Page 9 of The Keeper

“Most men are when their ex tries to kill them.”

“I really don’t think that was her goal. In any event, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself…”

“Said every man who got himself murdered by someone that was stalking him. The fact is, you’ve been out too long,” said Fitz. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re a civilian.”

“I could keep up with any of your people.”

“Could you? Then how did you let her escalate? You’ve reported none of the things she’s done to the police—I checked. And with you knowing she escalated, how did she manage to get past your alarm system, start a fire, and hit you over the head?”

“I wasn’t expecting—”

“Exactly,” said Fitz interrupting. “That’s my point. You need someone to watch your back and make sure you keep breathing until we catch her. I noticed the additional security in the building’s foyer, not to mention the men stationed in your lobby and right outside your office. Hell, Damon, you didn’t even tell the cops so they could put an APB out on her. The girl is seriously deranged. She needs to be stopped.” Fitz raised his hand and waved off Damon’s objections before he had a chance to voice them. “If not to keep yourself safe, then what about other people? What if she decides to use a bomb at your club, under your car, here at your office building? There will be collateral damage. The crazier and more violent she gets, the more you put other people at risk.”

Damon sat back, shaking his head. “I guess that’s why I texted you. You are, of course, right. Damn it, Fitz. Why didn’t I see it?”

“Because the girl is a pathological liar, and she made you believe she was the girl of your dreams. But that’s all water under the bridge. What we need to do now is keep you safe and find her.”

“And then what? Even if the cops arrest her and she goes to trial, her father will make sure she never sees the inside of a prison.”

“I’ve thought a lot about that, and basically, I see two ways to handle it. The first is to go to Franco Acosta and explain that if he doesn’t stop her, Cerberus will.”

“So, your best idea is to start a war with a mafia boss?”

“We’d win. Trust me on that, but it would be bloody and there would be a real risk of collateral damage. The second is to find her, hand her over to the feds, and let them turn her against daddy dearest.”

“He’d kill her.”

“Which would solve the problem.”

“Why not just kill her yourself?”

“Oh, I thought of that option, I just didn’t think it would fly with you.”

Damon looked up, shocked that Fitz would suggest such a thing. Damon didn’t doubt he could do it or that Cerberus could pull it off, but as thorough as Fitz was, he wasn’t a stone-cold killer.

“It wasn’t my first choice, but she won’t stop until someone stops her. So, if my choices are a bullet to her brain or allowing her to kill other people, including a good friend, I choose putting her down. Going to Acosta probably won’t help. I doubt he’d let you walk away with your life. No; I think our best bet is to turn her over to the feds.”

“I don’t want the cops involved.”

“Nor do I,” agreed Fitz. “I want to put you in protective custody while we find her and turn her in.”

“I’m not hiding from that crazy bitch,” snarled Damon, surprised at his own vehemence. He supposed he’d been tamping it down and ignoring it for a while.

Fitz chuckled. “I rather thought that would be your response. Besides, once she knows someone is hunting her, she’ll go into hiding only to pop back up when we least expect it. No, it’ll be easier and faster if we have you to use for bait.”

“Shouldn’t we worry about collateral damage?”

“No, we can mitigate that, but I need to be able to ensure your safety, and the only way I can do that is if you have a bodyguard.”

“Not happening. I’m not walking around like some helpless soul. I’ll take to carrying my own gun.”

“Again, you’re no longer used to having to do that. Your reflexes and senses aren’t as sharp as they were when you were in the military. You need a bodyguard until we catch your crazy ex, and I’ve got just the girl for the job—although if you tell her I called her a girl, she’s likely to serve me up in pieces to my wife.”

Damon smiled. He liked Fitz’s wife. JJ was a hoot and didn’t take any shit off her husband. “Wouldn’t JJ object to that?”

“Only until Miley told JJ I’d called Miley a ‘girl.’ They seem to object to that kind of thing. Then JJ would be perfectly fine with it and go back to being the holy terror she was before I got a collar and ring on her.”

“I don’t want a woman. For one thing, I wouldn’t want her taking a bullet for me, and for another it might provoke Frannie in a way we aren’t anticipating.”

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