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She frowned. “The bodyguard?”
“Yes.”
The thought of being in a hotel room alone wasn’t comforting. I thought back to the way Jake steadied my arm when I needed someone to help me up the steps. While I’d never seen Jake’s home, I imagined it would be more comfortable than a hotel room. Besides, I wanted to be as far away from other people as possible tonight.
“Do you think that’s a good idea, Nikole? What sort of message would that send living with a strange man?”
“Message? Message to whom? Your constituents? The papers? I don’t care what they think, only you do. And I think it will be the safest place for me right now.”
She crossed her arms. “Fine. But try to keep it as low profile as possible.”
I rolled my eyes. “I wasn’t planning to shout it from the rooftop.”
Realizing I wouldn’t get any other information from my mother, I pushed back from the dining room table and opened the door for Will and Jake. “We’re done. You can come in now. Thanks for waiting outside.”
Will walked through, but Jake stopped and stood in front of me. He tilted his head. “Is everything all right?”
I licked my lips and glued on a smile. “Everything’s fine.”
He watched me for a few seconds, and then said, “All right. We should go so you can get some rest.”
“Thank you,” I said, then turned to my mother and Will. “I’ll see you both later.”
I turned and walked out the door and into the hallway. I wasn’t naïve; I understood there were confidential meetings between government personnel. I guess I’d always imagined that if it would ever come down to it, she would choose me.
“I have your laptop and some clothes for a few days,” said Jake when he joined me in the elevator. “Do you need anything else?”
“No, that should be fine,” I said, looking straight ahead, still consumed in my thoughts. “Oh, and I won’t be going to the hotel.”
He sighed. “Nikole, it won’t be safe at your place.”
“I know. That’s why I’ve decided to stay with you at your place.”
His head snapped in my direction. “What? You’re coming home with me?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
He swallowed loudly next to me and crossed his arms. “No. No problem at all.”
14
Nikole
Jake didn’t say anything in the truck. He stared straight ahead into the dark November night with one hand at the top of the steering wheel while the other, bent at the elbow against the window, supported his head.
His frown worried me. I was rethinking this plan. He was the one who first offered his place and now his uneasiness was rubbing off on me.
“Is something wrong?” I asked when I noticed he was driving way below the speed limit.
“Besides the fact that there’s someone out there wanting to hurt you, nothing.”
Was he worried about me? Was that it? I wanted to believe that, but my insecurity whispered in my ear that it was something else.
Jake had driven only a block or two when he put his signal on and slowed down in front of a building. I hadn’t thought about where he lived, but now I realized it wasn’t very far from my mother’s Park Avenue suite.
Of course. Why was I even surprised?
A yacht and an apartment on Park Avenue. Who was this guy? James Bond?
