Her Billionaire Bodyguard Bridegroom (17 page)

“You may not want to hear it, but you need to. I’m a covert bodyguard, Brianna. Your father enlisted the agency I work for to provide protection for you after he received threats against your life.”

Incredulity rolled off her in waves. “You’re a bodyguard? How can that be? You’re an editor. Your name is on the masthead of every issue of
Intrepid
Explorations
. We’re planning a conference for your staff.”

“I’ll explain the hows and whys later. Right now, we have to move.”

“Where to? There’s no way out.”

He nodded toward the cliff. “There is if we go down.”

What little color remained in her face drained away. “You can’t be serious.”

“It’ll be a piece of cake. Removing the para-cord bracelet he was wearing, he unwound it and secured one end of the rope to a nearby tree trunk. Pulling off his T-shirt, he ripped it in half and wrapped the cloth around his hands. “I’m going to rappel us out of here. All you have to do is grab my waist and hold on. I’ll do the rest.”

She hazarded a glance over the cliff. He could tell from her expression she was prepared to argue the sanity of his plan, but just then another spray of bullets stemmed whatever protest had been on the tip of her tongue.

“I guess we’re taking the plunge.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he assured her. “Hang on tight, and don’t look down. You’ll be fine.”

Despite his reassurances, she trembled like a leaf whipped around in a gale as he hastily rappelled them to the base of the cliff. He wrapped his arms more tightly around her, hating the tremors of fear that racked her body. He despised the lie that had been crucial to her safety even more, for its exposure had dealt a blow to her heart. The burn from the rope that tore into his hands, despite the protection of his T-shirt, was nothing compared to the pain that seared through him at her instant withdrawal.

Once their feet hit solid ground, he took her hand and led her into the dense cover of the forest.

“Are you sure we’re headed in the right direction?”

“Yes. We’re not going back to camp. That’s what the shooter will be expecting us to do. We’ll double back to where I left the Land Rover. I sent an SOS to my agency when we came under fire. They’ve had an operative stationed nearby in case I needed reinforcements. He’ll connect with us there.”

She came to a perplexed halt, her forehead creasing in confusion. “This keeps getting stranger and stranger. You’re editor-in-chief of
Intrepid
magazine, but—what?—you moonlight as some kind of James Bond on the side? And you said there were threats against me. How could there be? I don’t have any enemies.”

“No, but your father does. That’s why he hired the agency I work for to keep you safe. I’m not a spy. I’m a covert protection agent. My job at
Intrepid
is a cover for my work with Sentinels. We provide bodyguard services in situations that mandate clients not be aware they’re being watched over.”

He could see the wheels spinning as she digested the info. But it was the hurt she couldn’t mask that gutted him.

“If what you say is true and my father has enemies, I still don’t get why they’d be threatening
me
. I haven’t even met him yet.”

“The man behind the threats is using you as leverage to force your father to do his bidding. He’s banking on your father doing everything he can to keep you out of harm’s way.”

“This is insane! How does this man even know about me?”

“I understand how you must feel right now, and I get that this is difficult to comprehend, but you have to believe me. I’m telling you the truth. Lawrence Mendacci, the man behind these attacks, is highly connected. Mendacci is a suspected mob boss, and he’s extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, the authorities haven’t been able to gather enough evidence to build a case against him, and he’s eluded conviction.”

“Why didn’t my father tell me about this?”

“He didn’t want to alarm you.”

“A bomb exploded in my hotel room. Someone tried to turn me into a human shish kebab. I think it’s a bit late to worry about that. What did my father do to wind up on this guy’s bad side?”

“A couple of years ago, Mendacci offered to pay him for certain design specifications from Dimitriou Enterprises. Philip didn’t see any harm in partnering with him.”

“Things went sour, I’m guessing.”

“That would be an understatement. Mendacci began pressing for highly sensitive plans, and your father told him he wanted out. Mendacci orchestrated a hit-and-run accident to illustrate it wouldn’t be in Philip’s best interests to renege on their deal. One of Philip’s personal security staff, a man who was a close friend of your brother’s, lost his life in the accident.”

“And so my father had no choice but to fall back into line.”

“Yes. And he did, until Mendacci demanded classified plans that could prove disastrous in the wrong hands. Philip pushed back, and that’s when Mendacci—knowing your father wouldn’t give in to him this time even if he threatened his safety—hit him where he was most vulnerable. He threatened to harm you and your brother.”

“Rafe is caught up in this? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. We have an agent guarding him as well. My sister, actually.”

“Your sister is a bodyguard, too? And I thought this couldn’t possibly get any more surreal. So the bomb blast . . .” Brianna queried, trailing off as she realized the enormity of the situation.

“Yes. It was an attempt to get to you.”

“And the purse snatcher?” she ventured, her voice shaky.

Luke shook his head. “We’re not sure yet, but everything points to him being a random thief who thought you were an easy mark.”

“So it wasn’t a coincidence you were there, was it? It’s all starting to make sense now. The way you rushed in to save me after the bombing, how you ran after the guy who grabbed my purse. What
doesn’t
make sense is why you lied to me.”

He started to reply, but the words caught in his throat. He really didn’t have the right to utter a single syllable in his defense. He’d stooped lower than low. He’d slept with her and shared intimacies beyond his wildest imaginations, yet he’d failed to tell her the truth.

No, he didn’t deserve the chance to explain. But he needed to. He desperately wanted to make her understand that, though he had deceived her, he’d only done so to keep her safe. He had to find a way to regain her trust.

“Look, I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be.”

“Angry doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling right now. Try disillusioned, disappointed, and hurt, for starters. How could you deceive me like that? You slept with me! You let me believe you cared.”

“I do care, Brianna. I hated having to keep you in the dark, but your father wanted your protection to be covert.”

“You arranged to have me help you plan the conference so you could insinuate yourself into my life, didn’t you? Was sleeping with me part of your plan, too, or was having me in your bed simply a little diversion to pass the time while you were keeping an eye on me?”

“Making love to you wasn’t a diversion. And it wasn’t something I’d planned,” he refuted passionately. “I didn’t mean to cross the line and get involved with you, but when you insisted you were simply looking for a casual relationship, I couldn’t walk away from what you were offering. I wanted you far too much.”

“Well, I don’t want a bodyguard.”

“You may not want me, but going without protection isn’t an option,” he spit out. “Your father hired Sentinels to ensure your safety. You’re stuck with me.”

“So you’re proposing we continue on like before and pretend that everything is normal?”

“Yes. We work together to pull the conference off, and I continue to keep you safe. The only difference is that now you have the inside track on what’s going on.”

Temper sparked in her eyes again. “I’m not like one of your strays. I don’t need to be rescued. And pretending nothing has changed would mean forgetting you lied to me. I don’t think I can do that.”

“I’m not asking you to. All I’m asking is that you let me do my job. Or, if you’d rather, I can request another agent be assigned to your protection.”

Luke realized he was holding his breath as he waited for her reply. Her response mattered more to him than anything in his life ever had. She’d become inexorably vital to him. She’d gotten under his skin.

“I’ll let you do your job,” she muttered grudgingly.

Relief coursed through him at her reluctant assent, but it ebbed away when she shot him a look that could have frozen molten lava. She didn’t utter another word as they trekked the final half mile to the truck. His coworker was waiting for them.

“Brianna, this is Donovan White,” he introduced.

“I’m sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances.” Blue eyes, brimming with purpose, met hers. “I assure you, you have nothing to worry about. We’re going to get you out of here. The authorities are on their way, and they’ll do a thorough sweep of the area. Hopefully, they’ll locate evidence that will help them to pinpoint the identity of your attacker. In the meantime, I need your phone. The shooter must have used the signal from it to locate you.”

“So what’s our next move?” Luke asked Donovan as Brianna handed her cell phone over to the agent.

“Liz feels your vacation place is still the most secure location to keep a low profile for a while. Obviously the shooter saw you with Brianna, but the odds of him knowing who you are, much less being able to figure that out and then track down where you live, are pretty slim.”

“I agree. Are you okay with that, Brianna?”

She nodded, keeping her focus on his coworker rather than making eye contact with him.

Oh, yeah. I’m in the doghouse. Big time.

“I’ll follow from a discreet distance to be certain you aren’t being tailed,” Donovan told them.

Brianna’s silent treatment stretched on until they were safely back at his estate. She broke it then, but only to utter five words—“I want to be alone”—before she clammed up again.

He nodded his assent, confident his home was an impenetrable fortress. Cameras monitored every nook and cranny, inside and out. He could keep an eye on her via the surveillance equipment in his study, regardless of where she chose to venture on the estate.

“If you need anything, or if you decide you want to talk, I’ll be in the den.”

Hours later, Brianna was still avoiding him. Watching her vent her frustration on the punching bag in his gym, he decided it was time to intervene. It was a good thing she’d chosen an inanimate object to focus her anger on—she was doing her best to beat the bag to a pulp.

She spared him a cursory glance when he walked into the room, then promptly resumed her battle with the bag. Her quick, forceful jabs would have made a prize fighter proud.

“Easy . . .” he soothed, stepping up behind her.

She spun around, then began raining blows against his chest. “How dare you? How dare you lie to me after you made me care about you?”

He endured her frantic pummeling for a moment before gently restraining her arms. “I didn’t have a choice. I had to. I’ve seen what men like Lawrence Mendacci can do. They have no compassion, no restraint, and no qualms about taking innocent lives if it means advancing their causes. I wasn’t about to let you become collateral damage to Mendacci’s scheme. I only lied to you to keep you safe.”

With a frustrated huff, she turned away from him. “How can I believe that? I don’t even know who you really are anymore. You lied to me. So did my father. Right now, I feel like there’s no one I can trust.”

“I promise you can trust me. And you can trust Philip. We kept the truth from you to protect you.”

“It seems to me that my father should have thought about protecting his family

before he got mixed up with the Mafia.”

“He claims he didn’t know Mendacci was connected.”

“And you believe him?”

“If there’s one thing you learn in my business, it’s that everything isn’t black and white. There are gray areas. I think your father got drawn into something he didn’t fully understand. He was greedy, and he got in over his head. I believe he didn’t realize how deeply entangled Mendacci was, or that the deal he made with him would have such serious repercussions.”

“He could have told me what was going on.”

“Yes, he could have. But he didn’t want you to worry. I suspect he also didn’t want you jumping to conclusions about him before he had the opportunity to explain, in person, how he wound up in this mess.”

“I want to meet him.”

“You should. But you can’t visit him alone. It’s not safe. It’s very likely Mendacci has someone keeping an eye on Philip’s estate, hoping you’ll eventually seek out your father. We have an agent posted there, and Philip’s private security staff is on high alert. I’ll take you. We can make the trip first thing in the morning.”

“Okay,” she agreed, a heavy dose of reluctance peppering her reply.

Her continued cold-shoulder treatment wasn’t enough to deter him from extending an olive branch.

“If you’re finished with your workout, why don’t you join me for dinner?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You have to eat sometime. Since you’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future, you might as well make the best of it. I’ll toss a couple of steaks on the grill and we can have a meal together. So what do you say? Truce?”

Brianna couldn’t bring herself to refuse his simple request. He’d broken her heart, yes, but it wasn’t his fault she’d fallen for him.

“Okay. Truce,” she gave in. “And I owe you an apology. I didn’t thank you for saving my life.”

“I’m the one who should be apologizing. I never meant to hurt you, Brianna.”

His words resonated with sincerity, and she really wanted to believe him. But Peter had done a bang-up job of selling his lies, too.

Even as she tried to fuel her anger by telling herself Luke was a carbon copy of her lying, cheating ex, her heart screamed that he wasn’t. Deep down, she knew Luke was different. And though she hadn’t intended for it to happen, he’d managed to lay claim to her heart.

When he looked at her the way he was now, she was certain he had to feel something deeper for her than simple physical attraction. She wanted to nurture the hope he might be beginning to have feelings for her. He’d gone after the man who’d stolen her purse, and he’d placed himself between her and a barrage of bullets, risking his life for her.