Page 5 of Two Steps Ahead

“And you think your life is in danger.”

“I’m always in danger. It’s a fact I’ve accepted.”

Leo slid a file over to him.

Weston whistled through his teeth as he looked at the collection of threats received through multiple media—emails, pictures, spray-painted walls of one of the buildings he owned. Most of them told him to die, or that he would be killed, or would burn in hell.

“These are impressive.” Weston raised an eyebrow. “I particularly like the one threatening to roast marshmallows over your burning corpse.”

Leo could at least chuckle about it. “Doesn’t seem very sanitary, does it?”

“Do you have leads on these?” Maybe tracking down where the threats were coming from was what Leo wanted from San Antonio Security. They could certainly work on it.

“Most of these are old. A few are current, but we’re aware of who sent them and have measures in place to prevent any marshmallow-roasting. More importantly, I’ve made it known that threats will not stop me from completing business. As a matter of fact, for any important mergers I make, there is a public clause in my will that stipulates my death will not stop the completion of the merger.”

“Smart. Less reason to actually kill you.”

“Exactly.” Leo pushed another paper toward him. “What’s worrying me is this particular threat that showed up two days ago via email.”

It was one sentence printed over and over.

We know how to get to you.

No other threats, nothing dramatic. Just the statement.

“Are you upping security because of this? Is that why you want to hire us?”

Leo shook his head. “I am upping security, but I am concerned that the email may be referring to my daughter, Kayleigh.”

Weston kept his face carefully neutral. “Kayleigh?”

“You remember her, right? She followed you and Henry around the entire summer.”

Weston very definitely remembered. “I was glad to hang out with her. I wasn’t used to someone wanting to talk to me as much as she did.” He hadn’t been used to having friends at all.

“You were special to her. She...” Leo trailed off. “Anyway, I am concerned that the threat in that email might involve her.”

Weston sat straighter in his chair. “Maybe. Definitely shouldn’t be discounted. But it could mean many other things too.”

“Agreed. But until this particular merger is over, I want extra security on Kayleigh.”

“It looks like you have plenty of security available to spare a team for her.”

Leo leaned his elbows on his desk. “Kayleigh and I don’t see eye to eye when it comes to her security. She refuses a live-in team. I don’t like it, but she’s made it clear if I want to be in her life at all, I’m going to have to accept it. I have a distant team on her, but that’s not enough. Not with this new threat.”

“What about this new threat makes you feel like it targets her particularly?”

Leo steepled his fingers. “Honestly? All of it. Someone saying they know how to get to me? The best way to do that—the only time someone has been successful in stopping any of my business mergers—was through hurting Kayleigh.”

“Someone hurt Kayleigh?” Weston hadn’t seen her since they were kids, but the thought sent a bolt of anger through him.

“It was a long time ago. One of my enemies grabbed her to coerce me into doing his bidding. It worked temporarily,although I then made sure that person would never try anything like it again. But I won’t take a chance on Kayleigh’s life.”

He was in wholehearted agreement. “How can San Antonio Security—” and by that Weston meant himself because if Kayleigh needed protection, he wanted to be the one providing it “—help?”

“Kayleigh doesn’t like the restrictions having a bodyguard puts on her. She particularly doesn’t get along well with Jasper or most of the men he assigns. She tends to give them the slip. I want you to be her bodyguard instead.”

Weston wasn’t surprised that she didn’t want anything to do with Jasper given the man’s less-than-sunny disposition. But still... “I can’t guard someone who’s running away from me. It’s dangerous for both of us.”

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