Page 85 of Hold On

“It’s a good idea.” Dominic took a deep breath. “But unnecessary. I’ll leave today. I won’t tell you where I’m going. Take my number off your phones. I’ll send an email to Col every now and again, but it’s better for everyone if I disappear.” He shouldn’t have let himself be persuaded to stay.

Col pressed his face into Dominic’s chest. “I want to be with you.”

“But I want you to be happy and safe with Theo. That can only happen if I’m not around.”

“Not quite,” said the marquess. “We do have an idea.”

“My father wants you to stay here,” Theo blurted. “Move back into the stable block.”

“And act as bait?” Dominic asked.

“How did you get that so quickly?” Theo gaped at him.

“It’s the only way we can see to end this,” James said. “You can’t hide or run forever, particularly when you’re obligated to tell your Offender Manager where you’re living. I’m not suggesting they’d willingly surrender that information but if pressured? And if you run from the authorities, they’ll take you back to prison and you definitely won’t be safe there.”

“I thought about speaking to the person in charge at Marsden and telling them what this Sturdy character had said,” the marquess told him. “But if the man denies it, nothing could be done and he might then tell Kilic you were rattled, or even be persuaded to give up your address. So, we’ve decided precipitating events might be the best solution.”

Dominic thought about saying that had probably already happened, but everyone meant well. He wasn’t going to be blaming anyone.

“Whether you agree to stay or not, Theo and Col will be going away for a couple of weeks on holiday,” the marquess said. “They’re leaving shortly. I have security people watching the stable block in particular. I’m going to send you a number to call if you’re in trouble or suspect trouble is about to erupt. They’ll react faster than the police. We’ll use my contact to let it slip where you’re staying. Obviously, he’ll do it when it doesn’t seem suspicious. Then we wait.”

“It’s best you don’t know who’s in the protective detail,” James said. “Then there’ll be no chance of giving them away.”

And no way of knowing whether anyone he saw watching him was friend or foe.

“No member of that family will be allowed to get near you,” James said. “It’s a professional security team protecting you.”

Dominic’s head was spinning. He didn’t know what was the best thing to do. No one said anything. This was up to him. But they were right. He couldn’t run forever. If he was bait, he’d be protecting those he cared about. And assuming the bait was taken, this would all be over soon. But there’d be no week in that rental place with Ren.

“Okay. Let’s do it,” Dominic said. If the protection failed and he died, well, everyone had done what they could. If the bait hadn’t been taken two weeks from now, Dominic would quietly slip away and take his chances on his own.

The only problem was Ren.

Dominic put the emergency number in his phone and stored it underAux, short for the Latin for help—Auxilium. He wanted it to be the first number, even though he only had a few contacts on there.

He said his goodbyes to Col and Theo—Col’s hug was fierce—and walked back to the tent. He thought he already knew what Ren’s reaction was going to be.

Ren lay sleeping on the mattress. When Dominic dropped down next to him, Ren stirred and opened his eyes.

“I didn’t get my wake-up kiss.” He closed his eyes again.

Dominic wanted to kiss him, never wanted to stop kissing him, but maybe this was where it had to end no matter what Ren said.

“I’m waiting,” Ren whispered.

Dominic leaned over and kissed him, but shifted back when Ren tried to pull him down.

Ren sat up. “Uh oh. What’s wrong?”

“I have to move back to the stable block. Col and Theo are going away for a couple of weeks. I’m bait. We have to cancel that booking.”

“And that stops you kissing me?”

“I don’t want you to be bait too.”

“That’s up to me.”

“Ren…”

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