Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
“I’m not about to stand here and praise you for an hour,” Akara says. “What you did was shit, but you’re far from incompetent. Alpha and Epsilon see you as a loose canon. The rest of us on Omega, we know you as a good friend.”
I rub my jaw and nod more than a few times. “Thank you.”
Donnelly holds out a hand to Oscar. “We got a thank you. Pay up.”
“Fuck you, Farrow,” Oscar says. “Now I owe Donnelly fifty bucks because of your gratitude.”
“Told you not to take that bet, bro,” Quinn says.
I almost smile, but I remember that Akara is only one vote out of three as far as transfers and firing goes. He had to convince either Thatcher or Price to let me stay on the security team and in Omega. He never said he was able to.
Maximoff stays on track. “So what’s his fate?” he asks the Omega lead. “Is he being transferred or fired?”
“Price was a firm fire you. I’m around him a lot. He’s been Daisy Calloway’s bodyguard since he was in his twenties, and he just sees what you did as a violation of the parents’ trust.”
I sink back against the counter. “Fuck,” I mutter.
Maximoff grabs his phone off the counter. “I’ll talk to Thatcher and Price.” He’s supposed to stay out of the decision. That was his dad’s stipulation. Let security decide my fate. No one in the family tries to sway or influence the team.
“You don’t need to,” Akara says with the start of a smile.
I shake my head in disbelief. “Thatcher would never vote to let me keep my job.”
“There’s one giant punishment and warning,” Akara says, “but Thatcher agreed with me that you should stay on Omega and remain Maximoff’s bodyguard.”
Remain Maximoff’s bodyguard.
The three words ring in my ears until we’re both turning towards each other, and Maximoff’s arms wrap around my shoulders, mine hook around his. All warmth and muscle, his pulse beats hard against my chest.
Remain Maximoff’s bodyguard.
We break apart about the same time Oscar says, “Yeah, still in shock.”
Donnelly hones in on Maximoff. “You wearing Farrow’s pants or what?”
“Jesus Christ,” he groans.
“You’re wearing Jesus Christ’s pants?”
Everyone laughs, but Akara is the first to speak as the humor fades. “Did you hear the part where I said there’s a punishment and a warning?”
“I heard,” I say. “And I’m still not sure why Thatcher would vote to keep me around either.”
Akara combs a hand through his black hair. “I reminded him that you just value the privacy of your client over sharing with the team, and that, in reality, you’re protecting your client in those situations. Moffy is an adult and if he told you to keep a secret, then you should’ve kept a secret. After a while, Thatcher acknowledged that—whereas Price wouldn’t.”
Damn.
“Am I going to need to send him a bottle of wine?” What does Thatcher even like?
“No,” Oscar says and nears just to steal a piece of bacon off the pan. “Listen to this next part.”
Maximoff passes his phone to his other hand. “What?” he asks Akara who now looks at him. “It’s about me?”
I straighten off the counter. “What’s happening?”
“Thatcher’s going to be double-assigned to Maximoff and Jane’s detail too.”
I rake both of my hands through my hair, blown back into the counter. Shit.
“That sounds unnecessary,” Maximoff says, “and my brother needs Thatcher. That’s his bodyguard.”
“Xander still has Banks as his 24/7 security, and after the rumor, Jane is going to need two bodyguards.”
Maximoff nods in agreement.
“Hey, I want be clear here,” Akara says, “this is your punishment. Thatcher thinks you’ll both be less careful about hiding your relationship publicly now that you can be together privately in front of family and security. He only agreed to Farrow being Maximoff’s bodyguard if he could join and make sure you’re not fucking up.”
I roll my eyes. “He wants to be my chaperone?”
“Basically, but for good reason.”
My brows spike. “You agree?”
“This is your warning. If the media and public finds out that Maximoff is dating a bodyguard, it doesn’t just hurt you two.”
Maximoff frowns. “What do you mean?”
“What do you think your fans will do if they see that a bodyguard can date one of your cousins or siblings?”
Shit.
Realization washes over Maximoff too. “They’ll speculate which bodyguards will be next.”
“They’ll pair us off,” Akara nods. It’s not a far stretch when there are Tumblr sites dedicated to their love lives, making predictions about future relationships and marriages. “And they’ll be looking at which bodyguards are single and ‘of age’ and Omega is the youngest team.”
“You left out attractive,” I say.
“Farrow—”
“I know.” It’s serious. “None of us can become famous.” Or else we can’t protect our clients. It’s an age-old rule that has no loophole like the one I broke.
Maximoff puts a hand on the back of his neck. “So if anyone finds out publicly that I’m dating my bodyguard, it could put the whole team at risk. You’d all lose your jobs and be replaced by older, married security.”