Page 103 of An Indecent Longing

Adam didn’t immediately sign off. “Listen, Ian. I know you have some history with Antonoff. And good reason to hate the guy’s guts. Don’t let it cloud your judgment. The guy is absolutely one of the smartest men you will ever meet and he can spot bullshit from a mile away. Treat him like you would any other client and keep your emotions out of your dealings with him.”

Yeah, that was going to be an issue. But since they were dealing with Dorrie’s safety, he’d make it work. For her.

“Thanks for the heads-up, Adam. I’ll talk to you later.”

He disconnected and got the text with Antonoff’s number seconds later. Before he had the chance to even think about what he was going to say, Ian made the call.

The man himself picked up on the second ring.

“Mr. Keller, thank you for calling. I assume Adam filled you in.”

No bullshit, no small talk. Less time for Antonoff to piss him off.

“Yes, he did. Ben and I will take the job.”

Ian wondered if the bastard was smiling. But he heard no amusement in the man’s voice when he answered.

“Thank you.”

“What can you tell me about the threat?”

“Nothing at this point. And that’s not because I don’t want you to have the information. It’s because I don’t have enough information to give you. You know who I am, Mr. Keller. I receive threats on a daily basis. Typically, they’re directed at me or at my daughter. This is the first time Dorrie’s been targeted. Trust me when I say I will find out by whom, and when I do, I’ll take care of it. Anything pertinent to Dorrie’s safety will be passed on to you. Your reputation precedes you. I expect Dorrie to be well protected.”

He wondered if Antonoff was talking about his military reputation or the one he’d acquired later. Guess it didn’t matter. All Antonoff needed to know was that Ian and Ben would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

“Dorrie is under my protection,” Antonoff continued. “When someone threatens her, they threaten me. And I don’t take threats well. Nothing happens to her.”

Ian bristled at the implication that Ian wouldn’t do whatever it took to make sure Dorrie was safe. “Nothing will. Ben and I are good at our jobs.”

“I know. I also know you have a personal relationship with Dorrie, which is part of the reason I’ve hired you. She’s not comfortable with new people. For her sake, you’d better be as good as Adam says you are. I’ll deal with Adam for your fee—”

“No. No money for this.”

Ian thought he heard Antonoff huff out a laugh but he couldn’t be sure. “There will be money. If you don’t want to know the particulars, don’t ask Adam. You can work out the details with Dorrie. But if anyone makes a move on her, I need to know. I’ve already been briefed on last night’s abduction attempt. If it happens again, I need to know immediately. Have a good day, Mr. Keller.”

The call cut off in his ear and Ian slowly lowered the phone and set it on the counter in front of him.

Holy shit.

A thousand different thoughts floated around his head but two kept surfacing.

Dorrie was theirs to protect. And they were now working for Antonoff.

The first made him want to beat his chest. The second… Well, that made him twitchy but he’d deal with it because…well, Dorrie was theirs.

Did Antonoff know she’d spent last night in bed with him and Ben? And what the hell would it matter? It wasn’t like Antonoff was her father.

“Ben!”

Abandoning his coffee, Ian stalked out into the living room and yelled up the stairs again.

“Ben! Where the hell are you? Get down here.”

Seconds later, Ian heard Ben’s footsteps pounding down the steps.

“Why the fuck are you yell—”

“I just got off the phone with Antonoff. He hired us to guard Dorrie.”

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