Page 8 of The Bodyguard

Sawyer glared. His phone pinged, and he jumped as though someone had shouted from behind.

Hagan and Liam exchanged yet another glance that Sawyer didn’t like. He ignored them and checked his phone. “Not Jared.”

“Where the hell is that guy?” Liam asked the question Sawyer had wondered about a thousand times.

“He’ll turn up,” Hagan muttered.

Sawyer opened Angela’s message.

Are you downstairs? I’ll be there in one minute.

Hagan shrugged, as relaxed as if they were discussing weekend plans. “Five bucks and a beer says Boss Man’s helping interrogate the shooter.”

Liam snorted. “I’d take that bet.”

Sawyer’s jaw clenched. He wanted in on the interrogation but had more pressing concerns. Angela asked if he was downstairs, and she hadn’t waited for his reply. For all she knew,he was off-site. Angela had decided to head to the lobby without a plan. He responded quickly.

I’m with Liam and Hagan in the lobby. Southwest corner from the elevators.

He checked his watch. Fifty-nine seconds. If Angela said she’d arrive in one minute, that was when she would arrive. “She’s on the move.”

“She’s changing floors, not being handed off between protective details,” Hagan pointed out.

“Bite me,” Sawyer muttered.

Liam slapped Sawyer’s back. “You’ll feel better once you have eyes on her.”

“Again, a reminder—we’re in a fortress.” Hagan’s eyebrows cocked as if he had more to say.

Sawyer shrugged from the backslap. “I know Amanda has this place on lockdown.”

“She does.”

“But she and Shah can’t mitigate every risk. They can’t account for everyone’s actions.” No one understood how Angela walked around Titan headquarters like she could control the whole damn world with a well-planned schedule and a succinctly worded agenda. “All I’m saying is…” Sawyer shook his head. He didn’t know what he was saying. He ran his hand along the nape of his neck. “Maybe she should stay put in her suite until we know where Boss Man is and have some answers.”

Liam frowned. “You know yesterday wasn’t your fault?”

“I know we have plans upon plans, and yesterday, we proved we didn’t have enough.”

“We didn’t know of an imminent threat.”

“She has been living in hiding for years.” Tension climbed up Sawyer’s spine. “There’s a known threat.”

“Maybe you want to be assigned to her on the grounds too?” Hagan asked.

Angela had been under his watchful gaze since Jared brought her into the fold. Sure, his role was officially with the ACES team, but he treated both duties equally.

“Give him a break,” Liam said.

Sawyer didn’t know who Liam was directing that toward. Hagan’s wife had a nightmare of a history with protective details, while Liam’s wife, Chelsea, had had a taste of Tran Pham and the hell Angela had gone through.

“I didn’t mean—” Hagan tossed up his hands. “I meant Angela’s safe in this building. I’m not trying to beat a dead horse, but come on, man. You don’t need to worry.”

Sawyer dropped his head back and drank in a long breath. “I know. I’m just…” He didn’t know what. Instead, he kept tabs on his mental countdown. Thirty seconds until she should be in the lobby.

“Distracted,” Hagan offered.

Liam elbowed Hagan. “Maybe Angela has an update.”

---