Page 34 of Jonas

“We didn’t?”

I saw the muscle in his cheek jump. Clearly he was unhappy with my two-word response.

“No one’s going to try to kidnap me or Kira off the Delcon campus. There are over two hundred employees rotating through the building. There is never not a time someone isn’t around.”

“Someone managed to turn off the security cameras outside this very afternoon,” he reminded me. “You don’t think that same person or group of people can’t do it inside the building? From what Kira said, the cameras are independent quadrants. The whole system doesn’t have to be taken offline—just a section and you’d be vulnerable and so would Kira.”

Right, Kira.

“Maybe she should postpone her interview. She could call Janis and tell her she’s sick, or better yet arrange for a Zoom meeting.”

More clenching of the jaw before he said, “That doesn’t keep you out of harm’s way.”

It took me a moment to recover from the bitterness in his tone. I didn’t have to think to know no one had ever cared if I was in danger or not. I couldn’t say I hated someone caring, even if that concern was coming from a stranger. But I had a job to do, the same as he did.

“I’m always careful,” I told him. “But if it’ll make you feel better, I promise to be double extra careful.”

“Double extra?”

“Okay, maybe triple and I promise not to leave my desk without carrying my phone.”

“I’ll take the triple, the phone, and raise you to sending me a text every time you leave your desk.”

How did this become a negotiation?

I didn’t hate that either, Jonas wanting to bargain for my safety. Actually, it felt pretty good.

“Deal.”

The clenching stopped but attentiveness to our surroundings didn’t. I should’ve been watching my side mirror or at least scanning the cars around us, but my fascination with Jonas’s strong jawline, the beard, and his corded neck meant I couldn’t look away. Once again, I trusted him to look out for us. And I had to admit, it was nice not having to be hypervigilant, even if it was for a twenty-minute drive.

I couldn’t stop my mind from drifting back to the way Jonas had taken care of me, cleaning the residue of CS gas from my face, helping me into the back of the Escalade, and allowing me to lean my head on his shoulder while I kept my eyes closed on the drive to the safehouse. The way he stared at me when I’d come out of the bathroom. But that last part had to be wishful thinking—a delusion.

“We’ll have to send someone to your apartment to pack up your clothes,” Jonas cut through my thoughts.

“We could⁠—”

“I already let you talk me into going to talk to Barnes. But there’s no chance in hell I’m taking you back to your apartment. Cash will go,” he declared.

“Why Cash?” I asked, not because I cared but because of the way he’d said it.

“He’ll have the best chance getting by Barbie Brenda.”

Barbie Brenda.

That was funny; the woman did look like a Barbie—plastic and fake with not a hair out of place and painted-on makeup like she was ready for a photoshoot instead of a shift behind the desk of a luxury apartment building.

“I think she’s hoping to snag herself a rich guy working there.”

“She won’t. Men aren’t stupid. She might be hot, but no man will invite her up to his apartment knowing all he’s after is a piece of ass and court the headache of walking by her every day after he scrapes her off.”

“So what you’re saying is Brenda’s not a keeper.”

Jonas glanced over at me before he went back to the road in front of him.

“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this.”

Now I really wanted to talk about this—whatever this was.