Page 32 of His Forced Irish Mafia Bride
“That’s because someone tried to kill you,” he said.
The words hit harder than I wanted them to. For a moment I felt the whole thing again: the gunshots, the glass breaking, Sean throwing me behind the island. I pushed the memory away.
“I still need to leave,” I said.
“I understand.”
“No, you don’t.”
Mr. Colt nodded slightly. “I do,” he said. “But understanding doesn’t change the situation.”
I just stared at Colt. I wasn’t sure what to say to that.
He stared back at me, calm and patient, completely unmoved.
“You can’t seriously expect me to stay in this building forever,” I finally said.
“No.” That was good to hear, I guess.
“Good,” I said.
“But you won’t be leaving by yourself,” he added.
My jaw tightened. “Why not?”
“Because whoever tried to kill you might try again,” he said. “They could be watching this building right now.”
A cold feeling settled in my stomach. I hated that his reasoning actually made sense.
“If you need to go out, Maeve,” he continued, “We can make it happen.”
I straightened, feeling a bit hopeful. “Finally.”
“But you’ll have security with you,” he said.
“One?”
“No,” he said, almost smiling.
“Two?” I asked.
“No,” he said again.
“How many, then?”
“Enough to keep you safe, Maeve.”
God, I already hated this.
***
My eyes moved from the security detail to the elevator. Every direction ended in the same place, back here, back inside the penthouse. This didn’t feel like protection. It was restriction, control. Constant surveillance I didn’t ask for.
I looked at the guards again, then at the elevator, then at the walls surrounding all of it. I wasn’t being stopped at a door. I was being kept inside a system.
My voice dropped when I spoke again. “This isn’t protection.” Nobody answered.
I wasn’t free to leave, not without permission, and Sean was the only person who could give it. With his guards around me, I doubted I’d be able to get my father to give me anyanswers. Since leaving the penthouse was pointless, I had to find information another way.
