Chapter 20 #2
Something akin to rage sparked inside him. “Jake did this?”
She nodded. “I’m as shocked as you are. And now I’m wondering if I can trust building security. I was hoping to get your thoughts on that.”
He didn’t answer immediately. Could she trust the other guards?
He wasn’t certain anymore. Jacob Kingston had seemed like a decent guy, but then again, Peter had only spent time with the man when their shifts happened to overlap.
And since Jake was generally on days, while Peter worked nights, that had been limited to an occasional half hour time slot.
Finally, he offered a tense shrug. “I don’t know.
I’ll contact my boss and see if he’s heard the news and if I can find out what he intends to do about it, but I’m not sure how much he’ll be willing to say.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides to run new background checks, but those aren’t foolproof. Jake obviously passed his.”
She frowned. “Thanks for your honesty. I guess I’ll have to weigh the risks.”
“What about his accomplice? You said there was more than one arrest?”
“Yes. Eric just called to let me know they picked up the other guy, a Matthew Wells.”
“Someone you know?” He’d never heard the name.
She shook her head. “No. But Jacob Kingston contacted him yesterday morning about helping him with a job, and he has a tattoo that matches the one I saw. Eric said they’re pretty sure it’s the same guy.”
A measure of relief filled him. “Were the police able to determine why they attacked you or whether they had any other accomplices?”
“Not yet. Jacob was smart enough to keep quiet and demand a lawyer, and so far, Matthew hasn’t said anything other than to insist that they got the wrong guy. Eric basically told me not to get my hopes up that they were the only ones involved, not until we know more.”
Figured. But he agreed with the detective’s assessment. He cleared his throat. “Listen, I . . .” He almost lost his nerve, but when he saw the trust in Hailey’s eyes, he swallowed his fear. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Okay.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “First off, I need to be honest about something. You know I used to be a bodyguard.”
“Yes.”
“The reason I don’t do that anymore is because the last job I worked, I failed. Miserably. I was almost killed, and my client—your cousin’s wife—could easily have been killed, too, while I was out of commission.”
Her eyes widened. “That was you?”
“Yeah, that was me.” Remorse pressed in on him again. “I messed up big-time, as you’ve apparently heard.”
She reached a hand toward him. “No, I didn’t mean that like it sounded. I did hear about what happened that night, but no one ever spoke ill of you. They knew it wasn’t your fault.”
“But it was. At least to some extent.” He shook his head when she started to protest again.
“We can get into that another time if we must. The only reason I brought it up is that I want you to know that I’m not operating at full capacity.
I no longer know if I can trust my instincts, and sometimes I have panic attacks.
But for what it’s worth, I want to offer you my services as a bodyguard.
” He paused to catch his breath and gauge her reaction.
“Thank you for telling me about your struggles and for your offer, but I can’t afford to hire a bodyguard.”
He shook his head, maybe a little too emphatically. “I don’t want to be hired. It would be unofficial. I neither expect nor want payment—you’d be getting a secondhand version of a bodyguard anyway. I only want to help keep you safe until we’re certain this is over.”
Her eyes softened. “You are anything but secondhand, and I mean that with all my heart. Please don’t think of yourself like that.” She glanced down. “And I appreciate the offer more than you know, but I can’t expect you to do something like this for free. You have a life too.”
“Thanks to my concussion, I have some complimentary time off work. And I’ve accrued enough vacation time to extend that if necessary.”
“You should be resting, not taking on extra work.”
He held her gaze, willing her to see his sincerity. “I want to help you, Hailey. Please let me do that.”
“I don’t know . . .” She pressed a hand to her head and rose to her feet.
He let her pace as she seemed to work things through in her mind. He’d argue his point if necessary, but he didn’t want to push too hard and trigger her stubborn gene. When she turned back to him, her arms were crossed. He couldn’t read her expression.
“I probably do need help. I can’t deny that.
And I truly appreciate your willingness to give it, but I also can’t expect you to put your life on hold, especially when the threat to me may be past.” She held up a finger when he started to interrupt.
“How about a compromise for now? I don’t think we’re in danger here at my parents’ house since it’s outside Kincaid and there haven’t been any incidents since I arrived, but Eric recommended I take an escort when I go into the office tomorrow.
If you really want to, you could drop me off and pick me up. ”
“Gladly. And what about after that?”
She studied him, then sighed. “Can we take it day by day?”
“I can work with that.”