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I shrugged. “A minder, bodyguard, babysitter, whatever title you think fits the role best is all good with me.”
Again, Lennox’s gaze drifted off to the world whizzing past outside. “How long do you think I’ll need you for?”
“As long as it takes, I’m here.” I wanted to reassure him that I wasn’t going anywhere. “Right now, we have a lot of work to do to find out more about Natasha and just what it is that she’s up to. Until we do that, we can’t even begin to start anticipating the moves she’s going to make next.”
“How far do you think this will all go? Do you think my life really is in danger?” The fear in his voice was clear, and it pulled at my heart to hear it.
“I think we have no way of knowing until we find out more about her. But I’ll make you this promise now, Lennox, I’m not about to let anything happen to you. That’s just a fact.”
He let out a huge sigh and murmured, “I really hope that’s the case.”
CHAPTER 5
LENNOX
By the time we arrived at the hotel in Birmingham, I was exhausted and then some. Tom took care of everything. He checked us in, he took our bags himself, scoped out everything in the rooms before he let me go in and get settled.
“I have a meeting with the hotel manager and some more members of my security team in about five minutes. I’ll introduce you to them all later. You need to be familiar with the faces that you’re going to be able to trust for a while. You get yourself settled and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Can I order room service?” I wasn’t sure of the rules yet, or what would be deemed as safe.
Tom smiled. “Yes, call and get food. When I get downstairs, I’ll arrange for one of my guys to bring it up to you. His name is Levi, he’s about four inches shorter than you, blonde hair, green eyes, looks totally unassuming, average build. If the person bringing your food doesn’t look like that, don’t open the door. You ask them to leave it outside and you call me. Give me your phone.”
I didn’t hesitate for a second in handing over my phone to him. He was strong and forceful, and there was something about him which made me feel safer than I had done in weeks.
He handed it back to me and held it for a second longer than necessary to ensure he had my attention. “Close the door tight after me and lock it. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I nodded, following him to the door and bolted it behind him. Flopping back down on the bed, I had a browse of the menu to try and decide what it was I wanted, but the layers of tension that had accumulated were hard to ignore. I decided to relax in the bath first.
Sitting on the edge of the tub, I turned the taps on and watched as the water poured into the bath. I grabbed the tiny complimentary bottle of bubble bath from the countertop around the sink and poured it all into the warm water.
I went back into the room to dig through my bag, grabbing some fresh underwear and joggers which I left to the side of the sink. I put my phone onto charge by the bed and went back into the bathroom. Stripping off I turned off the taps, tested the water temperature, and slowly lowered my exhausted frame into the soothing warm bubbles.
My whole being was grateful I was finally getting some much needed rest. After washing my hair and body, I allowed myself to sink back into the bubbles and close my eyes.
I remember nothing else until there was a loud bang and I was vaguely aware of someone calling my name. The door of the bathroom flew open, and Tom bounced around the door. “Lennox?”
My mouth and nose slipped under the water, and I coughed myself back to full consciousness.
“Lennox? Are you okay?”
I nodded, sitting myself up straighter in the tub, rubbing my hands over my face before realising I was still naked and dropping my hands to my lap to cover my modesty.
“Sorry, I must have fallen asleep,” I admitted sheepishly, feeling heat starting to rise in my cheeks.
“I did call but you didn’t answer. I needed to check you were okay,” he explained.
I nodded, swallowing my embarrassment and thinking about my stupidity; I could have easily accidentally drowned myself in the bath, simply by falling asleep. “I’m sorry for panicking you.”
Tom held up his hands in surrender. “No, it’s okay, it’s not surprising you’re exhausted after everything. I’m sorry for bursting in on you. I’ll just be...” His voice trailed off and he gestured back out of the bathroom before leaving and closing the door behind him without another word.
I sighed and drew in another breath, holding it before I allowed myself to immerse completely under the water. Christ, I was a fucking moron. Once I felt my lungs burning with a need for air, I pulled myself back up and wiped the water from my face with my hand.
Dried off and clothed, I shook my head and left the bathroom. Tom was setting out the food that had been delivered. It was pretty much a selection of most items on their small room service menu.
“I assumed you still wouldn’t have eaten anything, so I got them to bring up a bit of everything they did,” he explained. “For what it’s worth, a bath while you’re that exhausted might not be the smartest move. At least not without someone else in the room to keep checking on you.”
My cheeks felt like they were starting to burn all over again. “Sorry, I just wanted to finally relax.”
