Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
A brow rose over Taggart’s blue eyes. “Why? I don’t have an employee named Matt. I had one. He fucked up and could have gotten the client killed. Then his ass argued with me and he said a couple of things I didn’t like, and poof, he’s gone. It’s one of the true joys of being in charge.”
“I can bet what he said. I know that I’m seeing West, but…”
“That doesn’t mean you hit on Matt,” Taggart agreed. “It doesn’t mean you flirt with everyone. I’m starting to figure you out, Allyson. At first, I thought you were a typical brat princess, but then my daughter bought a dress for spring formal that does not involve black or leather.”
That made her smile. She’d thought a lot about the young woman lately. “Good for Kala.”
“I’m pretty sure she did that because someone took the time to tell her she didn’t have to wear a costume to be herself.”
“I think she’ll probably be back in combat boots come Monday, but it’s good for her to understand she can be whoever she wants to be. She can be goth girl one day and wear a princess dress the next. She doesn’t have to wear her armor all the time. It’s freeing when you realize the armor is your bones and skin and soul and it’s always with you when you need it.”
“You remind me very much of her. I thank you for being kind to her,” Taggart said.
“Of course.” She took in a deep breath. “You know the world would be a way better place if we felt like being kind was like the norm.”
“It would,” he agreed. “Now because I like you, I’m going to have a dad talk with you. I know you have a stepfather, but he appears to be a ‘protect the women’ kind of dad.”
“You don’t protect the women?”
“Absolutely, but the first protection is learning to protect yourself. If anything like what happened with Matt happens again, you are to call me. You are to lock yourself in somewhere safe and wait for a guard who is interested in keeping his or her job to show up.”
She knew what came next. “I promise I also won’t open any packages. I will allow West to take the fake blood next time.”
He stared at her for a moment. “I’m worried you’re not taking this as seriously as you should.”
She thought she was taking things pretty seriously. She hadn’t been back to her own home in weeks. “What else should I be doing? I’ve got a guard on me twenty-four seven. I promise I’ll follow all the protocols. If this is about the hike…”
“It’s not,” he countered. “You were with West, and you can’t be cooped up inside all the time. As long as you have West or Tessa with you, it’s fine. This is about something else, something I want you to think about. It’s honestly about instincts and about the fact that you remind me so much of my daughter. She powers her way through things and ignores her instincts. I worry she can’t hear them because she’s so busy giving the world her middle finger. That part she gets from me.”
“I’m not afraid of JK Harris if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“That is exactly what I’m worried about and why we’re having this talk,” Taggart said. “I want you to be afraid of him. Have you ever heard the phrase fear is a gift?”
“I thought military people weren’t ever supposed to be afraid.”
He chuckled, but it was easy to see he was serious about whatever he was going to say next. “That’s complete bullshit, and I hope Hollywood isn’t getting that message out. I want you to be careful, but beyond that, I want you to listen to your fear. The kind of fear I’m talking about isn’t something to be overcome. It’s something to listen to, to give in to. Don’t mistake it for panic. Panic is the real enemy, but fear can save you. Fear is the instinct that someone is watching. If you feel that, do not ignore it. Don’t shrug it off as paranoia. Accept it and find safety. The problem with fear is if we’re right about it, most of the time, we have nothing to show for being correct. That’s why people will tell you you overreacted. Fuck ’em. They don’t know what you felt or what could have happened.”
A chill went through her. “You think he really wants to hurt me.”
“I think he already has,” Taggart replied. “I also think there’s something more happening here. He escalated from screaming at you and trolling you online to invading your home and sending you pranks that could have genuinely hurt you. He’s putting more on the line now. If we’re right about who this is. That is what Eve is trying to figure out.”