Page 14 of It Takes a Thief
“It’s just for coffee and—”
“No,” I growl, pulling into the underground garage and rolling down my window. I stop beside a box and reach out, my fingers hovering over the numbers. “What’s the code to open the gate?”
“What do you mean no? You might be my bodyguard, but you are not the boss of me, Mr. Decker.”
Yeah, we’ll see about that. “Code!” I snap.
She crosses her arms and sends me a royally-defiant stare. “Not until you say I can go.”
“There won’t be any bargaining, Princess. The answer is no.”
“I only have two weeks!”
I pull in a calming breath. She’s frazzled, I’m pissed, but there’s no way I’m escorting her on a date and watching her flirt with some asshole she found through an on-line dating app a few hours ago. “My job is to protect you, and it’s easiest to do that when you stay home. Now give me the code or I’m driving through this gate.”
“You’re worse than my parents,” she seethes.
“Poor baby.” I snap my fingers, which still hover beside the keypad.
She mumbles the code, and I stab my finger against each button. The gate lifts and I pull into a parking spot near the elevator. Merritt gets out, slamming the door behind her.
“Royal pain in my ass,” I grumble, sliding out of the driver’s seat.
“I heard that.” She stands there, hands on her hips, the gold in her blue eyes sparking dangerously. Those gorgeous eyes narrow. “You’re fired.”
I snort. “Nice try, but I work for your parents.”
She throws her hands into the air. “This is ridiculous! I’m a grown-ass woman who is allowed to go out on a date.”
My lips twitch. She looks so fierce and I love when she curses. Too adorable. “In two weeks, when my job is done, you can do whatever you want, Princess. Until then,I’mthe boss.”
Her face falls. “If only that were true,” she whispers.
The sadness in her voice makes me pause and suddenly she looks so forlorn. My resolve to keep her locked up in her apartment begins to crumble.Dammit all to hell.I’m such a pushover when it comes to her, and I have no idea why. The truth is, I want to see that feisty side again. There’s a lot I actually want, but she’s off-limits.
“Just coffee?” I murmur. Her head snaps up and she nods.Goddamn, I’m a sucker.
She glances at the delicate gold watch on her slim wrist. “At three. I promise to be out of there by four. At the very latest.”
“Fine,” I grumble, not happy in the least about this.
But she’s right. She’s a grown woman who can make her own decisions. I’m merely the hired muscle who’s supposed to keep her safe. If she wants to meet up with some asshole, then I’ll tag along and make sure she doesn’t get into any sort of trouble. Because I know she’s vulnerable right now, looking for love, and that might cause her to have blinders on. So, I’ll do my fucking job and look out for her. Keep her safe from any dillhole with ill intentions.
I sling my duffel bag over my shoulder and wheel her three suitcases into the elevator. Merritt places a small key in a slot, hits the top floor and we zoom upwards.
“Thank you,” she says in a soft voice, and I grunt.
Yeah, my current state: not fucking happy. But, she’s not my prisoner and I have to respect that.
The elevator door opens, and we step right into a large living room. Already, I don’t like the fact that someone could take the elevator up and walk straight into her house. Anyone with a general knowledge of tech could create a key card. God knows, I’ve seen Ryder do it a dozen times. Crossing my arms, I look around, taking note of everything. Like the good, hired hand I am.
A cream-colored leather sofa covered in a vibrant array of throw pillows sits in front of a gas fireplace. Candles are scattered across the various surfaces in the room, and artwork, mostly of flowers and the sea, adorns the walls. If I’m not mistaken, I think they’re pictures of Arcadia.
The place must’ve cost a fortune. I walk over to the floor-to-ceiling windows and pull the curtains shut more. Even though we’re fifty floors off the ground, anybody could be looking in here from a nearby building.
“I want to check out your security system,” I tell her.
“It’s over there.” She walks me up to a small box hanging near the staircase, and I frown. “What’s wrong?”
