Page 109 of Nuclear Option (Owens Protective Services)

He was silent for a minute. “What? You didn’t tell her?”

“Christ, Hensley. You really think that’s a good idea? With all the pressure on her right now, you think I should add the fact that someone’s willing to pay ten million dollars to have her taken out?”

“Are you doing this so she’ll testify? She has the right to know.”

“Yes, I’m doing it for her,” I bit out. “If she doesn’t go through with testifying, she’s as good as dead. Unless I move to some third world country with her, we’d be in hiding the rest of our lives. And I don’t think that would be very long.”

“The U.S. Marshalls have been working on plans for weeks now. I promise you, we’ve got you covered in every way possible.”

That was another point of contention between us. I didn’t trust anyone to work Eva’s security detail but my own men. And he wasn’t going to allow it. Yeah, I understood this was part of the gig, but it didn’t make me feel any easier. I could be her personal protection, but that was as far as my services were accepted.

“Hensley, this woman means everything to me,” I said, baring it all to him. “If anything happens to her, I swear to God, it will be you I come after. You’d better make sure that every single person is one hundred percent clear and there are no fuckups. Anything that happens is on you.”

“I got it, Cash. Trust me, my ass is on the line with this one too. It’s not exactly a low profile case. If the governor gets off, I’m out of a job and my life is basically fucked.”

“Then I guess you have good incentive to make sure nothing happens to Eva.”

“And then some.”

35

EVA

We were backon the west coast after months at a new safe house. Now that the power was restored to most of the power grid, there was no need to delay the trial for the governor. I was relieved for it to end, but terrified to face him.

The night someone fired at me was a shock to my system. I really thought I would be used to the danger by now, but the reality of my situation was slamming into me full force. One minute, I was huddled on the floor, praying no one else would shoot me. And the next, I was being hauled into a vehicle as we sped away into the night.

My anxiety was hitting a fever pitch and I distracted myself with training. Fox was by my side nearly every day, even if I wanted Cash instead. Part of me understood that he was working on my behalf to keep me safe. But at night, when I was all alone in bed, I longed for him to come make me forget everything I was worried about.

I pushed myself harder and harder, training like I was about to go into battle. Fox was great about knowing how far he could drive me during the day and when I needed a break. My favorite time of day was when he took me out back and had me throw knives with him. It probably should have worried me just a little that I liked it so much. But after being shot at, I needed some way to defend myself, and guns were just too scary to me right now. Maybe in the future I would change my mind. For now, I was using a special set of knives that Fox had made just for me with my initials on them. They sparkled with pink lettering on the grip of the knife, and every time I looked at it, I smiled and forgot about all the shit around me.

Two days ago, we left my sanctuary on the other side of the country and made the long drive home. It was tense to say the least. With four vehicles surrounding us, it was hard to pretend I was just on a road trip across the country. There were tons of rules for me to follow, one of which included that I couldn’t go anywhere without a three man detail. The stronger part of me wanted to believe that was excessive, that I was finally safe and didn’t need that much protection. But the part of me that was still running from the governor and his men knew that I could never truly trust that I was safe, and had to watch my back.

The new safe house we arrived at was heavily guarded, and when I stepped out of the SUV, I was in awe of the massive estate in front of me. I knew we were in California, but I had no idea where. It must have cost Cash an arm and a leg to have us stay here. Not that he would ever talk to me about that. Cash was all about keeping me in the dark these days. Which was why I wasn’t surprised when he led me upstairs to a bedroom, kissed me on the forehead, and told me to get some rest.

I bolted upright in bed after a particularly bad dream. It had been happening more frequently as the trial approached, and as I laid back in bed and stared at the ceiling, I knew I wouldn’t fall back to sleep anytime soon. The trial was starting tomorrow and I’d hardly slept the entire time we’d been here. Cash had been working around the clock on security, which should set my mind at ease. Instead, it was a stark reminder that this situation could spiral out of control in no time. I was actually going to do it. I was going to testify against the governor and a drug dealer, both of which had already tried to have me killed.

The stakes were high, but no matter how I tried to rationalize backing out, I couldn’t do it. My life was on the line, along with my aunt’s. Not to mention, Cash and his company had already devoted all their time to protecting me and planning for this day. What would that say about me if I backed out now?

I rolled over to snuggle into Cash, only to be reminded that he wasn’t in bed with me. Running my hand over the sheets, they felt cold to the touch. He probably hadn’t even come to bed. Slipping from the cool sheets, I grabbed one of Cash’s shirts and tucked my arms inside.

Part of me wondered if Cash was purposely distancing himself from me because of my comments all those months ago about having a different life. I desperately wanted to talk to him about it, to tell him that I was falling in love with him. Every day I spent with him, he showed me how much he loved me, even if we only saw each other for a little bit. Whether it was a heated look, or the way his hand skimmed mine in passing, I knew what he was feeling was growing stronger every day. He proved it every night he made love to me with a fierceness that I felt deep in my soul.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say the actual words. The problem was, he deserved a better woman than me. Or maybe I wasn’t ready to be with a man like him. I needed to stand on my own two feet, to prove to myself that I didn’t need protection. I needed to know that neither of us was in this because I was some defenseless woman without him. And it ate me up inside to know that every day that passed hurt us both more and more.

I opened the door to the bedroom and crept down the hall to the top of the staircase. The faint glow from the office light told me exactly where Cash was hiding. Eli peeked around the corner, nodding at me as he passed. He must have been on guard duty tonight. I assumed the rest of his team was wandering around the house also. And that probably meant there was another team or two patrolling the perimeter.

I chuckled to myself as I heard myself saying words likeperimeterandpatrolling. Cash was really rubbing off on me.

Cash’s shirt was long enough to come to mid-thigh, covering up nearly everything. I used to be shy around these guys, but they’d busted in on me a few times when I was dressed in less. And with such tight quarters, I was used to seeing way more skin than ever before in my life. It didn’t even faze me now to walk through the house in Cash’s shirt, though I was pretty sure he didn’t care that much for everyone else seeing my legs.

I walked over to the office door and knocked lightly, shoving the door open at his tired command. His eyes flicked up to mine and he pushed back from the desk, slouching in his chair. He used to sit up when I walked in a room, but the months of constantly being on alert had worn him out.

“Are you okay?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” I said as I walked over to him, stepping between his legs and the desk.

His hands found my hips and lifted me up to sit on the desk in front of him, then he rolled closer to me, eliminating any space between us. “You’re nervous about today.”

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