Page 10 of Auctioned Innocence
“Already on it.” I’m moving before Marco finishes, taking the stairs two at a time.
I tell myself I’m just doing my job.
Protecting my best friend’s sister.
Nothing more.
But when I spot Sofia through her bedroom window, silhouetted against the glass like a goddamn invitation, my chest tightens with something that feels a lot like fear.
Not for myself, but for her.
For what I might do if anyone ever touched her.
For the lengths I would go to keep her safe, lengths that would terrify even Marco if he knew.
I pull out my phone again, fingers hovering over the keys.
I type and delete three different messages before settling on:Stay away from the windows tonight.
Her reply comes seconds later:Why? What’s wrong?
Just do it, principessa.
Three dots appear as she types.
Disappear.
Appear again.
Finally:Fine. But I still hate when you call me that.
I allow myself the smallest smile.
She has no idea how much the name fits—royalty in her bearing, in her intelligence, in the way she commands a room even at twenty-two.
In the way she rules my thoughts without even trying.
I slide my phone away.
Get back to work.
Focus on the perimeter, on entry points, on potential threats I can see and fight.
Not on the threat to my sanity that comes from wanting what I can never have.
“Find anything?” Marco asks when I return to the study, his focus still on the security footage.
“Clear for now,” I report, all efficiency. “But I don’t like it. The timing’s too convenient—same night as your dinner party when security’s spread thin managing guests.”
“Reconnaissance, you think?”
“Probably. Getting the lay of the land for something bigger.” I hesitate, then add what we’re both thinking. “Or looking for easy targets.”
Marco’s mouth compresses in a thin line. “Sofia.”
“I’ve got men watching her window,” I assure him. “And I told her to stay away from it. She’s safe.”
“Youtoldher?” His eyebrows raise slightly. “Since when does my sister listen to you?”
