Page 25 of Trapped (Sheppard & Sons Investigations #6)

Ashley

I almost gagged when Gran gushed over Prince plopping down and letting Nathan scratch his belly. She wasn’t even trying to be subtle with her matchmaking.

Nathan’s head snapped up when I said, “He’s an attention whore.” I clarified, “The cat, not you.”

He stood. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” He tilted his head to indicate he wanted to do it away from Gran.

“It’s okay; you don’t have to hide from me,” Gran said.

I agreed. “She knows Finn’s been,” I paused to find the right word, “bothersome.” I’d filled her in on Red Flag Finn’s persistence while they opened the box.

Not bothering with kid-gloves, he nodded and said, “There was a single black rose in the box. We’re looking into Finn, but we’re keeping our minds open to other possibilities.” I could tell he was choosing his words carefully.

“What does that mean?” Gran asked.

I didn’t need to ask. Not after what happened with Emily.

“Ashley, do the black roses mean anything to you? Can you think of anyone else who might want to scare you?”

They didn’t. I couldn’t. I wasn’t perfect, but I was a decent person, and I tried not to hurt people. And other than Finn, no one had ever given me a reason to think they’d want to hurt me.

“Not that I can think of.” No one from my past was unhinged enough to harass me. That you know of.

“If you remember anything, let us know.” He looked down at his phone.

“I know you won’t want to hear this, but we’re not comfortable leaving either of you unattended, so SSI will be providing around the clock coverage—”

“Oh, hell no,” I said. When I stood, the movement sent my pine chair crashing behind me. Prince tore from the room in a black streak.

“Let him finish,” Gran said, as Nathan stood and righted my chair.

“Thank you, Violet.” Nathan held my chair out for me.

“I’ll stand.” If only my eyes could shoot laser beams of death.

“Jamie said SSI won’t charge you.” He put one fear to rest. “I’ll be with you twenty-four-seven.” He confirmed my second fear.

This was way worse than I expected. Nathan would camp out in front of Gran’s house all day, every day. When would he sleep? Eat?

“What about Gran? You can’t leave her alone to follow me.”

“Someone from SSI will be outside anytime we leave.”

“So you’re just going to sit in your truck twenty-four hours a day? What happens if you fall asleep?” I challenged.

“I won’t be outside.” His voice was flat, hard. Like he had the final say in the matter.

I’d swear my eyes opened so wide they almost popped out of my head.

Gran, the traitor, smiled.

Ignoring her, I said, “We don’t have a bed for you.” I crossed my arms and smirked. Let’s see him solve that problem .

“I can sleep on the couch, or on the floor if necessary.”

I dropped my arms. Why hadn’t I thought of that?

“I’ll get you sheets and blankets for the couch. Though it’ll be a bit short for you.”

Ignoring my protests, Nathan said, “Thank you, Violet.”

At the same time, I said, “That won’t be necessary.”

“Ashley, if the guys from SSI think you need protection, you should graciously accept it,” Gran said before asking Nathan. “How concerned should we be?”

“You need to be cautious, but let us do the heavy lifting. We’re here so you can go about your normal business.” Like we could do that knowing we had a full-time bodyguard. “I’ll go over safety protocols when I get back.”

Having clearly lost the battle, I asked with an exaggerated sigh, “Starting when?”

“Starting now. AJ will stay while I run home to pack my bag.”

Maybe I can talk some sense into AJ.

Nathan stood. “I won’t get in your way. You don’t have to entertain or take care of me while I’m here.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t,” I said.

“Don’t be rude,” Gran chastised me. “I assume it’s okay for you to have meals with us?” she asked Nathan.

“It is, but only if you let me help with cooking, cleaning, and buying.”

“That won’t be necessary, dear.”

I rolled my eyes at Gran’s over-the-top sugary-sweet performance.

“I insist” was all he said.

Nathan asked for a piece of paper and wrote down his number. “Call me if you need anything.”

What I needed was for him to leave me alone. I wanted him, but couldn’t have him. Nathan’s presence would be a constant, painful reminder of that reality.

AJ must’ve waited near the door, because he came in as Nathan left.

He walked over and gave Gran a gentle hug. When it was my turn, he said, “Sorry this is happening, but we’ll figure it out.”

“Thanks,” I said, racking my brain for a way to convince him we didn’t need Nathan here.

AJ narrowed his eyes, studying my face. “I know this is disruptive, and you’re already searching for a way out, but there isn’t one.” He crushed my hopes. “We won’t risk your safety.”

“But—”

“No buts. It’s a done deal unless your grandmother kicks us out.” AJ turned to Gran. “Gran?”

“You can stay.”

It wasn’t fair that I didn’t have a say in any of this. Or that they were using my grandmother against me. No matter how well-intended their actions.

“Thank you. We want to install cameras at the front and back doors. Is that okay?”

“What?” I yelled more than asked. “Nathan didn’t mention that.”

“We thought you’d be more reasonable if the request came from me.” AJ’s calm, all-business tone made me more nervous than Nathan’s overly aggressive one. No, aggressive wasn’t the right word. He was matter-of-fact, protective and pushy, but not aggressive.

Finn was aggressive.

“We don’t want a repeat of what happened with Craig.”

Gran gasped. She knew about Emily’s abusive ex, and his actions that led to his death.

“You told her?” he asked.

“I don’t keep secrets from Gran,” I said.

My hand went to my belly, knowing I was keeping the biggest secret of them all.

But only until I saw Dr. Greenfield and confirmed the positive test result.

An internet search said a false positive was less likely than a false negative, but I was hoping and praying, none-the-less.

AJ’s eyes followed my hand.

“When you guys helped Em, you rotated shifts outside the house.”

“And we failed her.”

“But she didn’t have cameras; we will,” I argued.

“Ashley, I know you’re upset, but this is the best way. And it’s happening.” AJ crossed his arms.

“Ashley, I think it’s best if we follow their advice. They wouldn’t suggest this without a good reason,” Gran added.

My resignation escaped with a sigh. “Why does it have to be Nathan?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t play stupid, Ashley. It doesn’t suit you.”

Leave it to AJ to call me out.

“Jamie or Jack could assign him a different job.”

“Why would they do that, dear? It’s clear that boy is crazy about you,” Gran said.

That was the problem. I wanted to give us a second chance but couldn’t. Nathan hovering, being nice and charming while protecting us twenty-four-seven was more than I could handle.

“He volunteered for the job. Well, volunteered isn’t quite the right word.” He winked at Gran. “He pretty much told us he was staying.”

My heart skipped a beat. He told them? I dropped my head in my hands. Nathan was doing all the romantic things I fawned over in romance books, which made resisting him harder with each passing minute.

How will I survive with my heart intact?

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” He rubbed my back.

“No, it’s okay. This is just a lot, you know?”

Prince chose that time to jump onto my lap. Instead of shooing him off, I stroked his silky-soft fur. His loud purr rumbled against my lap.

“He’s a good boy, giving you comfort when you need it,” Gran’s pride showed in her eyes. I wasn’t sure why she was so proud; she didn’t find the cat-he found her. Found us .

“If you want, I’ll talk to Jamie and Jack and see if I can get them to schedule me to share shifts with Nathan,” AJ offered.

“No, I don’t want to cause trouble.” If Nathan was determined to stay, if SSI let him assign himself, and Gran supported their decisions, who was I to argue?

AJ scoffed, not believing me for a nanosecond.

A part of me, the part I wanted to ignore but couldn’t, wanted Nathan here.

“Are you good with Doug installing cameras?” AJ asked.

“Yes, we’ll do whatever you suggest if it’ll keep Ashley safe.”

It’s not just about me . My eyes blurred as tears filled my eyes.

“Okay. I’ll tell Jamie. Anything you want me to add?” His question offered me a chance to change my mind about Nathan.

“No.” I shook my head in defeat. I’d deal with seeing Nathan twenty-four-seven to protect my grandmother. “Gran?”

She shook her head no.

AJ’s knowing grin made his dimples pop.

“He’s a good man,” Gran said after the door slid shut. “I’m happy he’s found someone who makes him happy.”

“Me too.” I smiled. AJ’d had a rough childhood and had sworn off love until Blake wiggled her way into his heart.

“You know who else is handsome and tall?”

Please don’t say it.

“Nathan.” She said it. “He reminds of AJ.”

She wasn’t wrong. “Gran, it’s not gonna happen.”

“Why not? I see how you look at each other.” How could I explain without revealing my secrets?

“I’m not sure what you think you saw, but it’s not what you think.” That would certainly clear things up.

“What kind of nonsense answer is that?”

The only one I had, unless I confessed.

“It’s complicated,” I answered.

“Is it because of the scar?”

“What? No, of course not.” I didn’t care about the scar. I sighed. “It’s because we tried, and he lied to me.”

“Hmmm.” She thought about it. “Because he told you his name was Scott when you met in Vegas?”

I hadn’t made it hard to figure out.

“Yes.”

“And you’ve never given someone a fake name?”

Of course I had, but not someone I wanted to date.

He said he wanted to come clean . But then he never got the chance because his cover was blown.

It didn’t matter. The reason it wouldn’t work was my current secret, not his previous lies.

Not waiting for me to answer, she said, “Well, Prince likes him.” As if hearing his name summoned him, Prince jumped on the table and sauntered over to Gran.

Prince had a lot of pull in Gran’s small ranch home, but he didn’t get a say in my love life. “Gran…”

“Cats have a sixth sense about these things.”

The adorable spawn of Satan meowed his agreement before knocking a spoon off the table.

“Prince and I think Nathan’s a good man. And he’s easy on the eyes.” She turned her attention to the cat. “Plus he gives good scritches, doesn’t he?”

I sighed as I leaned over to pick up the spoon. There was no point in arguing.