”

She shook her head. “No.”

“It’s not your decision,chérie.”

“It’s the safest option,” Jonas assured her, weighing in once again. “We have to assume they’ve been watching you. You’ve been out with Arturo in public several times. No one will suspect the man in your life is anything other than that if he stays close to you.”

“They will if he hangs around the shop all day.”

“I don’t have to. We’ll have eyes on you constantly. As long as you don’t leave the store, you’re safe,” Arturo explained. “Outside is another story. You don’t leave my sight. I’ll drive you to and from home and will spend the night.”

Shaking her head vehemently, she demanded, “I want someone else.”

“A sudden change in boyfriends would arouse suspicion,” Jonas advised.

“After you called this morning, I told Katy you were breaking up with me.” Her blue eyes met and held his for the first time since they’d sat down.

“Tell her you were wrong, or that we made up. No one else is going to play bodyguard, so deal with it.”

“I thought you were charming, but you’re actually a big jerk.”

“And you’re acting like a child,” he snapped, his patience gone.

She jumped to her feet, her palms slamming onto the table as she leaned toward him, stunning in her outrage. “I deserve to. I’ve had my world turned upside down!”

He shot up, mirroring her position, his face level with hers, their noses nearly touching. “I realize that, but we are doing our best to turn it right side up while ensuring that you are still breathing when it’s all fucking said and done. A little cooperation would be appreciated.”

Immediately, he regretted not softening his words as the color leached from her face. But Jonas was right. They couldn’t candy-coat the seriousness of the situation, especially if she was going to fight him at every turn. Still, the look on her face made him feel like the jerk she accused him of being.

“Now, who’s scaring the shit out of her?” Jonas drawled, not helping one bit.

* * *

THEY SPENT THE RETURNtrip to Mari’s shop in silence. Neither said a word until he pulled into a reserved space in the rear parking lot. Mari’s hand was on the door latch, ready to escape before the engine had gone quiet, but his hold on her forearm stopped her.

“Do we need to go over this one more time?”

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