Page 41 of Guarding Bristol

He lowered the phone to his lap, meeting Bristol’s gaze.Anxiety radiated off her like a forcefield, and he couldn’t blame her.He tried to think of something he could say to reassure her, but he couldn’t do that without lying, and he’d already done enough of that.To keep her safe, he needed her to trust him.

“What did they say?”she asked.

Having her in his personal space felt strange.And it didn’t help that his every sense was attuned to her, from the visual picture she presented to the slightly husky edge to her voice to her subtle, sweet scent permeating the air between them.Her presence seemed to fill the entire room, infusing it with her essence until there was no escape.

“They’re looking into our situation.But for the meantime, we’re stuck together.”In this tiny house with only one bed.Though if he had to sleep before she was cleared to leave, he was definitely bunking on the couch.He was way too keyed up to trust himself to be near a bed with her.

She rubbed her hands up and down her thighs, and he could practically hear the wheels turning in her head.“For how long?”

“Not sure.”Staying here together wasn’t a long-term solution.This place wasn’t even remotely what he would consider secure.But for the moment the cartel network didn’t know where they were.That was a point in their favor.How long that flimsy illusion of safety lasted, he didn’t know.Probably not long.Days, not weeks.If that.

“How bad is this?”she said softly after a long beat of silence.“Our situation.”

He felt a twinge of sympathy.He’d never dreamed of being in this predicament, and hated that she was tangled up in it with him.She was innocent, should never have wound up in this kind of danger.

And she was also a huge potential distraction when he couldn’t afford to be distracted.

“You want me to be honest?”

She nodded, eyes grave behind her glasses, face pinched.He had the strongest, dangerous urge to go to her, gather her up on his lap, and hold her until she felt safe.

“About as bad as it gets,” he answered instead, seeing no way around it.She was too intelligent not to piece everything together on her own, and he wouldn’t insult that intellect or whatever shaky trust she had left in him by lying.

Her eyes flinched slightly.“So you mean we...Our lives are still in danger?”

He wished to hell he could say no.But looking into those sharp blue-gray eyes, he had no choice but to tell her the truth.“Yes.”

She blanched a little and leaned back into the cushion behind her.“Oh, God.”

Yeah.“We’re safe here for now,” he said, wanting to reassure her as much as possible.“The agency knows where we are and will work out another location for us if necessary until they can confirm we’re in the clear.”He leaned forward, stretched out a hand across the coffee table.“I’m gonna need your phone.”

She shrank away from him slightly.“I need to call Cassie and let her know I’m okay.”

He thought it over.Decided this once would be fine.“One call, then you give me your phone.And you can’t tell her anything about what happened today, understand?”

Bristol nodded, but he shook his head, made sure he had her full attention before continuing.“Just tell her you’re okay and ask her to get a bag of clothes and whatever else together for you.I’ll have Beckett pick it up and bring it over.”

“Why Beckett?”

“Because he was an A-Team leader, I know him personally, and I trust him.”TJ would have to call him and explain everything.If anything went down, Beckett could more than handle himself and would make sure he wasn’t followed on the way over.

“Cassie’s a professional bodyguard and a former cop.I trust her.Couldn’t I go stay with her?”

He felt even sorrier for her that she was stuck in this mess because of him.All because she’d tried to help someone she’d thought was a homeless friend of her brother’s.“No.You can’t involve her.Your buddy Mark knows you two are related, and after tonight the cartel will be pumping him for everything he knows.You won’t be safe there, and neither would she.”He didn’t like it either, but Bristol was far safer being here with him.

She absorbed it all with a sober nod, then made her call.“Hi, Cas.Listen, I’m okay, and I don’t want you to worry, but there’s been a bit of a situation, and I need a favor.”To her credit, her voice only wobbled a little.“No, I’m with TJ.But I think I’m going to have to go dark for a while now,” she said, looking at him for confirmation.Or maybe reassurance.

When he nodded, she continued, rubbing the center of her forehead with her fingertips as if she had a headache.“Can you pack a bag for me for a few days?Beckett will pick it up and bring it to me.Oh, and make sure he brings my bat.”

Her bat?He could tell the conversation wasn’t easy for her, could hear Cassie demanding more answers in the background.Not wanting to eavesdrop, he busied himself sending a message to Beckett to arrange delivery of the bag and bat.

“I can’t give you my location, but I promise I’ll tell you more when I can, okay?I’m all right, I swear.”Bristol met his gaze from across the room.“TJ’s got me.”

Those words resonated deep in his gut, the impact of that stare cutting right through him.He heard the unspoken trust there.Felt them as both a deep connection and a solemn vow.She believed he would look out for her.

Knowing that ripped through all his emotional defenses like an armor-piercing bullet.

Yeah, he had her.Whether either of them wanted this or not.And it wasn’t simply because she was Eric’s sister.He had gotten her into this, and it was his responsibility to protect her.

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