Page 32 of Two Steps Ahead

He’d been hoping she might remember anything about the perp’s face, but didn’t press when she didn’t. Adrenaline was a crazy thing—it sometimes made certain aspects of an eventcrystal clear, sometimes blurred it all. Between the adrenaline and the hits she’d taken, she hadn’t gotten a look at a face at all.

It was quite interesting to Weston that Jasper and his men had shown up just in the nick of time to be of absolutely no assistance. That wasn’t an indication of guilt, but the timing was on the suspicious side.

By the time they’d finished the meal and going through everything, it had been after noon. She’d been blinking slowly and obviously needed to rest. He’d sent her up for her shower, then had been more than happy to hold her while they’d both slept for a few hours.

He’d also called his brothers to have them check out the alley. While San Antonio was certainly a big enough city that there was crime, someone getting mugged midmorning in that part of town wasn’t the standard practice.

Beyond that, he’d forced himself to back off. Leo was no longer his boss; Kayleigh wasn’t his client to protect.

He’d still be protecting her, but not because it was a job.

By dinnertime, despite the wonderful nap holding Kayleigh safe in his arms, there was no actionable intel. His brothers hadn’t found anything usable in the alley. He’d heard Jasper was back from the hunt for the camera but didn’t know any details.

He and Kayleigh had a quiet dinner with Gwendolyn. Leo had locked himself in his office and had been on the phone nonstop. Something was up.

Weston had to remind himself it wasn’t his responsibility to know everything that was going on. He was here solely as support for Kayleigh.

But when Leo had invited him into his office to hear the report from Jasper, Weston had quickly agreed.

“What happened?” Leo asked Jasper.

“The tracker was a dead end. It took us to a dumpster a couple blocks from the alley where Kayleigh was attacked. But when we got there, no camera, no mugger. We think they removed the tracker.”

Weston frowned. “Someone removed a nearly undetectable tracker from Kayleigh’s camera and placed it in a dumpster? That’s pretty damned lucky.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Patterson. The camera wasn’t there when we arrived.” Jasper’s jaw clenched. “You think you could do better?”

Weston didn’t say anything. He wasn’t going to argue with the other man. But it was quite suspicious that the tracker had led to nothing.

“Let’s not worry about the camera.” Leo had been pacing in front of the windows in the office the whole time Jasper gave a report, ignoring the tea Gwendolyn brought in for each of them. “It can be replaced. The tracker didn’t lead to finding who attacked her, so it’s useless. For now, we focus on keeping everyone safe until the merger goes through.”

Weston nodded, studying him. Something had happened in the last few hours to agitate the older man. He didn’t know if it had to do with what Kayleigh had been through or the merger itself.

He kept an eye on Jasper too. Something was not right about him. He would have his brothers do a full rundown on Jasper to make sure Leo hadn’t missed anything during his background check.

“I want to discuss Kayleigh’s safety,” Leo said, glancing out the door like Kayleigh might be eavesdropping. “With the mugging and the attack on the lake house, I want her protected at all times.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Weston said immediately, looking at Kayleigh’s father. “I have somewhere we can go. But you aren’t going to pay me for it.”

“Where?” Jasper asked. “Just running off with her isn’t a good solution.”

Weston wasn’t about to tell either man. But especially not Jasper. “She’ll be safer if nobody knows.”

“That’s not going to work.” Jasper’s neck reddened. “I’m the head of security and I need to know where she is at all times.”

“It’s not up to you.” Weston turned to Leo. “It’s not up to you either. This conversation needs to happen with Kayleigh.”

He didn’t want her to ever again feel like he was keeping secrets about her safety.

“Of course it does.” Gwendolyn offered all three men a smile, an attempt at peacekeeping. “But Jasper not knowing where she is could make it difficult to do his job. Whether she likes it or not, he was hired to protect the Delacruz family, and Kayleigh is a huge part of that.”

“Kayleigh is a grown woman.” Weston crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s intelligent and has great instincts. Let her make her own choices.”

She was also wary of Jasper. But was that because the man was overbearing and power hungry or because she didn’t think he was trustworthy?

Weston saw a flash of movement at the door just before Kayleigh stepped in. She was dressed comfortably in worn jeans and a cozy sweatshirt. Her damp hair was loose around her shoulders, gathering on the backpack she wore.

She looked beautiful and fierce as she stared down her father. “I’m going with Weston. He’s the best choice to keep me safe.” She patted her backpack as she met Weston’s eyes. “I’ve got everything I need and I’m ready when you are.”

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