Page 40 of Red Flagged

Morrison gave him a thumbs-up as he accepted a dish from Dante.

Grabbing the third serving, Dante sat down next to André and began to swirl noodles onto his fork.

“So, you’ve delivered Hatch’s message. What am I supposed to do about it?”

“You and Daniella could still go into WITSEC,” André pointed out. Luckily, Dante had just shoved a huge bite into his mouth so he couldn’t reply.

“Nah, I don’t think they should,” said Morrison, “Hatch is on edge. He wants you to be vigilant.”

“That’s what he said when we spoke on the phone. As if I’m evernotvigilant.”

“He also instructed me to stick around town for a bit, keep my eye on you.” Morrison crossed his massive arms over his chest as if daring Dante to argue.

“I can’t believe you’re giving me crap about protection when you won’t accept it for you and your niece,” André complained. “Kettle meet pot.”

“Shit, Dani.” Shooting to his feet, Dante glanced at his watch and shoved another forkful of pasta into his mouth. “I need to pick her up. You.” He pointed at André. “Do not leave. You.” Now his finger was directed at Morrison. “Stay here and keep an eye on him. Do. Not. Let. Him. Leave.”

Then Dante was gone. It was very easy for André to imagine a dust devil swirling in his wake. In the ensuing silence, André and Morrison eyed each other.

“Am I gonna have to tie you up?” Morrison asked.

Was that an amused gleam in Morrison’s eyes?

“Nope,” André said, quickly forking more spaghetti into his mouth.

He’d wait until Dante returned and then he’d leave.

“This is not what I meant when I said I was going home,” André said as he slid his key into the deadbolt. He was comfortably full from dinner and Morrison had finished off what André hadn’t been able to eat.

“I have to say,” Morrison rumbled, “that I enjoyed being on the sidelines for that one. How long have you and our Dante been together?”

The door eased open, and André started inside.

“Dante and I are—” André cut himself off, trying to figure out the words to explain it to his unwelcome bodyguard. “It’s complicated.”

André always wanted Dante; he wasn’t going to deny that part of their relationship. If Morrison hadn’t interrupted them, maybe they would have had a chance to talk things out more. Was Dante planning on staying in Cooper Springs? Did he see them sharing a home? Did he see André as a partner?

“Why do people always make easy things difficult for themselves? If you click, you click. It’s that simple.”

“So you say,” André responded, twisting the door knob.

“Wait.” Morrison lay a meaty hand on his shoulder. “Let me make sure it’s clear.”

There was no point arguing with him. André waited impatiently in the living room while Morrison checked all the rooms in the house and his backyard as well.

“Nice house you’ve got. That backyard is damn big. You should put in a patio and one of those propane heaters.”

“Thanks for the tip,” André managed.

His cheek hurt from the cement chip. His jaw ached from clenching it. And instead of having Dante in his bed and the possibility of all sorts ofrelaxationgoing on, he was saddled with an unnecessary bodyguard whose brain-to-mouth filter needed some adjustments.

TWELVE

Dante

“Be extra careful today and for the next few days. I know it’s hard but try not to let your guard down. If you see anything out of the ordinary or get a funny feeling, call me and I will come to you right away.”

Dani turned her head and just stared at him for a moment.

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