Page 130 of Nuclear Option (Owens Protective Services)

He sighed heavily as he pulled back from me. His large hand came up to brush the hair back from my face. “Where are you going to go?”

I bit my lip. There was no point in lying to him. “I haven’t figured that out. I thought I’d drive until I figured out what I wanted.”

A smile graced his lips for just a minute. “Just don’t go wandering onto any drug farms.”

“Don’t worry. My feet will stay firmly planted in the Midwest.”

“I’ll always worry about you,” he confessed. “No matter how long you’re gone, there won’t be a day that I stop thinking about you.”

“It won’t be forever,” I said, trying to ease the pain.

“I wish I could believe that,” he murmured as his hand slid through my hair.

I closed my eyes and rested my head against his. Letting out a deep sigh, I knew I had to get moving. I had things to do, and visiting my aunt was just one of them. If I was really going to do this, I had to get my ass moving. I shuffled off him and turned for the dresser. When I looked back at him, he was no longer looking at me, but staring at the ceiling. I really hoped I wasn’t making the worst mistake of my life.

43

CASH

“Finally,”I said in exasperation as I walked outside. Eli stepped out of the SUV and tossed me the keys. “What the fuck took you so long?”

“Gee, boss. I don’t know. It’s not like you asked for anything specific.”

I had actually been very specific in what I wanted. This vehicle was for Eva, and it had to be top of the line. I had all the best installed for her.And me.I got in and checked it out for myself as Eli climbed in the passenger side.

“I don’t get it. It’s like you’re giving her permission to leave. I thought you loved her.”

“I do love her, which is why I’m doing this.”

“Buying her an SUV and watching her drive off into the sunset alone? That doesn’t sound like a very good plan.”

“It’s the perfect plan,” I admitted. “See, I was pissed at first too, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized this was what I needed for her too. Remember when she first came to us?”

“You mean when you tricked her into working for us and then locked her in a room with Fox? I vaguely recall that,” he said sarcastically.

I ignored the comment and continued. “She was just a kitten then. But when you see her now, she’s a fighter. She needs to prove something to herself, and I can respect that. She won’t truly be happy with me unless I let her go do this.”

He looked at me incredulously. “I don’t know if you’re fucking stupid or have severe brain damage from your injury.”

“Neither. I’m anticipating the needs of my woman.”

“You’re sending her off into the unknown. She gets into trouble out there. It’s not a good place for her.”

“Which is why she won’t be alone,” I grinned.

“You’re going with her? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?”

“I’m not going. I’m sending Fox after her.”

He snorted, then laughed. “Yeah, I can see that going well.”

“She’s not going to know about it. He has strict instructions to keep his distance at all times. The only reason he’ll let her know he’s there is if he senses she’s in danger.”

“Boss, he’ll think she’s in danger every five minutes. This is a bad plan.”

“On the contrary. Fox has just as much to lose if this goes south. He won’t fuck it up.”

“And what are you going to tell her?”

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