Page 78 of The Desperate Warrior

“At least let me go to the surgical center Monday morning. I’ll tell them about Leroy. They need to get prepared for what’s coming. I owe them that much.”

“Why don’t you just call them?”

She considered the question. “Maybe I should call Bree and give her a head’s up since she’s the office manager.” Before he could respond, she rushed on. “But I need to tell everyone else in person, so I can look them in the eyes. Otherwise, they’ll think I’m deserting them.” She gave him a meaningful look. “That’s my one and only condition. After that, I’ll go away with you.”

Brock’s jaw flexed. After a few minutes, he nodded. “Okay, you’ll go to work and stay there long enough to warn everyone, and then I’m getting you to safety.”

The idea of leaving her home and her parents filled her with dread. Not to mention her job. “Where will we go?”

“I don’t know. I’ll get in touch with Sutton and see if he can set something up.”

Her stomach knotted. “How long will we stay there?”

“As long as it takes.”

Jules nodded. “Okay. I think I can live with that.”

“Livebeing the operative word.”

“Got it.” The room began to spin. She gulped in a breath, feeling like she might pass out.”

Brock began rubbing her back. “Breathe in through your nose,” he encouraged, “and out through your mouth. You can do this. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

To think, she’d felt so good about the day when she got up just a short while ago. And now, everything was spiraling out of control. It seemed to be the way her life was going these days.

Chapter 19

Since there were a couple of surgeries scheduled first thing on Monday morning, Jules had to wait until lunch before she could gather everyone. She’d not been able to get in touch with Bree over the weekend so she pulled her aside and asked her to let the others know to meet in one of the conference rooms.

“I’ve got something important to share,” she said.

As the staff filtered in—some with half-eaten sandwiches, others with puzzled expressions—Jules stood in front of the conference table and took in a steadying breath. Her heart thudded as she scanned the room, meeting their expectant faces.

“Okay,” she began, her voice trembling. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Her eyes briefly met Asher’s. He was watching her with a cool, unreadable expression. “First of all, I just want to thank everyone who came to my birthday party. Except for you, Dr. Caldwell. I totally understand why you couldn’t make it.”

“Baseball rules our weekends these days,” he said with a rueful grin.

She was veering off course.Get back on track, she ordered herself as she took in a deep breath. “The reason I asked you all here today is because … well, Brock is not my cousin.”

Surprise flicked over Asher’s expression.

“He’s my bodyguard,” she explained.

LouAnna frowned. “Your bodyguard?”

“After the hit-and-run, my dad got really worried, so he hired Brock. The cousin thing was just a cover story.”

“Thanks for clearing that up,” Mindy said, though her creased brow suggested she was still confused about why this required a meeting.

Jules continued, trying to find her footing. “That’s not the only reason I needed to talk to you. My dad—or rather, Brock—hired a private investigator to track down Steve Randall.”

LouAnna turned to Bree. “Glad to know we’re on the right path.”

Bree looked at Jules. “Who did he hire? I spoke to a man named Duncan Reeves this morning. He seems like he knows his stuff.”

“Leroy Gilcrest, that’s who Brock hired,” Jules said.

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