Page 25 of My Bodyguard Neighbor
Chapter Seven
Two SUVs arrived justafter sunset, their headlights cutting through the pine trees as they pulled up to the cabin.Holly watched from the window as three people emerged, moving with the same lethal efficiency Jonah possessed.
"That's Vincent and Ellen," Jonah said, coming to stand beside her."And the one checking the perimeter is Blake.They're good."
"You trust them?"
"With my life.With yours."
The team came inside with tactical bags and enough weaponry to supply a small army.Vincent was tall and lean with dark skin and an easy smile that didn't match the coldness in his eyes.Ellen was compact and fierce, her black hair pulled back in a tight bun.Blake looked like he could break someone in half without breaking a sweat.
"So you're the woman who got Jonah to quit," Vincent said, extending his hand to Holly.
Holly shook his hand, feeling the calluses that matched Jonah's."I didn't ask him to quit."
"No, but you gave him a reason to."Vincent's smile was genuine this time."First time I've seen him choose himself instead of just following orders."
"Vincent," Jonah's voice held a warning.
"What?I'm complimenting your taste."Vincent turned back to Holly."We're going to secure the perimeter and set up motion sensors.You just stay inside and let us do our job."
They spent the next hour transforming the cabin into a fortress.Holly tried to stay out of the way, feeling useless as they checked sight lines and established defensive positions.She was an artist.She painted abstracts and sold them to art lovers.She had no skills that mattered here.
Jonah found her in the kitchen, staring at her hands.Paint-stained fingers that had never held a weapon, never knew how to fight, never learned how to be anything but a liability.
"Hey," he said, his voice gentle."You okay?"
"I'm dead weight.Everyone here knows what to do except me."
Jonah stepped closer, his hands framing her face."You staying alive is the only job you have right now.Let us handle the rest."
"I hate this.Hiding while other people fight for me."
"I know."He pressed his forehead to hers."But that's not weakness.That's survival.And right now, that's enough."
Holly wanted to argue, but the exhaustion hit her all at once.Three days of isolation followed by her father's confrontation, and now armed guards in her temporary home.She was so tired of being afraid.
"Come here," Jonah murmured, pulling her against his chest.
She went, letting herself take comfort in his solid presence.His heart beat steady under her ear, and for a moment she could pretend they were normal people having a normal relationship instead of two people trapped in a nightmare.
