Page 20 of Shadow Strike
She took a step back, hesitated.He’d hit the nail on the head.Still, she could control this.“If I do the closing,” she said, finally, “I know it’s done right.I know the bar is locked right.I know exactly what state this place is in when I walk out the door.”
He gave a nod.“Okay,” he said.
That was all.Okay.No reframe, no more lecture on control.Justokay.
“After you finish,” he said, “I’ll show you the security app.You run it with your phone—every camera, every alert, every door sensor.You’ll know everything the system does the moment it knows it.”
She thought about what that would mean.To walk out of this bar and know that if anyone came within a hundred yards of it, her phone would tell her before they reached the door.
“That sounds good,” she said, mildly impressed.
He showed her when she was done.Stood beside her while she worked through the app, close enough that she could feel the warmth of him.He patiently walked her through each camera, each sensor, each alert category.
She set the final alert preference and motioned for him to follow her upstairs.
The room above the bar had been storage for two years.She’d cleared it out last week, and it had occurred to her during the day that it was the obvious solution.
“It’s not big,” she said, pushing the door open and reaching for the light.“But there’s a couch, and a bathroom down the hall.”
CB stood in the doorway and looked at the room.“I didn’t expect to stay here,” he said.
“It makes sense.You’re already here for closing.No point in driving back to the compound every—” She stopped.
He was looking at her with an amused expression.
Oh.
“You can’t protect my mother from here,” she said, wanting to face palm herself, “if she’s at the house.”Another thought dawned.“And you can’t be at the house and the bar at the same time.”
“I’m good, but I’m not that good.”
It was meant to make her laugh.It didn’t.
Dammit.Everything came crashing down on her.Her throat was sore, she was starving because she hadn’t eaten since lunch, and she still didn’t know how exactly she was going to handle the looming Friday deadline.There was such a roar in her head, she couldn’t think right.
She sat down on the couch and ran a hand over her face.“I’m not that good either,” she admitted.“At least not at this.”
CB came into the room and sat beside her.He reached over and patted her leg.“Good thing I know how to handle it.Lucy already said yes to a system at the house, and one of my coworkers installed it earlier.I’ll sleep in my truck outside your place.The bar’s system will alert both of us if anyone comes near it.”He paused.“The Outlaws aren’t going to torch the bar or break it up.Yet.It’s a potential cash cow.They need it running.”
She let that settle.It made sense.She and her mom would be safe.The bar would be safe.
He’d barely touched her, yet the pat on the leg felt like so much more.Like he was shoring her up.Acknowledging she was still strong, even if she hadn’t thought through the logistics of his bodyguard duties.That he had her back.
At that moment, she wished she could lean on him.Just put her head on his shoulder.Let him figure out her next steps.
You’re just tired.
She stood and stepped away, needing to put distance between them before she embarrassed herself.“Okay, then.I’ll just uh…grab Mom, and we’ll head home.”
Lucy was even more gleeful as Regan drove her car with CB following behind them.“The guest room is made up,” she said.“He can stay in there.”
Regan had to admit she couldn’t stand the thought of CB sleeping in his truck.But the guest room was next to hers.“Can’t you just put him in the den on the couch?”
“Regan,” her mother said with thatdon’t be rudetone in her voice.“That man is a godsend.He deserves a real bed.”
Regan bit her tongue.
When they arrived, a dark SUV was parked outside.Regan eyed it suspiciously, but CB pulled in behind it, spoke to the driver while Regan and Lucy exited her car, and came away with a duffel bag.
