Page 95 of Nuclear Option (Owens Protective Services)

“What the fuck is he talking about?” Noah asked.

“Trust me, you don’t want to find out.”

29

EVA

“Aunt Gayle,”I cried as I held her to me. I squeezed her too tight. It had been years since I had last seen her, and I left in a rush, desperate to get out on my own. She was my last remaining family, and I had put her in danger, even if it wasn’t on purpose.

“Eva, I’ve been so worried about you. Noah’s been trying to track you. We caught up a few times, but you always disappeared before we could make contact.” She stepped back and held me at arm’s length, her eyes checking me out. “You’re too skinny, and what happened to your arm? Did that man do this to you?”

“No, he…” I glanced over at Cash, instantly recognizing that he was threatening Noah, and it was all because of me. “He saved my life. Multiple times, in fact.”

“You’re sure?” she lowered her voice. “If you need us to get you away from him, just say the word.”

I laughed at that. “Aunt Gayle, he’s ex-military. He wouldn’t be easy to kill, not that I want you to. For the first time in years, I think I finally have the chance to end this. You still have the evidence, right?” I asked, lowering my voice.

She looked over at Cash again, but I could see the distrust on her face. She had to run also, and handing over the evidence wouldn’t be an easy choice for her. The stakes were too high.

“Honey, we should talk first.”

“I know what you’re thinking, but he’s gone above and beyond for me. And he’s not…he’s not just protecting me. We’re sort of dating.”

Her eyes shot back to mine and she frowned. “How do you sort of date?”

“Well, it’s been intense. We’ve been running and fighting off people that want things from me. He’s been keeping me safe, along with his team. It hasn’t exactly left a lot of time for going out to dinner.”

She lowered her voice even further, pulling me in close to her. “Eva, over the past few years, we’ve had to run multiple times. You have no idea how many close calls we’ve had. I’m sorry, but we can’t trust him.”

My brows furrowed as I watched her. “Aunt Gayle, I just told you they’re on our side. Cash saved my life.”

“To get close to you.”

“No, because he wants to help me.”

“How can you be sure he’s not working for the governor? He could be a mercenary.”

My eyes shifted to Cash involuntarily. I didn’t want to believe that. In fact, my heart wouldn’t allow it, not after everything we’d been through. It just wasn’t possible. No man would risk so much for a woman he didn’t care about, especially when he wasn’t sure I could get him the evidence.

“I’m telling you, you have to trust me,” I insisted. “He’s a good man. There’s no way he’s faking this.”

The purse of her lips told me all I needed to know. She didn’t believe him, and it would take a lot to convince her otherwise.

Before she could say anything else, Cash walked up to me, wrapping his arm possessively around my waist and pulling me in close. “We need to get to cover. It’s not safe out here.” Then he held out his hand to my aunt. “I’m Cash Owens. I run Owens Protective Services.”

Aunt Gayle didn’t take his hand, but instead looked at him suspiciously. “And how is it you happened to run into my niece?”

“That’s a long story. For the sake of time, I’ll tell you she happened to stumble across a job I was working. Things just lined up that way.”

“And you decided to take it upon yourself to help her? She has no money, Mr. Owens.”

His jaw ticked at the implication. “I don’t want money from her. I’m here because your niece is important to me, and I take care of the people that I consider to be a part of my inner circle.”

“And just how many women have you had in your inner circle?” she retorted with a smirk on her face, thinking she’d caught him out.

I winced when his grip tightened. “Just the one, and that’s all there will ever be. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to get Eva someplace safe before the assholes after us catch up to us again.”

She looked back at me in disappointment or distrust. I wasn’t sure which. “Fine, take the back. Eva rides up front with me.”

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