Page 99 of Hurry Up And Wait

“I know that, but?—”

“She doesn’t want protection.”

“She needs it now.”

He was quiet for a moment. “The ex?”

“The senator,” I clarified. “He found out about her.”

I wasn’t expecting the chuckle that slipped from his mouth. “Don’t tell me Daddy is going to off her.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him,” I grumbled.

“How serious is this threat?”

I thought about the look in the senator’s eyes when he told me he knew about her. It was clear then and hours later, I still felt the same. “He will remove her if he thinks she’s a threat. I’m staying away until I can get this sorted, but in the meantime, I need to be sure she’s taken care of.”

“And you want me to swoop in and take her away where the senator can’t find her.”

“No, she can’t know you’re watching her.”

“Because she doesn’t want protection or because you haven’t told her about the senator and your fiancée?”

I wasn’t sure how he found out this shit, but that was beside the point. I’d deal with that later. For now, I needed to know Isla was taken care of. “Both,” I finally answered. “Do we have a deal?”

“A deal usually means someone else is getting something in return.”

“I’ll fucking pay you,” I snapped.

“It’s not money I’m after,” he snarled.

“Then what do you want?”

“A favor. To be called in at my choosing.”

“Why the fuck would you want a favor from me?” It didn’t makeany sense. I wasn’t in his line of work. I didn’t have anything he would need from me.

“That’s my business. Do we have a deal or not?”

“Fine,” I gritted my teeth. “Stay in the shadows, but I want to know if the senator makes a move.”

“I know how to do my job.”

The call ended and I sighed, sinking into a chair. She was safe, even if I wasn’t completely sure about IKE being with her. He was good at his job. I just didn’t like the idea of him. But it had to be done. If she was attacked, I knew he would do everything to protect her. I’d just have to deal with the fallout of her anger later.

“Everything okay?” Olivia asked, walking into the room in a pair of pajamas.

Unlike everything else she wore, she actually looked really cozy this morning. Her hair was in a mess on the top of her head and the soft flannel of her pajama pants made me think of wrapping myself in a blanket and going back to sleep.

“Yeah, just checking on a few things.”

“Your girlfriend?” she asked with a smile.

There was no jealousy or anger in her tone. I relaxed back and nodded. “I’m worried about the senator. He’s?—”

“I heard,” she said, walking over and sitting down on the couch.

“You did?”