Page 6 of Protect Me

“Just in case you had a tail,” he says, reading my mind before I can ask the question in full.“Now here’s how it’s going to go.We get to your place, I go first.You stay behind me.You pack up some clothes and necessities first.Five minutes, and we’re out of there.Put everything in a brown paper bag or bland shopping bag and we’ll check it over at the office.Then we go to the safe at your apartment.We’ll grab your work and get the hell out,” he says, all sexy efficiency, his aviators covering his eyes as he glances my way.

“Yes, boss.”I salute him because I am actually calmed by his list of commands.

He frowns at me, and I shake my head, knowing he thinks I am being glib.“I’m serious.I’m not looking to get myself killed.I’ll listen.”

His shoulders ease down at my admission.“Where’s the safe?”he asks me.

I can’t help the self-satisfied smile that takes hold.“Beneath the shower.It’s waterproof.”I am rather proud of my hiding place.

“Nice,” he acknowledges, and I grin.

“Where are we going that I need clothes?”I ask.

“We’ll figure that out at McKay-Taggart, but obviously you can’t stay here,” he says as he pulls into the parking lot of her co-op.“Ready?”he asks.

I blow out a shallow breath.“As I’ll ever be.Let’s do it.”

He comes around to my side, and I follow him out of the car and into my apartment building.

Chapter Three

Shane

Talia’s apartment hasbeen tossed.Someone is clearly looking for her treatment formula and her information on recreating it.Paintings have been pulled off the walls and even the mattress in her bedroom was removed from the bed as part of the search.

I have to admit I am impressed with her hiding place.I don’t call her my little brainiac for no reason.Now we have the satchel with her disks, flash drive, papers, and notebook, along with one shopping bag of personal necessities.

I want as few things as possible that could potentially be bugged with a tracker.The people after her are clearly determined, and I have no way of knowing whether they planned this in advance, in anticipation of her completion of her work.

We can grab anything else she needs once I determine where we are going.A safe house is one possibility, but I need more details from her first.

I call Ian from the road, and when we arrive at the high-rise building that houses McKay-Taggart, we meet up with my boss in a conference room on the same floor as the main offices.

Ian isn’t alone.Nor is he with any of the MT crew.

“You brought the girls?”I ask, shocked Ian’s twins are sitting at the table, coloring, but I have a hunch the quiet won’t last long.They are Taggarts, after all.Chaos will inevitably follow.

“Oh my God, they’re adorable!”Talia exclaims, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the children.“How old are they?”

“Five.”Ian turns, and I realize he has his infant son strapped to a carrier attached to his chest.And there are throw-up stains on his shoulder.

“Problem?”Ian asks, cocking one eyebrow, daring me to comment.“Because if there is, you should have had your emergency during business hours.”

I raise my hands in a gesture of peace.“No, no problem.”Ian won’t hurt me in front of his girls, but it is prudent to stay on my boss’s good side.

“Charlie’s home sick,” he says of his wife.“Now what’s the emergency, and who’s the client?”

“That would be me.Talia Shaw.”She extends a hand to shake.

Ian shakes his head.“I’m sticky.The girls handed me their lollipops on the way in.”

I hold back a snort of laughter.Nothing relegates big, bad Ian Taggart to the status of normal human being like his family.I almost envy him, but I remind myself I didn’t do marriage all that well the first time.

And as long as I am in this line of business, I won’t be finding a woman who can put up with the hours away from home, not to mention the danger.Amy, my ex, was sweet but fragile, and she couldn’t deal with being married to a cop.Bodyguard is no different.Although I have coworkers who found their significant others despite their choice of careers, I don’t believe it is in the cards for me.

I glance at Talia, taking her in at the same time as Ian, and I know what my boss sees.A petite woman, glasses giving her a smarty-pants air, I think with a grin.She changed into a comfortable pair of body-hugging leggings at her place, a long, off-the-shoulder T-shirt, and a pair of sneakers.

Soft.