Page 37 of Wounded Fox
"That's what Nolen's here for." Aaron turned me so that I was facing him. He then bent down so I was forced to look him in the eye. "Don't ever put yourself in danger like that again. I don't know what I would do if I lost you after finally getting together."
Well, when he put it like that. "I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize, just please don't do it again."
Emotion clogged my throat. "Okay."
Aaron pulled me until I crashed into his chest and my arms went around him. We just stood there together for who knows how long until Maverick finally cleared his throat.
"Where did you say you saw him?"
"Right in front of your building. I was walking with my head down when I almost smacked right into the guy. I didn't recognize him and I know just about everyone."
"Kati said the same when we asked her."
"So who is he? And where the hell did he disappear to? I wasn't talking to Annalee that long.”
"We’re trying to figure that out, but now that we know he was walking down the sidewalk, we can pull his picture up from our surveillance cameras."
"Do you think he's behind all the attacks?" I was desperately grabbing for straws so that this would end. I hated the thought of my friends in danger.
"We won't know until we get an ID. In the meantime, Nolen will continue to be here when Aaron can't, and I don't want you or Vanessa to be alone."
"I'm fine without a guard." Vanessa spoke up for the first time since the conversation started.
"One of us will always be with you." Nolen was quick to reply, to which Vanessa responded by crossing her arms over her chest and arguing back.
"I don'twantone."
"This isn't up for debate."
"You're right, it's not, because it's not happening."
Vanessa and Nolen kept going back and forth until Maverick stepped between the two of them. "Okay, enough!" he hollered. "It's like listening to a married couple going through therapy."
Vanessa sneered at Aaron's boss but Nolen didn't look the least bit bothered by the reprimand. If I had to guess, it was because he didn't plan to honor Vanessa's wishes.
"We'll circle back to this discussion later. In the meantime, Nolen, I need you back at the office to look over the security cameras."
Nolen looked like he wanted to argue but Maverick gave him a “don't fuck with me” look that seemed to shut Nolen up.
I had never seen that look before on Aaron's boss' face but I knew one thing: I certainly didn't ever want to be on the receiving end of it.
"Aaron, stay here. We'll let you know when we have something."
And just like that, both men left. Those of us that remained? Well, we stayed quiet.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Aaron
"Nathan Westworth," Maverick said as soon as I answered my phone.
"Okay? Who's that?"
I was usually pretty good at following along with what my boss was trying to communicate, but at the moment, that name meant nothing to me.
"That's the name of the man who attempted to abduct Lucien and the one who Valerie ran into on the sidewalk."
