Page 40 of Shatterproof

“I was trying to wrap up a conference call.”

“Did you try hittin’ the end button?” Slater snidely asks. “It’s typically thered one.”

“I couldn’t just hang up. It was important.”

“So. Is. Arley.”

Gotta give my best friend that.

He’s never let me feel like I didn’t matter or came second to anything.

“Alright,” T does his best to redirect the conversation, “so um, what happened when your boss boyfriend-”

“Ex-boyfriend,” instantly shoots from Slater’s mouth.

“Didn’t show up?”

“I decided to just go ahead and go.” More recollection continues to crawl to the front of my mind. “Consuelos was guarding my floor. Yi was in the lobby and offered to walk me, which I declined-”

“You’re not supposed to fuckin’ decline, Arley,” Slater instantaneously criticizes. “We’ve been over this shit a million times. You are a high value asset. Peopletargethigh value assets.Hencewhy I don’t ever want you walkin’ alone.”

“I agree,” Harv concurs much to my surprise. “You are one of our most valuable assets at the company. One we can’t afford to lose.”

“OneIcan’t afford to lose,” the man I’m convinced is probably my soulmate gingerly declares, fingers slipping over to cup mine once more. “One I’mnotgoing to lose.”

“What can we do?” T folds his arms firmly across his chest. “Assign her a bodyguard?”

Slater cuts his gaze over to my brother. “Done.”

An objection is barely able to form from me, “But-”

“I’m not askin’.”

“But-”

“And I’m damn sure not arguin’.”

“I am,” my ex states in what can only be concluded as an objective tone. “What if you’re not the best operative for the assignment, Wahl.”

“I’m theonlyoperative for the assignment, sir. Make no fuckin’ mistake about that.”

Terence doesn’t hesitate to nod his head in unity. “Wahl’s got a point. No one protects my sister quite like he does.”

A grateful chin tilt is given my brother’s direction prior to the man holding my hand announcing, “I’ll run point. Blu will be my second. And until all this shit is figured out, until we have an idea on the who and the what and the why,” his blue stare swings back to me, “you’ll be staying withme.”

And just when I thought we had reached the basement level of awkward hell, the flood boards spread apart to drop me into the deepest depths possible.

Being secretly in love with my best friend is hard enough, but being secretly in love with my best friendandhaving to move in with him is some sort of creative new torture tactic I don’t remember reading about in my annual contract.

Chapter 6

Slater

I’ve never been a fan of torture.

However, I understand its purpose.

Especially now.

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