Page 19 of Stephan

Gazing at me, she whispered so only I wouldhear. “I really hate you right now.”

Leaning down I kissed her. I knew I waspushing my luck but I couldn’t help myself, she looked so cuteglowering at me. I chuckled when she broke the kiss.

“No you don’t.” She pushed at my chest but Ididn’t let her go.

The sales assistant came out with everythingand guided us to a seat. I let her sit on the chair next to me andnot my lap but I held her hand as the sales assistant explained theterms of the contract and what the phone could do. I bit my cheek acouple of times to stop laughing every time Jade would squeeze myhand extra tight or dig her nails into me because of something theguy would say about the phone or contract.

The sales assistant handed me the documentsto verify, but she snatched them.

“Stephan, please. This is ridiculous. It’snot too late to stop this silliness. I don’t need this. What if Itake it and decide to ring China and England on it? It’ll cost youa fortune for Christ’s sake, you bought the phone outright. SurelyI could just buy credit. I don’t need you connecting to a networkand paying for my calls.”

I waited for her tirade to finish. “Do youintend to call China and England?”

“Er, no. But that’s not the point.”

“It isn’t?”

“Argh, no it’s not. The point is I could bespending loads of money and taking you for granted. I can’t affordthe phone so you shouldn’t buy it.”

“I can afford it and I trust you.” I yankedthe sheets out of her grip and signed on the dotted line before shecould get them.

“You shouldn’t,” I barely heard her since shewhispered, as I checked my address and handed the papers to thesales assistant who was doing his best to avoid looking at us. Hehanded me the bag with the new phone and accessories, and thenthanked us. I stood and held my hand out for Jade but she ignoredit and marched out of the store. I grinned and followed her.

She’d been quick and disappeared before I gotout of the shop. Looking around, I couldn’t find her. My heartraced and I jogged from one side of the mall to the other.Shit!Where the hell was she?I looked around the busy shops. Shedidn’t have any identification or even money. She’d left her schoolbag with all of it in my car, not that she had any money in there.Fuck, I shouldn’t have pushed her. I ran to the car hoping she’dgone there, but she was nowhere to be seen, pulling my phone out, Idialed my dad.

“Hey, son. Wha—”

“Dad, she took off and doesn’t have anything.We are in Sydney shopping and she ran. I can’t find her and she hasnothing.”

“Son! Son! Calm down.”

“I can’t. What if someone took her? Shedoesn’t have money or even a phone. Shit, Dad, what if—”

“Stephan! Shut it! You need to calm down. Youwill be no help like you are. Stop and listen.”

I took a deep breath calming myself.

“I have Brand’s team trailing you. They arewith you and your brother while your mother and I are gone. Thisdeal is a big one and I don’t trust anyone.”

I gripped the phone tighter. I hated havingbodyguards but when your family had their hands into a bit ofeverything the safety was needed. “I thought you took them all withyou.” Feeling calmer, I thanked God for my dad’s paranoia abouteveryone being a potential threat to his family. I’d completelyforgotten about my bodyguards. They stayed hidden. No one knew wehad them until you tried to harm a Silverman.

“No. I split the new team up so we had enoughfor everyone. Call Brand, I’d bet money he knows what Jade is toyou so I don’t think she’s alone.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Anytime. Go get your woman. Your mother andI are staying longer and won’t be home until late Thursday.”

Dad hung up and I rang Brand. “I thought youwould have called sooner. You’re slipping. I didn’t think you knewwe’ve been watching. You’re turning into a pussy, or is it pussywhipped?” I rolled my eyes even though I knew he couldn’t seeme.

“Way to speak to your employer.”

“Your father pays my check, I believe. Youknow I would say the same to him.”

I chuckled, feeling lighter. Brand had beenwith us for over ten years and he was a hard as nails ex-armySpecial Forces. “So are you going to tell me?”

“What? You mean the pretty brunette with bigbrown eyes walking down the street. She’s heading in the directionof the train station but I don’t think she knows because she keepslooking around like she’s lost.”

“Yep,” I growled. The silly girl. What wasshe thinking?

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