Chapter Four

Ally leaned against the big rock they’d been using as an impromptu dining table and let the warmth of the sun kiss her skin. Despite the fact that it was early spring, it was a sunny, warm day here in North Texas. She closed her eyes, letting the weight of the day roll off her.

They’d walked for over an hour before West had found this big boulder and declared it the perfect place to take a break and eat the sandwiches they’d bought at a Starbucks as they’d left Dallas proper. They’d bought sandwiches and waters and some trail mix.

This was what she’d needed. Peace. Calm. Quiet.

Out here with her hair in a ponytail and sunglasses on, no one noticed her. She was simply another girl enjoying the afternoon.

Out here, no one called her a nepo baby and complained about having to share space with a talentless hack like her.

“You want to head back or go a little farther?” West glanced down at his watch. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

“Can we sit for a while? It’s nice here.” They were at the top of the biggest hill for miles around. From this vantage, she could see the rest of the nature preserve and the Dallas skyline in the distance.

“Of course.” West leaned back beside her, his gaze on the blanket of trees below them. “We can stay as long as we like. It’s a little early for snakes, and the biggest predator out here is a coyote or a bobcat. Whichever one of us can run the fastest will live.”

She snorted. “I thought you were supposed to throw your body in front of anything that might come my way.”

“That was human predators,” he corrected. “Some nasty critter comes after you and you’re on your own. You should have checked your contract. I’m a people guard.”

She wished she didn’t like him so much. The kindness he’d shown her today hadn’t lessened the attraction, and she loved his snarky side. Over the last couple of days, they’d found a peaceful coexistence. They hadn’t really talked a lot, but he’d helped her work her puzzle, and he would turn on a basketball game while she studied her lines. It would probably be better to keep it there, but she couldn’t resist the temptation to learn more about him. “I thought you grew up on a ranch.”

His lips curled slightly. He’d changed into his gym clothes and settled a ball cap on his head. He didn’t look like a rancher. He looked like he could model. Or act. The fact that he wanted to do neither was part of his attraction. “That’s how I know to stay away from coyotes and bobcats. But honestly, the snakes freak me out way more. I hate snakes. When I was a kid, we would sometimes camp out, and I mean real camping. No tents. Just my brothers and the stars overhead and a sleeping bag. And one time a snake crawled in with me. I woke up, and there that sucker was, curled up right beside me.”

She shuddered. “I would have died. I’m now very glad my mom wasn’t into camping. I slept on a lot of couches, though. When my sister was working on her TV show, I would sleep on the couch in her dressing room when they worked late. Not a lot of snakes there. Well, not the slithering kind.”

“Were there other kinds?”

“There’s always some asshole who wants to take advantage of a young woman,” she explained. “I learned to lock the door if I was taking a nap.” She was misrepresenting the situation. Or not giving him a full view. Suddenly it seemed important that he didn’t think her mom had been terrible. “It wasn’t all bad. I got to see a whole lot of the world at a young age.”

“And I didn’t see anything outside of rural Southern Texas until I was eighteen,” West admitted.

“Really? Your family didn’t take vacations?”

“You don’t understand ranching families. You see when you run a ranch, the ranch is all that matters. The ranch is the sun, and everyone in the family revolves around it. My father basically worked himself to death. He had a heart attack when I was just a kid. My twin and I were the babies of the family. We were a big surprise to our parents. They thought they were done. They had four boys before us. Clint, Heath, Clay, and Wade, and then ten years later, oops. I don’t have a lot of memories of my father. My oldest brother had been planning on going to college, but when my dad died, he took over the ranch, and we all held on and tried to survive.” West huffed and turned her way. “I’m sorry. This is supposed to be your quiet time, and I’m giving you my life story.”

“The hour-long hike was good enough for me. I’m enjoying the talk. I know we started rough, but we actually have a lot in common.”

“We do?” The question was asked as though he didn’t believe he would like her answer.

But she was totally right about this. “Oh, yes. We both came from similar families. Your family revolved around the ranch. It was how you survived. Mine revolved around my sister’s career. My dad died when I was a baby. My mom was left with a substantial amount of debt. She’d been a model, but she was past her prime in that world and couldn’t get work.”

“So she put her kid to work?”

There was a ton of judgment to that question. “You didn’t work the ranch?”

He stopped, seeming to think the comparison through. “Okay, I can see where that might be similar. I missed school many times because my brother needed help with something. Money was tight, and losing the ranch wasn’t an option. I don’t like to think about everything Clint and Mom did to save the ranch.”

It was good he could make the connections. Too many people only saw her upbringing as privileged, but there had been so much uncertainty. “The only thing my mom had when my dad died was two young children and her connections. It was the only world she knew. When I was younger, I resented her for how much time she spent on Brynn’s career, but I wonder if I wouldn’t have resented her if she’d been a doctor or a lawyer.”

“I resented the hell out of my dad for a long time. I didn’t even know the man.” Though West said the words with an even tone, she thought she could detect a sorrow beneath them. “Every picture I have of him has something to do with work.”

“Is that why you left?”

“I left because my brother needed to get out.” West kept his eyes on the horizon. There was the faintest hint of a five-o’clock shadow breaking over the hard line of his jaw. “Broken Bend is a small town, and it’s stuck in an era where they don’t like their town heroes coming out as bi. Rand was the high school quarterback. He won a couple of championships. We came up here to Dallas for college. By that point, the ranch was profitable because we found natural gas on the property. A lot of it. Otherwise Rand and I would likely be right there fighting to keep a piece of land that sucked the soul out of our dad.”

She kept quiet when he did, not wanting to give him a reason to move on to another subject. She wanted to know about him, the hows and whys about him coming here. If he longed to go back. If he missed someone from his town.

“Anyway,” West continued, “when we were up here in Dallas, that was when my brother finally was able to be honest with himself and me about his sexuality. When we went back home, he thought he could be open about it, but him dating a guy was apparently one step too far. It’s not like they threw shit at him or hassled him physically.”

She knew exactly what they’d done. “Being shunned can be every bit as hurtful. Especially when they do it and when you call them on it, they swear they’re not. Please tell me your family accepted him.”

He nodded. “Yes. Clint is my oldest brother. He’s married with a couple of kids, and they all love their Uncle Rand. But Clint also understood when Rand decided to take a job up here in Dallas. He thought I should stay, though. I told him I had to come with Rand to make sure he was okay, but I wouldn’t have stayed. The only thing there for me was to live my father’s life. So I took my part of the gas money and moved up here. I finished my degree. I thought about going into some kind of law enforcement and then realized that was not for me. Wade then offered for me to go through training to work for McKay-Taggart. They usually only hire ex-military or ex-law enforcement for bodyguard positions.”

“What kind of training did you do?”

He huffed out a laugh. “What kind didn’t I do? I trained on weapons, self-defense, situational awareness. At one point, I was left out in the wilderness, and I had to find my way back. I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t sure that wasn’t some weird hunt thing. I think if I hadn’t made it out, Big Tag might have had my head on his wall.”

She didn’t like the thought of that. “That sounds terrible.”

A hint of a smile hit his face. “It was at the time, but it was also kind of fun. It was challenging, and these are some of the best people I’ve ever met. They come from all walks of life, and they get along because they all have one purpose. They want to do their jobs and have happy lives, and they work for it. There was also a lot of therapy involved. It was part of the training. Rand ended up working at McKay-Taggart’s sister company. They specialize in missing persons. He works on their logistical team. He had therapy, too. And now he’s engaged to a guy I think is perfect for him.”

She loved that story. “I’m happy for him. For them. How about you? Is there a woman in your life? I never even asked if you were married.”

“No. I’ve dated a little since we moved up here, but nothing serious,” he admitted. “I had a serious girlfriend back home for a while, but that was over when she started asking me if Rand could maybe tone it down around her. My brother doesn’t need to tone down anything.”

“No, he doesn’t.” She was glad they’d found someplace they felt comfortable. She wasn’t sure if she’d wanted that particular answer to her question. A married West would be less dangerous.

He let a moment pass before he turned her way. “Are we going to talk about it?”

She took a long breath and decided to not pretend with him. “It wouldn’t do any good to.”

“At first I thought it didn’t bother you. I thought you didn’t care what they thought.”

She was curious. His answer would tell her a lot about whether she could somewhat trust this man. “And did you think I was strong for that? Or did the words cold-hearted bitch run through your head?”

“Unfortunately, it was the latter.” He pulled his sunglasses off and held her gaze with those emerald eyes of his. “I’m sorry about that. I realize now that you’re excellent at hiding your pain, but you absolutely feel it. They were assholes. You didn’t deserve that.”

Of all the things he could have said, you didn’t deserve that hit her right in her chest. Everyone—even the people who were sympathetic to her—believed she deserved some of it. Even her mom told her it was part of the job. “I don’t know. I’ve got a certain reputation.”

He straightened up, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking her dead in the eyes. “You do not deserve that kind of treatment, Ally Pearson. Your reputation is bullshit. I’ve been with you for days, and you’re not the person they portray on TV. You work your ass off, and they shouldn’t make judgments. Especially where they know damn well you could have heard them. They knew you were on your way in. They wanted you to hear.”

He wasn’t saying anything she hadn’t already thought, but it all came back in an awful rush.

“Baby, you can’t shove this down and go about your business. Talk about it. Let it out so it doesn’t poison your whole experience here.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry. I called you baby, and that wasn’t…”

She went on her toes and kissed him, planting her lips right over his.

What the hell? He’d flat-out told her he’d been through a terrible experience, and she’d put him through another.

She backed off, and she couldn’t do anything to stop the tears now. “West, I’m so sorry. I… Please forgive me. I was emotional, and you were being so nice to me, and I think you’re really beautiful. I should never have put you in that position.”

She half expected him to walk away from her, but his expression softened, and he reached out and gently pulled her close. He wrapped his big arms around her, and the world seemed to close off.

“It’s not the same, Ally.” He whispered the words in her ear as he held her tight. “It’s not the same at all. Go ahead. You hold on for however long you need to. Just hold on.”

The awfulness of the day washed over her again, and she realized the hikes were all about avoiding this. She pushed her body so she didn’t have to deal with her soul. She didn’t like to cry, to feel so vulnerable, but she did now. She sobbed into West’s strong shoulder while he stroked a hand down her back.

A weird peace hit her after a couple of moments. When the tears dried up, she felt calm and in control again, as though she’d purged some toxin that had been sitting inside her.

She tilted her head up. “Thank you. I think I’m okay now.”

He was so gorgeous as he stared down at her. “You sure?”

She nodded.

“Good. Because I’m going to kiss you now. Then we will have both kissed each other, and we’ll be on the same level, and we can decide where to go from there.”

“Is this a pity kiss?”

“Nope. It’s a balance kiss. I would hate for you to go around thinking I have something over you because you kissed me. This puts us right back on the same footing. Now, hush. I’ve got to make it good.”

She had to look terrible. “Maybe we should…”

Then his mouth was on hers and there were no maybes. There was only warmth and comfort and a wild arousal that she’d never felt before.

After a long moment, he pulled away and grinned down at her. “See. Now we’re even, and you don’t have to be embarrassed that you totally kissed me first and told me how beautiful I am.” He was stunningly gorgeous when he smiled like he did now. He stepped back and grabbed his backpack. “I know, by the way. How pretty I am.”

“I’ve created a monster.” Oh, she could fall so hard for this guy, and she wasn’t sure she could stop herself at this point.

“Come on. There’s a pretty spot about a half a mile down, and then we can make our way back,” he said, holding out a hand. “Maybe we can order pizza for dinner since we have burned some calories.”

She should put them back on a proper footing. She could save this. He was right. They were even, and they didn’t have to go further.

Her hand went right into his, and she knew she was fucked when it came to this one.

“That sounds perfect.” She let him lead her down the trail, consigning all her good sense straight to hell.

* * * *

“You know the director is into you, right?” West asked the question tentatively as he turned on the road that led back to the hotel. Dusk had fallen, and a chill was in the air now, but they were safe and warm in the SUV, and it was time to talk about serious things again.

He needed to know she was aware of a possible problem. Although it might not be a problem. After what happened a couple of hours ago, he kind of hoped it would be a problem. He wished he could avoid the question. The last thing he wanted to do was wreck the peace they’d found this afternoon.

It was more than peace. It was possibility. Somewhere while they walked through the nature preserve together, a possibility had come to life, fragile and new.

And he wasn’t sure if it would be smart to pursue it, but damn it had felt right to draw her close and hold her while she let out all her tension.

Now he couldn’t stop thinking about how much better it would be if they were naked and in bed and he was releasing all her tension in a different way.

“He’s attracted to me, but I can handle it. I don’t flirt with him. I actually don’t flirt a lot. I can keep a careful distance between us,” she promised. “Also, how do you know? Is it because you’re into me?”

There was the hint of bitch. It had been off-putting at first, but now he kind of liked it. It was Ally’s spirit. It seemed brittle, but her strength was quite robust. She protected her softness like a Valkyrie warrior. How many people had seen this woman break down and cry? How many were allowed to see the real Ally Pearson? “Maybe.”

“I thought you would fight me on that one,” she admitted, sitting back with a sigh. “It can’t work, you know.”

He rather thought she was saying that as much for her sake as his. “I think it could. I have all the parts I need. I’m pretty sure you do. Even if you don’t, we can get creative.”

The little brat’s eyes rolled. “I wasn’t talking about sex. I was talking about us. Even if we wanted to, we would have an expiration date. I’m here for three months and then I go back to LA where hopefully I’ll find another job.”

He knew she was right, but the idea of not pursuing that kiss in any way didn’t sit well with him. “Does everything have to be forever?”

“It would be nice if there was a possibility of it working out, but I think you’re right. I don’t know. I think you could break my heart, Rycroft.”

“I know you could break mine,” he admitted. And that was probably reason enough to back off. He didn’t want to cause her more pain. “Do you want me to have Wade assign someone else?”

“No.” The answer came out of her mouth quickly, and then she flushed a pretty pink. “I don’t want another bodyguard. I wasn’t saying no, West.”

She was doing what she did—talking through the situation with brutal honesty. He needed to remember that was all a part of Ally’s process. It was one of the reasons people found her off-putting. They didn’t get to know her, didn’t understand why she did some of the things she did. Ally was honest with herself, and she didn’t see the point in hiding it. What other people thought of as rude, she viewed as being realistic, and there was an odd kindness in her process. “We’ll play it by ear. I’m going to let you set the pace. Let’s be friends for now.”

“I think I would like that,” she replied quietly. “I don’t have a lot of those. And I’m thoroughly aware that Jay has some designs on me. It’s nothing you need to worry about. I also know that he sleeps with most of his younger leading ladies. I’ve learned how to handle it.”

He didn’t like the thought of leaving her alone with a man who could potentially manipulate her. “You shouldn’t have to.”

“Every woman in Hollywood has to deal with it, and honestly, a bunch of the men do, too. We’re equal opportunity gropers in Hollywood. Every place has its pros and cons. Your old hometown wouldn’t accept your brother. Well, he could come out to my hometown and they would accept him without hesitation, and then someone would cop a feel.”

He snorted at that. She wasn’t wrong. There were always pros and cons. “If you need help with him, I stand ready. I really will be right outside the door.”

“We need to get you a Sudoku book or something. Maybe crosswords,” she said. “It’ll be easier when we’re on set. I’m planning on making this the most boring job you’ve ever had.”

He seriously doubted that. He pulled into the round driveway and was surprised to see a familiar face waiting there alongside the valet.

Matt Edwards moved in the minute West stopped the SUV, cutting off the valet who’d been trying to do his job. Matt had Ally’s door open in a heartbeat and was holding a hand out to help her down. “Welcome back, Ms. Pearson. West, I’m supposed to take the night shift. Wade wants to talk to you. In the office.”

Shit. He felt his gut clench, and his first thought was about Clint. He’d talked about the ranch all afternoon. Had it claimed another one of them? What if something happened to the boys? “What’s going on? Is everyone okay?”

Matt shrugged. “Not sure, but Wade looked damn upset. Big Tag showed up, and they were in his office for a good thirty minutes. When they came out, they told me to haul my ass over here and be ready to spend the night.”

“I could come to the office with you.” Ally looked concerned, her bottom lip disappearing behind her teeth. “I don’t mind waiting in the lobby.”

“No one wants to inconvenience you, Ms. Pearson,” Matt assured her. “Whatever is happening at the office is nothing for you to worry about. I’m here to ensure a smooth transfer. I’m not sure what’s happened, but it won’t affect you at all.”

“Yes, it will.” She turned away from Matt. “Can I come with you, West?”

“Ba…” He had to stop that. It was already too easy to slide into intimacy with her. Maybe a couple of hours apart would do them some good. Then there was the possibility that something really bad had happened. “I’m not sure what’s happening. It could be one of my brothers.”

She held up a hand. “Go. Go and do what you need to. Please call me and let me know you’re okay.”

He had the wildest urge to change his mind and ask her to get back in the SUV. He ignored it. It was better for her to not get too involved. She had her own troubles. “I will. Matt, I’ll be back to work the rest of my shift. Tessa’s supposed to take over for a couple of hours tomorrow.”

Matt put a hand on her elbow, and West kind of wanted to growl.

Ally stepped away and started to walk inside the hotel.

She could handle it. But if Matt got handsy with her, he would take the fucker apart.

“I think you should worry about yourself, brother. I don’t think anyone’s hurt. They were pissed, and it’s something you did. Good luck with that. I’ll take care of our client.” Matt slammed the door and hurried to catch up with Ally.

West took a long breath and started back for the office.

Twenty minutes later, he was walking in as everyone else was walking out. Wade must have been upset with him because he wasn’t answering his phone. All he’d gotten was a text telling him to get his ass in the office.

What the hell was going on? His anxiety was reaching epic proportions, and he was going to have a long fucking talk with his brother.

He strode through the lobby, and his sister-in-law was still sitting at her desk across from Big Tag’s office. Genny might be a good source of information. She was Big Tag’s assistant, and the man loved to talk. “Is everything okay, Genny?”

She looked up from her computer screen, and a sympathetic look came over her. “We should talk before you go in.”

Why wouldn’t anyone answer his questions? “Is everyone okay?”

She stood. “Of course. Everyone is fine. Oh, I’m sorry. They are not handling this well, but they won’t listen to me. Everyone is fine. Big Tag and Wade were surprised is all.”

“Surprised?” Now he was completely confused.

She looked him over. “Is that what you’ve been wearing all day? We were trying to figure out when it happened, but it looks like it was today.”

Before he could answer that surprising question, the door to Big Tag’s office came open, and he was confronted by the man himself.

“How long did it take you? Did you set a fucking land speed record for how fast you could get the client into bed?” Big Tag asked in that bad-dad mode he got into with a lot of his employees. “I should have known you couldn’t beat Nina Blunt. She fucked her client before she even knew he was a client.”

“Then it doesn’t count, and he is still in contention for the title.” Charlotte sat on the couch beside Wade. “Nina didn’t realize who JT was, so there was no informed consent to break your silly rules that everyone always breaks anyway.”

“West knows better,” his brother said. “This is all a mistake. He was just being kind to her.”

“Was his tongue being kind to her throat?” Big Tag asked.

They knew about the kiss? How the fuck would they know he’d kissed Ally? “Do you have someone shadowing me?”

He was out of his probationary period. Was his brother sending someone senior to check up on him? Was it because he was the only one who hadn’t been in the military? He’d thought they accepted that he could do his damn job.

Big Tag reached for the tablet on his desk, unlocking it and turning it toward West. “No, but someone sure as hell was, and the fact that you didn’t catch it makes me wonder if you’re right for this job.”

West felt his eyes go wide and his blood pressure tick up as he realized what he was looking at. It was a picture of himself and Ally on the hiking trail, her hand in his. Another picture followed, and it was of the passionate kiss they’d shared, the one he’d initiated.

“It’s from a gossip website.” Charlotte was the only one who didn’t seem angry about the situation. “They posted those pictures about an hour ago along with an article that is not flattering to Ally.”

He took the tablet from Big Tag. “I didn’t see anyone following us. There was no one on that trail who recognized us.”

“Her,” Big Tag insisted. “They wouldn’t care to recognize you.”

“Give him a break,” Wade said with a sigh.

Big Tag’s head shook. “Nope. Language is important, and the fact that he used the word we means he’s more invested than he’s going to try to tell me. We and us are words you use when you’re a couple. She’s a client. No one recognized the client.”

Big Tag was obviously going to be a pain in his ass about this. “No one recognized the client. I don’t think anyone followed her.”

“You don’t think?” Now Wade was standing by Big Tag.

“I checked, but I didn’t see any car following us. I don’t know, man. It’s a big fucking city.” Had he not done his job? Had he been too concerned with Ally that he wasn’t properly protecting her?

No.

“Screw this,” West said, handing back the tablet. “I did exactly what I was trained to do. No one followed us. I didn’t even talk to her on the ride out. I was very aware of everything around me. Those pictures were taken with a telephoto lens. They never got close to us…to the client. I need to figure out if Ally told anyone where we were going. She was texting on the way to the nature preserve. I don’t think anyone could have overheard our conversation.”

There was another possibility.

“I need someone to check my SUV for a tracker.” He hadn’t thought about it because the studio had security. “It was parked in the studio’s lot. The lot has full time guards, but it could have been someone on set.”

“You think someone tipped off the photographers?” Charlotte asked.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. I assure you I would have noticed if assholes with cameras were hanging around…the client.” He really was using the us and we words a lot. “I almost hope there’s a tracker and it’s someone from the studio who’s making some side money. I would hate for it to be someone Ally trusts.”

She trusted so few people.

“Jamal is already downstairs checking your truck.” Big Tag sighed and stared at him like he was trying to figure out how to deal with him. “I think we should reconsider having you take lead on this project.”

“Then I’ll quit and she’ll hire me privately.” Now that he was standing here having to defend himself, all his damn doubts had washed away.

Ally needed him. It might not work out, but who the fuck knew? He would never have said a few years back that he would be living in Dallas getting ready for his brother to marry the man of his dreams. Life threw curveballs, and learning to catch them or avoid them was the measure of how successful a person could be.

Ally was a big old curve ball that could knock him into the dirt. Or she might be the best thing that ever happened to him. All he knew in that moment was that Big Tag and his brother weren’t going to make the choice for him.

“I’ve got a signed contract,” Big Tag argued.

Charlotte stayed on the couch, watching the argument like it was the best tennis match she’d ever seen. “That contract is with her stepdad. She is her own actual person and of an age that legally we can’t treat her like medieval property. I know. I’m no fun.”

“He didn’t mean it that way.” Wade seemed determined to treat him a lot like the stepdad treated Ally.

They were whole-ass adults who’d been facing adult choices and situations long before they should have been. They weren’t dumbass kids who followed their hormones and thought of nothing but pleasure. Ally tied herself up in knots over every decision, and he was a careful planner. “I meant exactly what I said. Ian, I’ve done nothing wrong on this job. I’ll find out who tipped off the gossip rags, and we’ll be more careful in the future. Now I should get back to Ally and no, I’m not going to call her the client because it’s obvious I like her.”

Tag pointed to the tablet. “Yes, your tongue likes her throat. And don’t say you haven’t done anything wrong. Do you not remember the don’t fuck the fucking client clause?”

“No one pays attention to that clause,” Charlotte added. “He also tried to put in a no dating anyone from the office rule. Half of us are married to each other. He’s just upset because you’re excellent bait.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Tag grunted, but Charlotte continued on. “It hasn’t come up yet, but sometimes we need to send in someone to flirt with a target and get information.”

“See, then it would be fine if you wanted to hop into bed.” Big Tag started to pace.

“I’m not your honey trap, Ian.” He was never going to play that way. “Talk to Matt. I’m sure he’ll be happy to screw someone over for intel.”

There was a knock on the door, and Jamal popped in, holding a familiar item in his hand. “Found it.”

“I told you he wouldn’t have allowed someone to follow him.” Wade nodded Ian’s way. “I’ll go with Jamal to Hutch’s office and see if he can figure out who left this present. West, you need to do a search every time you get in the car.”

“I’m still not sure he’s employed here,” Big Tag argued. “After all, I’m the one who has to deal with her stepdad. The man is going to have questions. And her mom is going to drop a bomb on our heads.”

“That’s why you get paid the big bucks.” He wanted to get back to Ally. “If there’s nothing else…”

“West.” Big Tag stood with his hands on his hips. “This is a bad idea.”

“I’m ready to work however you would like me to, but I’m not leaving her until she tells me to go.” Even then, he might end up watching her from afar.

Tag groaned, and there were a bunch of curse words mumbled under his breath.

“Well, I think you’ll make a gorgeous couple,” Charlotte said with a big grin.

A buzzing sound came over the line. “Ian, I’ve got Gavin Jacks on the line for you.”

Ian’s eyes narrowed, and if a man could shoot lasers from the fiery depths of his soul, that man would be Ian Taggart.

It was definitely time to leave.

And hope Ally wasn’t angry with him.

“Let me know when you find out who tagged my car.” The best way to deal with the beast was to power through. “Thanks for the pep talk, boss.”

Ian growled.

And West made his very hasty exit.