Page 73 of Trust My Bodyguard

I turn sharply to him. “Thank you, Zane. Really. That addition has solved all our problems.”

He scoffs at my tone and looks away.

I don’t care. We need something. Anything that points us in the direction to end this once and for all. It was a stroke of luck that kept Ivy alive. We can’t rely on luck. I need certainty. If something happens to her… I place both hands on the table and lower my head, trying to pull myself together.

“We all care about the Ross sisters,” Nick says. “Not only were they our first clients, they became our friends too. The only way to get whoever tried to do this is by looking forward. Not backward. We all saw the report. We followed due process and we caught the man at the record label. Everything pointed to him. If there was someone else flying under the radar, we can only get him if we use the new information we have, which is Ivy’s attempted murder.”

Attempted murder. I lift my head to the ceiling and pinch the spot between my eyes. Anytime I remember that she almost died, my world is rocked to its foundation. I don’t know how I can stay focused long enough to assist with the investigation if I can’t keep my mind of what could have been.

Exhaling, I face them. They all have different levels of worried expressions on their faces. I’m glad they realize how serious this is. “You’re right, Nick. We need to move forward. We know how the attack—”fuck“—on Ivy happened. Let’s hear your theories.”

They glance at each other.

“Come on.” My hands shake as I gesture for them to hurry. “We don’t have all day. Who knows what he could be planning? Any thoughts?” The last word comes out in nearly a hiss.

Sera’s the first to speak up. “Maybe someone else was working with the guy at the record label. Is that possible?”

Zane objects even before she’s done talking. “No way. I looked into it. He was working alone.”

She gives him a look. “You’re not infallible,” she murmurs. “No one is.”

“I’m not saying I am infallible,” Zane says. “I’m just saying that based on the evidence we had, there’s no way—“

“Yes, I get that,” she threw back. “But I don’t believe…”

“You know, all of this is speculation,” Nick joins the conversation.

My brains sparks with their mismatch of voices saying nothing that’s useful to the investigation. I rub my temple, willing them to shut the fuck up so I can think since they don’t want to. It gets too much and I—“Quiet! All of you. Shut it.”

Their faces spin to me, all frozen.

My chest rises and falls as I stare back at them. “If you’re not going to say something helpful, don’t say anything at all.” My throat constricts and my voice comes out tight. “Ivy’s in danger. We don’t have the time to waste.”

“You mean, Iris too, right?” Zane frowns at me. “Since they’re in this together.”

I nod quickly. “Of course. Of course.”

Nick’s eyes narrow. “What the fuck is wrong with you, man? You seem to be taking this harder than all of us combined. We are all worried but you’re… freaking out. Like crazy.”

I don’t know what’s happening. I’m not sure. This just tears me apart in a way I have no defense against. I drag in a breath that doesn’t quite reach my lungs. They all look at me like they expect a response but I have nothing.

“Ivy must mean a lot to you, right?” Sera’s head quirks to the side, curious eyes running over me like she sees something no one else does.

The realization hits me like a freight train on full speed. The others must see it on my face because their eyes narrow. I can’t let them think that my feelings for Ivy are getting in the way of my objectivity.

I whirl on Sera. “Who told you that, huh?” She stammers as she tries to speak. “You should mind your business. In fact, you’re disrupting this meeting by going off on a tangent. Go sit in your corner.” I stab a finger in the direction of her desk.

She rears back, hurt clearly spelled out on her face. With jerky motions she rises from her seat and stumps to her desk and plops down.

Glad I nipped that in the bud, I turn back to the guys. “Where were we?”

They’re… not impressed. Even Zane, who’s not Sera’s biggest fan, glares at me.

“What’s wrong with you?” Nick sneers at me. “You’re being a real douche, you know.”

“She’s talking nonsense. I had to stop that before we get distracted.”

“And? You could have told her that without making her cry.”

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