Page 27 of Steal My Breath Away

“Wrong classroom,” I said, grabbing her hand and leading her past the white-haired professor staring at us in stunned silence.

“We shouldn’t have,” Haley said as we emerged into the hallway, her cheeks still flushed, lips swollen from my kisses.

“Definitely not.”

She bit her lower lip, dragging it between her teeth. “It can’t happen again.”

“It won’t.” I was her bodyguard. Not her lover, or even her friend. The past was still an open wound between us. She hadn’t forgiven me, and I hadn’t redeemed myself for the emotional pain I’d caused.

Still, neither of us moved. Tension curled in the air between us.

“Ace…” Her gaze drifted from my eyes to my lips, and I wanted her all over again.

“Haley…” My voice cracked, broke and I forced myself to take a step back. “Let’s get you to class.”

CHAPTER 14Ace

What the fuck did I do?By the time we returned to Haley’s house, I was drowning in feelings of guilt and self-recrimination. First, Haley had been threatened on my watch and hadn’t trusted me enough to tell me. Second, I’d broken my number-one rule about getting involved with clients. And that’s what Haley was. A client. Our past shouldn’t have been a factor. Where was my self-control? Gone out the damn window, along with any sense of professionalism I’d ever had.

Haley went straight to her room to study, and I called Tony to brief him on the threat situation. I was tempted to tell him I’d crossed a line, but I was pretty sure he’d pull me off the assignment, and I wasn’t leaving until I knew Haley would be safe.

“We need to trace those messages,” I said. “I called the station manager, Dante, and he said he’d get in touch with their IT department. I also spoke to Haley’s mother, and she passed the screenshots on to the Capitol Police. I doubt they’ll do anything because we’re not in their jurisdiction and they’re busy dealing with the recent threats she received.”

“I saw on the news that someone threw a rock through her window,” Tony said. “She’s really ruffled some feathers.”

“I still can’t believe the police closed the kidnapping case.” I sat on the bed, partly listening to Tony and partly listening to Haley walking around her room. “I called the lead detective and he said they couldn’t get any CCTV images of the van or any leads from the witnesses. Can you fucking believe it? Her mother is a senator and they couldn’t be bothered to keep digging.” My hand tightened around the phone. “We need toget involved. Someone out there wants to hurt Haley, and the threats are escalating.”

“It’s not our job,” Tony said. “Our job is protection. We have to leave the investigating to the authorities. You can’t protect her effectively if you’re distracted.”

“If someone actually investigated the crime and caught the guy then she wouldn’t need protection,” I spat out. “We need to do something.”

“I think you’re getting too involved.”

“Seriously?” I was still reeling from the fact that Tony wasn’t as incensed as I was about the lack of follow-up on the attempted kidnapping.

“I’m very serious. You’ve been there for almost two weeks without a break. I think you need to take a few days and get some perspective.”

“There’s no way.” I pushed off the bed and paced the length of my bedroom. “She’s just been threatened, and you want me to leave?”

“I want you to clear your head,” he said. “I’ll ask Jordan to send Maverick over. Take the weekend or however long you need to get focused on why you’re there and what you need to do. I had reservations about letting you guard someone you had a history with, Ace. Don’t even think about telling me you won’t leave, or I’ll pull you out for good.”

Maverick arrived an hour later with a duffel bag in one hand and a hotel keycard in the other. “Sorry, bro. I know this wasn’t your idea. Tony set you up with a hotel room, so you’d have a place to sleep. Take all the time you need.”

“I don’t need time. I need answers.” I took the card from him and went back upstairs to knock on Haley’s door. She’d gone to take a nap after we got in, and although I’d sent her a message and knocked gently a few times over the last few hours, she hadn’t responded. When she didn’t answer, I sent her another message letting her know what was going on and went back downstairs to brief Mav.

Chad and Theo walked into the kitchen just as I finished showing Mav the security system. “We’re heading to the gym,” Chad said. “Are you interested in working out? Theo’s good for company but not so good for spotting. He can barely lift a bag of Doritos.”

“Fuck you.” Theo gave him a playful slap on the head.

I’d been using the gym equipment in the basement to keep up my fitness, and the idea of doing a workout in a real gym and blowing off some steam held serious appeal. I made sure Mav had all the information he needed, sent a last text to Haley, and then forced myself to leave the house with Chad and Theo to start my mandatory break.

“I heard what happened to Haley during her show,” Chad said later while I was spotting him on the chest press.

“How the hell did you hear that?”

“You told Dante. He told Skye. She told Isla. She told Nick. He told me. It’s the station, bro. There are no secrets. When Dante and Skye got together, they thought no one knew, but we all did. We just kept quiet about it until they’d worked out all their issues. Same as you and Haley.” He pushed the weight up, holding it for a few seconds before lowering it again.

“There is nothing between me and Haley.”

---