Page 76 of Daddy's Bodyguard

Jasper’s eyes fall to his hands, and I choke back a sob. It’s just like I thought it would be, physical, no emotions. I should have known I’d regret being with him. That I’d regret letting him in. Laughing over TV shows as we ate sushi, pretending to be a functioning couple when the world couldn’t touch us... it was all bullshit, wasn’t it?

Was that all to keep me compliant? No. He wanted to have sex with me. I knew that. He’d been flirting since we met, but to break down my wall just to let me down like this, God, it’s downright cruel.

“You’re safe here,” he whispers.

I close my eyes a moment and rub my forehead as my commonsense chips in. This isn’t all Jasper’s fault. I knew about the risks, so I’m as much to blame for my own heartache as he is. I clear my throat and nod. “Sure. You got what you wanted.”

“Don’t say it like that when you know how I feel,” he murmurs. He reaches for me, but I pull my hand away. He sighs. “Sofia, come on.”

“Fuck your feelings. You fucking betrayed me. You knew there was no plan for us to stick together, and you didn’t tell me.”

“Because I know you by now, Sofia. You would have flipped and given me a hard time. This isn’t personal. I’m just doing my job.”

“Because that’s all I am to you, right? An assignment.”

“That’s not fair, and you know it.” He closes the space between us and runs his hand down my side. I close my eyes, needing his touch, yet hating it, too. “Once you’re safe, we can get in touch.”

“No wonder you were so eager to get me here,” I hiss, jerking away from him. “You got to fuck me, and now you got paid for it. What else could you possibly want?”

He flinches. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Then please, explain. I’m all ears.” God, I sound like a teenager, but I just can’t shut up. “Explicame!”

“Just because you’re focused on how to move up in the world doesn’t mean everyone else is. Some of us want to enjoy what we have.” His eyes rake over me. “Or had.”

I blink a few times and take a step back. As I open my mouth, Jasper puts his finger over my lips. “Think about it. When it’s done, Sofia, if this is what you want, I promise, I’ll come back for you.”

“Yeah, right, like you promised to always be here. Screw you, Jasper. You will never touch me again.”

“Miss Wilson,” the big guy says. “Let’s go inside.”

“Keep a close eye on her, Cash. She’s a flight risk,” Jasper murmurs.

“Understood.”

I shake my head at him, more disgusted with myself than anything and turn to go inside. I think I hear Jasper give another order, but it has to be my own heart talking to me. “If she gets hurt, we’ll have a problem. Understand?”

Walking through the house, I hear my dad talking to someone. I stay just out of view after peeking through the doorway. He sighs. “Tiberon isn’t going to stop. It doesn’t matter how long we try to hide. His men are going to find us eventually.”

“Mr. Hernandez, don’t talk like that.”

“It would be easier to just let them have me if I was sure that it would keep my family safe.” He sighs. “I don’t see any other way to deal with this. Maybe I just need to give them what they want.”

“You’ve been holding hard and fast all along, which is the right thing to do. Just give it time. Sentencing’s in a few days. As soon he’s locked down for life, or worse, you will be free.”

“We don’t have time, Kingston. And a man like Tiberon won’t stop just because he’s trapped behind bars. In fact, he’ll be more ruthless than ever. I can’t afford for anything to happen to my kids, Scarlett, even my ex-wife. I couldn’t live with myself if they were harmed because of me. All because I decided to do the right thing.”

“Then you need to consider Cash’s plan,” Kingston says. “That’s the only way you and your family will be safe.”

Kingston’s words send a chill over me, and I wrap my arms around myself and enter the living room. Dad’s sitting on the section couch, looking older than when I last saw him, a lifetime ago, it seems. His hair is a little greyer in some areas, with more wrinkles lining his face, especially on his forehead. I sit next to him, more to get answers than to be near him. “Dad, what’s really going on?”

“El Tiberon. The ex-client who’s sending men after us—”

“I know who he is, Dad. What do you mean by doing the right thing?”

Dad sighs, shifting his body and staring directly at me. “I’ve done some crazy things, Sofia, all in the name of building my legacy. I’m not proud of what I’ve done, but back then, I didn’t care as long as I remained on top. But lately, it’s been eating me alive, especially when I realized how broken you and I were. I know my career choice is the main cause of our rift.”

I’m itching to correct him and remind him that our estrangement began when he divorced my mom, but I don’t want to break his flow.

---