couldn’t blend in if you tried.” Connor’s deep rumble made her wonder exactly what he meant by that.
She sat up and found her head surprisingly clear. “It doesn’t matter what either one of you thinks. I’m going home. I have work to do.”
Natalia Kuilikov was going to be a big story—if she could find out what had happened to the woman. Lara had come across a lead but she hadn’t been able to act on it for a few days. She definitely didn’t intendto be locked in her father’s Arlington mansion with a bunch of Secret Service wannabes on her twenty-four seven.
“You’re supposed to rest. And if you don’t think I can force you to come home with me, you’re wrong.” Her dad’s cell phone was right back in his hand, almost a bigger threat than that gun had been.
“Sir, if you force her to go with you, I think she’ll run at the first opportunity. If you want to ruin what seems to be a perfectly fine relationship with your daughter, this is the way to do it,” Connor pointed out.
There was the voice of reason. “Yeah, what he said.”
Her father flushed, his cheeks going red. It was what he did when anyone backed him into a corner. “What the hell am I supposed to do? Someone took a shot at her. I can’t let that go.”
“I’m going to look into it. The cops are already checking all the cameras in a three-block radius. We’ll figure out where he came from and where he’s going. If we can get a plate number, we’ll find this guy. But I think it’s for the best that we keep the incident out of the papers. The last thing Lara needs is a bunch of media attention,” Connor explained.
Her father huffed as though he hadn’t even thought about it. He turned to her. “If they start checking into your background . . .”
Connor finished for him. “They’ll very likely put together enough to out her as an infamous blogger.”
Her father’s jaw dropped. “He knows?”
“Of course I know,” Connor replied simply. “I told you. I’m her security. I need to know everything. And in this case, one bodyguard is likely better than a whole team. No one will question what I’m doing with her. We’ll say I’m her new boyfriend. She can’t hide behind that if she’s got three dudes in suits with communication devices in their ears. I’m easy to explain away, and I have the flexibility to protect her and work with the police to figure out who tried to kill her.”
“Boyfriend?” It made her a little antsy. “Couldn’t we say you’re my cousin or something?”
“No.” No explanation. Just no.
“Or you could be my life coach.”
“No.”
Fine. He didn’t really look like a life coach. Maybe a personal trainer. She started to give him that option.
He simply looked down. “Whatever you’re going to say, the answer is no. Now, if you’re feeling up to it, go and get dressed. I want us gone before the press figures out where we are.”
“I wondered why you took her to this place.” Her father was looking at Connor with something like respect in his eyes. “There were closer hospitals.”
“I think if your office releases a statement that you’re so happy your daughter is safe after today’s seemingly random act of violence, the press will back off. If they scent the truth, they’ll be all over her and it won’t take long for one of them to put the puzzle pieces together. It could certainly open her up to numerous lawsuits, and it could truly harm you politically.”
Her stomach clenched at the thought of hurting her dad. It wasn’t fair that her actions could blow back on him, but at least Connor had given them a viable alternative. “I’ll say nothing beyond how scared I was.” Although it would give her a good platform. “Then I can use it as a call to further protect citizens from guns.”
Connor and her dad both groaned. Almost identically.
Connor ignored her very practical option, preferring to continue talking to her dad. “Have your staff draw up a
She sat up and found her head surprisingly clear. “It doesn’t matter what either one of you thinks. I’m going home. I have work to do.”
Natalia Kuilikov was going to be a big story—if she could find out what had happened to the woman. Lara had come across a lead but she hadn’t been able to act on it for a few days. She definitely didn’t intendto be locked in her father’s Arlington mansion with a bunch of Secret Service wannabes on her twenty-four seven.
“You’re supposed to rest. And if you don’t think I can force you to come home with me, you’re wrong.” Her dad’s cell phone was right back in his hand, almost a bigger threat than that gun had been.
“Sir, if you force her to go with you, I think she’ll run at the first opportunity. If you want to ruin what seems to be a perfectly fine relationship with your daughter, this is the way to do it,” Connor pointed out.
There was the voice of reason. “Yeah, what he said.”
Her father flushed, his cheeks going red. It was what he did when anyone backed him into a corner. “What the hell am I supposed to do? Someone took a shot at her. I can’t let that go.”
“I’m going to look into it. The cops are already checking all the cameras in a three-block radius. We’ll figure out where he came from and where he’s going. If we can get a plate number, we’ll find this guy. But I think it’s for the best that we keep the incident out of the papers. The last thing Lara needs is a bunch of media attention,” Connor explained.
Her father huffed as though he hadn’t even thought about it. He turned to her. “If they start checking into your background . . .”
Connor finished for him. “They’ll very likely put together enough to out her as an infamous blogger.”
Her father’s jaw dropped. “He knows?”
“Of course I know,” Connor replied simply. “I told you. I’m her security. I need to know everything. And in this case, one bodyguard is likely better than a whole team. No one will question what I’m doing with her. We’ll say I’m her new boyfriend. She can’t hide behind that if she’s got three dudes in suits with communication devices in their ears. I’m easy to explain away, and I have the flexibility to protect her and work with the police to figure out who tried to kill her.”
“Boyfriend?” It made her a little antsy. “Couldn’t we say you’re my cousin or something?”
“No.” No explanation. Just no.
“Or you could be my life coach.”
“No.”
Fine. He didn’t really look like a life coach. Maybe a personal trainer. She started to give him that option.
He simply looked down. “Whatever you’re going to say, the answer is no. Now, if you’re feeling up to it, go and get dressed. I want us gone before the press figures out where we are.”
“I wondered why you took her to this place.” Her father was looking at Connor with something like respect in his eyes. “There were closer hospitals.”
“I think if your office releases a statement that you’re so happy your daughter is safe after today’s seemingly random act of violence, the press will back off. If they scent the truth, they’ll be all over her and it won’t take long for one of them to put the puzzle pieces together. It could certainly open her up to numerous lawsuits, and it could truly harm you politically.”
Her stomach clenched at the thought of hurting her dad. It wasn’t fair that her actions could blow back on him, but at least Connor had given them a viable alternative. “I’ll say nothing beyond how scared I was.” Although it would give her a good platform. “Then I can use it as a call to further protect citizens from guns.”
Connor and her dad both groaned. Almost identically.
Connor ignored her very practical option, preferring to continue talking to her dad. “Have your staff draw up a
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