Page 54 of Jase

“That would be great. My guest is Kody Marshall. I want her to have access to everything, but I need more than that. Our privacy is crucial.”

“Why does that…The girl from the news?”

My lips tightened. “I need to be informed if anyone inquires about her. Her safety and wellbeing are my top priority. Do you understand?”

“Absolutely, Mr. Colter. We take security very serious here. You can rest assured no mention of her name will leave anyone on our staff. That, I promise you. I will not only alert them, but I’ll note the account with the privacy requirement as well in case anyone calls the main desk.

“That would be great, thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, Sir. Is that all?”

“Yes. For now.”

I hung up just as Kody appeared from the hall. The phone slowly left my ear, and I was not prepared for just how breathtaking she’d be. Those curves were going to kill me one way or another.

“Look at you.”

“Do you like it?”

“Like?” My hand came to my chest and she laughed, blushing as she shyly looked down. “You look gorgeous.More than gorgeous.That color is perfect on you.”

“I like it. Thank you. You didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to. Come eat. We need to talk.”

At the change in my tone, Kody sobered from any happiness she’d felt only seconds before. She nodded, following me to sit at the table. She didn’t bother touching her food, even though I gestured for her to do so.

“You’ve changed your mind.”

“I didn’t.” That look. That disappointment. “I didn’t,” I reassured. “What I want to talk about is more about you. About what you’re getting yourself into with me, and I’m not referring to the men David was connected with. Any time we leave together, there’s always a chance of us being noticed. I’ve given the staff downstairs strict rules and I think we’re safe today, but from experience, I know it’s only a matter of time. At some point, whether that’s a week or a year, the world will know you’re here. Kody, nothing I can do will stop that. You have to be prepared.”

“I don’t understand.”

I grabbed my fork, angrily cutting into my pancakes at the mere thought of where this could go. “There will be stories. Most of which are not true. The media will speculate on what’s happening between the two of us. Some may paint the situation in a good light. Others may be downright cruel towards us. I can try to stop as many false stories as I can, but I won’t be able to stop them all. What I’m trying to say is, the media world doesn’t see me as a good man. There’s a chance this could get bad. You have to know that.”

“I don’t see what they could say, but I really don’t care. I know the truth. I’m more worried about the cops. Of what—”

At my head shaking, she pressed her lips together.

“Nothing happened. I saw you on the news. Given my past, your story affected me. When you were rescued, I contacted the hospital, got you set up in VIP, and I sent you flowers.”

“That was you? You’re the reason I was in VIP? I was told—of course they wouldn’t tell me the truth.” She frowned. “You sent me flowers?”

“A lot of people did. I was one of them. If you recall, I even called you. Given your situation, I asked if you’d meet me so we could talk about security, and you said yes. We set that up. While you were at your therapist’s, I got an alert someone broke in. You’ve been here ever since.”

“Wow.” Her mouth closed, the hesitation for me building. “Did you plan all of that? This?”

“Not really. Maybe a little. Not like how you think.”

Kody picked up her fork, pursing her lips as she cut into her food. “That’s quite the answer.”

“It’s complicated. I always try to cover all bases. I didn’t expect any of this to happen. I thought David dying was the end. I meant to look out for you. Keep you safe. I was doing that until—” I took another bite. “It works. That’s what matters. It’ll be believable enough to eliminate me.”

“And if it doesn’t? What if they see through the story?”

My eyes met Kody’s as I took in her questions.

“Authorities aren’t going to grill a victim. They wouldn’t traumatize you more by putting you through that. So long as your story stays the same as mine, your word is law. My life will literally be in your hands. What you decide to do with it is on you. I’m okay with whatever you choose.”