Page 9 of Vain

“All due respect, Miss Carson, you’re famous. People are going to notice you regardless. Might as well plan for that so we’re not caught by surprise.”

His patronizing tone has me gritting my teeth. I know he’s only trying to do his job, but he constantly dismisses everything I say.

I look at Aiden, pleading with him to have another option.

“We’re not going to call the media and announce we’re leaving. Is there a risk she’ll get found out? Of course, but I’m confident I can get her to safety regardless. However, if you want a car to tail us, fine. But stay back so nobody associates your car with the one we’re in. That way, you’re close by if we need you but far enough away that people won’t ask questions.”

“I’m fine with that.”

Daniel looks like he’s sucking a lemon. “You are making it impossible for me to do my job effectively.”

I take a deep breath to stop from losing my cool. “If you’re unhappy with your role here, I’d be more than happy to terminate your contract, effective immediately. Just remember that your NDA remains in place regardless of your employment status.”

Silence falls over the living room. I see a smirk playing at the edges of Aiden’s mouth, but I keep my focus on Daniel until he finally backs down.

“That won’t be necessary,” he replies stiffly before stepping back. “I’ll arrange guards for the second car and brief them on what’s expected of them.”

I nod and watch as he walks away, Matt following after him with an awkward nod to me.

“Ma’am.”

I wait until they’re both gone before blowing out a relieved breath.

“They always like that?”

“Patronizing penis card carriers? Yeah. But if you think this is bad, you should come with me to a garage someday.”

He chuckles. “I don’t even know what to say to that.”

“Say nothing. Your species already aren’t doing you any favors.”

“Aren’t we the same species?” He grins.

“Not even fucking close.”

He full-on laughs at that, making me relax further. I don’t know how someone like him, who, in one minute, looks like he could snap me in half, can also make himself look so unthreatening. Either way, it’s a handy skill to have—boy next door to badass in seconds.

“Alright, now that the MIB has left?—”

It’s my turn to laugh now. “God, they do look like that, don’t they? I never asked them to wear uniforms. I just asked that they blend in.”

“You asked them to blend in, and that’s what they came up with? Do you dine with penguins often?”

I hold my sides as I laugh again at his ridiculousness. “Funnily enough, no.”

He moves his arm in a sweeping gesture toward the seating area, indicating that I should sit. A few of the nerves come back, but I fight them down as I move around him and sit in one of the chairs.

Instead of sitting on the sofa beside me, he sits on the coffee table right in front of me. I’m startled by how close he is, but before I can ask him to move back, he dives in.

“Okay, tell me what I’m dealing with.”

I grip the edge of the cushion as images from that night flash in my head. I remember the pain, the confusion, the screams. The smell is something that is permanently etched into my memory.

I don’t want to remember. I’ve spent years trying to forget and move on, and?—

A hand on my knee snaps me out of my spiraling thoughts. I suck in a shaky breath, first one and then another, as I focus on the man in front of me and his soulful worried eyes.

“You back with me, baby?” he murmurs, leaning closer. My heart thunders wildly, but the memories have no chance of pulling me back under when I’m faced with Aiden’s magnetic force.