Page 116 of Kylie

I smiled up at him. “Archer Halligan, you’re not like most people, you know that?”

“That’s what makes me lovable.”

He was joking, but I had to wonder how much truth there was in that single statement.

Gage

When I got the alert that a vehicle pulled into our driveway, I thought nothing of it. We got the occasional Amazon package or UPS delivery, so it wasn’t unusual.

When I got the alert that a person was on the porch, I didn’t bother to check, figuring it was the aforementioned delivery driver bringing it up to the house. Of course, my first instinct was to snatch up my phone, but I resisted the urge, reminding myself that I wasn’t checking up on Kylie. I’d done so the first few times to find her talking with her sister or her father. It made me feel like I was invading her privacy, and I didn’t like it.

But shrugging it off only lasted so long.

When I got the alert that there was movement in the kitchen, I pulled up the cameras to see what Kylie was up to. I couldn’t help myself. I hated leaving her by herself, but Travis and I agreed that we would give her space. And we were doing that, keeping ourselves busy with work.

Of course, there were people keeping an eye on her thanks to Brantley’s team. Well, more specifically, Sniper 1 Security. Reese’s brother, Z, had sent two people down to be lookouts. They were charged with protecting Kylie at all times, while keeping an eye out for Martin Calloway or one of his goons. It was honestly the only reason I was able to leave her at all. And Travis was the same. But the resort wasn’t going to run itself, and since Kylie hadn’t asked us to stay home, we were doing our best not to hover.

Leaning back in my chair, I tapped the camera that was angled into the kitchen. The moment I saw a man with Kylie, I nearly had a coronary.

With phone in hand, I marched down to Travis’s office. I didn’t bother knocking as I stormed inside.

“What the fuck is Archer Halligan doin’ at the house?”

Travis looked up from his desk, a frown etching a perfect crease in his forehead. “I have no idea. I didn’t know he was there.”

“You didn’t get the notification?” I held up my phone.

My husband leaned back in his chair. That look on his face … it was the one that said I was overreacting. I was well aware of that look; however, I was usually the one giving it to him.

Unable to stand there and let him judge me, I reached forward and grabbed his key from the desk, then pivoted. “I’m goin’ to the house to find out what the fuck is goin’ on.”

“Gage!”

I ignored Travis, stomping down the hall and out into the hotel proper. I made a beeline for the doors and out into the breezy October morning. Before I could get to the SUV, Travis was behind me.

“Hold up, goddammit!”

The irritation in Travis’s tone was the only reason I stopped. And not because it worried me. Oh, no. I was beyond that. I was merely content that he was as irritated as I was. I didn’t care that it was for a different reason.

“I want to know why he’s there.”

“Ever thought maybe you could text her and ask?”

I glared at Travis, grinding my teeth together and breathing through my nose. “You are not allowed to be logical right now.”

“It is kinda weird, huh?” Travis teased, smirking.

He was joking, but it really was strange. My husband was far too rational and level-headed these days. He wasn’t the volcano prepared to erupt at any moment.

“Seriously. If you’re worried about it, text her.”

I took a deep breath and stood there, staring at him. I wanted to argue, but that wasn’t easy when he was being reasonable. Plus, he had a point. What would Kylie think if I showed up to ask why she had a visitor? She was allowed to talk to people. It wasn’t that I was saying she couldn’t. Not at all. But Archer Halligan was the man leading the charge on Brantley’s task force and their efforts to take down Censorious and ultimately Martin Calloway in the process. What if he was sharing information with her? Information that might upset her?

“Come on. Let’s go back in. If you’re still worried about it at lunch, we’ll swing by when we have an excuse to be there.”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “I really don’t like when you’re bein’ so…”

“Gage,” he supplied.