Page 124 of Nuclear Option (Owens Protective Services)

“Because you don’t trust me,” he grinned.

“Exactly. You will never be someone I want on my side. You fail to come through for others when they need you. The only person you look out for is you, and that makes me really hate the idea of even considering something like this.”

I sank into the chair and grabbed the wheels to turn myself around. Hell, I couldn’t actually access the elevator, but my point was made.

“I can assure you that Eva will never have to deal with the governor or anyone else related to her testimony ever again.”

I stopped wheeling away and turned back to him. “How?”

“Do you really want to know?” He glanced at the other three and then back to me. “Look, we all know he’s not a good guy. Neither are the men he worked with. And if he is convicted, that still doesn’t leave your girl in the clear. She will never be safe. She will be hunted because of her testimony, and we both know prison reach is far stronger when the right connections are made.” He stepped toward me, his hands in his pockets as he approached. “Every job you take from here on out will leave you wondering if she’s really safe. Every time you have to leave her alone for even a few hours, you’ll be thinking about the fact that they could be planning to strike at any moment. And if you have kids, they’ll become targets too.”

He was absolutely fucking right. I didn’t want to take a deal like this to protect her, but he had connections, ways of making things happen that I didn’t have. I would be making a deal with the devil, but if she lived, it would all be worth it.

“You have a deal.”

40

EVA

“How doesa man just disappear from the hospital?” I screeched as I stood in his empty room, arguing with the nurse.

I had testified, fully expecting to come back here and celebrate that this was over. Instead, I found an empty bed and a very nervous staff racing around the hospital in search of my missing boyfriend.

“Ma’am, we’re doing everything we can to find him.”

“You make him sound like a lost puppy! He’s a grown man. He was in the hospital, had major surgery, and somehow managed to get up and walk out without anyone noticing?”

“Maybe you want to take it down a notch,” Eli said beside me. “You’re drawing attention.”

“I don’t give a fuck! They lost a person!” I said, turning to yell at him. If one more person told me to calm down, I was going to really lose my shit.

“Rae is going over the security footage now. We have several teams scouring the property for him. Every exit is blocked,” Eli said calmly. “We’re going to find him, but we have to take this one step at a time. Yelling at the staff isn’t helping anything.”

Tossing my hands up in the air, I stomped away. “Where’s Fox when you need him? He’d get the information out of them.”

“She doesn’t mean that,” Eli said to the shocked nurse. He walked over to me, pressing his hand to my shoulder. “Look, I know you don’t want to hear this, but there’s nothing you can do here. I’m going to have someone take you back to the safe house.”

“So I can do nothing?” I spun on him.

“You’re doing nothing now,” he pointed out.

I knew that. Logically, I could see his point. If I wasn’t here, he might actually be doing something productive other than keeping me from shouting at all the hospital staff. I was in the way, and if I wanted to get Cash back, I had to remove myself from the equation.

“Fine,” I said, letting out a deep breath. “That’s probably for the best.”

“It is?” he said in shock.

“You’re right. I’m in the way. If I go home, you can do whatever you need to in order to find him.”

He looked at me warily. “You’re not going to try something at home, are you?”

“Like what? You have that place wired, and I have no doubt you’re sending someone to watch over me like a hawk.”

He gave a stiff nod after a moment and led me by the elbow out of Cash’s room.

“Can I ask a question?”

“Sure.”

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