Page 38 of The Rebel Billionaire

"Because it would be all over the news in about five seconds," she said. "I'm not doing that. I'm not going to be their bug under a microscope. Nothing happened. I'm fine. I'm getting a security system tomorrow, and everything will be allright."

"You're deluded," I said, facing her down. "For one thing, if itisthis guy who threatened you, he'll come back for more. You need to establish a pattern of attacks at the beginning so you can press charges and we can make it stick when we catchtheguy."

"No."

She wouldn't meet my eyes. Probably because I was glaring at her and she knew I wasright.

"What if I can promise you it won't get out?" Iasked.

"You can't promise me that, Lucas," she said, soundingexhausted.

Charlie was being obstinate, but she wasn't wrong. At least not about the press. If we called 911, the press would be all over her and the attention would berelentless.

She might be pretending she was a normal girl with a normal life, but she wasn't. She was Charlotte Winters, the crown princess of theWintersclan.

Her departure from Winters Inc. hadn't hit the news yet, but it would,eventually.

Even sooner if the attackgotout.

It was too juicy a story, and we both knew the media would gnaw on it forweeks.

She wouldn't be able to walk down thestreet.

She wouldn't be able to leave herhouse.

She'd have to move home, a prisoner in Winters House, until the attentiondieddown.

"I promise you it'll be quiet. Will youtrustme?"

"Are you going to call my brother? Or one of the Sinclairs?" she asked, not trying to hide the hope in hervoice.

"No. I'm going to call a detective I've worked with on another case. He can keep his mouth shut, and he'll take your statement and get the attack on record, but do it under theradar."

"And he won't call mybrother?"

Charlie stared me down, raising an eyebrow. I might've thought she was being paranoid, but I knew how these thingsworked.

Aiden Winters had his finger on the pulse of Atlanta, at almost every level. There was no cop in town who would process a police report involving Charlotte Winters and not callAiden.

Except, possibly, Detective RyanBrennan.

"Brennan won't rat you out," I promised, "but we'll have to tell Sinclair Security before they put in yoursystem."

Charlie opened her mouth to speak, but I raised a finger and pointed it at her face. Her eyes narrowed. Ididn'tcare.

I was done arguingaboutthis.

"Charlie, they have to know what kind of threat you're under so they can design the system to handle it. I know why you want to hide this from the press, but you can't hide this from your security team. It's idiotic. Do you have any idea what could've happened to you if I hadn't been sitting in my driveway when you gotjumped?"

Charlotte's eyes went dark and shelookedaway.

Shit.

I didn't want her to start shaking again. I needed to get some food in her, and maybe a beer, before Brennanshowedup.

Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I flipped it open and dialed. Brennan answered on thesecondring.

"Jackson. Whatisit?"