Chapter 2

2

AIDEN

L ana Casey is one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, with jet-black hair sitting in a low ponytail at the nape of her long neck. The way her olive-green eyes dart around shows me vigilance, how she’s always on guard. I wonder if that guard of hers is up personally, too.

I can’t ignore the rapid thrumming of her pulse beating in the hollow of her neck. She keeps one hand at her side, the other moving inside the back of her jacket. I’m sure she’s carrying a firearm. The protective energy rolling off her piques my curiosity.

"I understand if you'd like to take Jeremy home early." Mr. Drummond's voice breaks into my thoughts, reminding me how angry I am at this situation.

There’s a subtle way to strike fear in most men. When they expect anger, rage, they want you to yell. But becoming a man like me requires a deliberate amount of restraint. I turn to Mr. Drummond and tell him, “Don’t move from that spot, Mr. Drummond.”

“Uh, excuse me? Why?” the principal replies.

“Because you allowed my son to be kidnapped. Don’t fucking move from that spot, Carl, or I will beat your face into the grass you’re standing on.” My voice is stern, without any anger or room for misinterpretation. “I’ll be right back.”

I walk away, placing my hand behind Lana while extending the other toward my car. She accepts my touchless encouragement and walks a few steps in front of me while Jeremy wraps his small hand around mine.

Jeremy is so small at this age. I remember the way I idolized my dad when I was seven. He was a giant amongst men, and now Jeremy looks at me with the same adoration in his eyes. I can’t stop myself from scooping him into my arms and carrying him to my car.

Normally, he fights me when I want a hug, but not right now. Fortunately for me, he still wants to feel safe with his dad, safe in my arms. I rub his back as we walk to the car, and Lana opens the door for us. She steps aside to let me put him into his booster seat, which he’ll be too big for in the coming months. Still, it’s a reminder that he can’t protect himself yet.

“Hey, bud.” I rub his light brown curls and look straight into blue eyes that mirror mine. “Are you hurt?”

“No, Dad.” He shakes his head, voice barely audible.

“I’m going to take you home, and we’re going to change a few things. Okay? I’m going to do a much better job at keeping you safe.”

“I’m okay, Dad. I promise I’m all right.” He flashes me the fakest smile I’ve ever seen, but I’m happy to see he’s trying to put me at ease.

I nod with appreciation, taking a step back and turning to Lana. “Can you spare the rest of your day today?”

“Of course,” she says. “I’m sure the police are going to have a lot of questions.”

“Yes, they will. Please wait here with Jeremy,” I tell her. She nods and takes a stance like she’s waiting to coordinate with a team. Lana’s background in security is obvious. Curiosity has a million questions bouncing around my head as I walk back to the principal, who’s in the same spot I left him.

Good boy.

“Mr. Archer, I swear—” Mr. Drummond’s lip quivers as he pleads for me not to be the man he understands I am outside of this suit.

“What are you swearing about, Carl?” Every time I say his name, it reminds him of the day he realized I knew it before he told it to me. The day he promised me that my son would be safe at this prestigious institution. For the past three years, Jeremy has been safe.

He stammers and trips over his words. “As soon as you called me about Jeremy leaving his classroom, I went to make sure there wasn’t a mistake.”

“Do you think I’d call you about my son leaving his classroom if I didn’t know it was an emergency? If I didn’t know something was wrong? There’s no reason for my son to walk out of his class with someone in a faculty blazer eighteen minutes after I walked him into the building.”

One of the security measures I insist upon when it comes to Jeremy is that he wears a watch that’s digitally tethered to my phone. I can see him through his camera and always know his location.

“Mr. Archer, please.” Mr. Drummond’s eyes well with tears. “I don’t think she’s one of my staff members. There’s no way?—”

I silence him with a hand. “The police are on their way. You’re going to give them your complete cooperation. You’re also going to send me a copy of the security footage. If anyone asks, Jeremy’s transferred schools, and you have not been updated on his whereabouts. Have all his files sent to my office, digital and physical copies, by the end of the day.”

“Won’t the police want those records?” he asks.

“That’s what copies are for Mr. Drummond. Give them the duplicates and send the originals to me. If there are any issues or further questions, you know how to get in touch with me. One more thing, Carl.”

“Yes, Mr. Archer?” His shoulders sulk, his eyes plastered to the ground.

“I expect the other parents to be made aware of what happened here this morning and for the security measures to be updated accordingly. Just because Jeremy won’t be returning doesn’t mean the students should remain at risk. That’s all.”

My tone is dismissive, forcing him to retreat inside the school to do as I command. After dealing with him, I head back to the car, where Lana continues to stand guard.

“Thank you again for what you did today,” I say, reaching out to shake her hand once again. There’s an allure to Lana that draws me to her, making me want to touch her constantly. Her strength is admirable. Her courage to act is undeniable.

The softness of Lana’s skin against mine reminds me of how long it’s been. Burying myself in work these past few years while taking care of Jeremy has me blind to the touch I desire in the quietest moments of the night. The way Lana’s eyes lock onto mine makes me miss those intimate moments, if even for a second. Unfortunately, I must put it out of my head.

There’s a subtle raspiness to her voice when she speaks. “It’s no problem, really. I’m just happy I was here to do something about it. This school has too many holes in its security operations, but I get it. This cozy little town dulls the senses and provides a false level of safety.”

I agree, and I’m ready to leave this illusion of security. “Can you meet me at my office in about an hour?”

After fishing out a business card, it gives me another reason to touch her as our fingers graze each other. She pulls her hand away instinctively, like I’ve electrocuted her, and I have to stop myself from reaching for her again.

This sudden, intense emotion takes me by surprise. Perhaps it’s from the earlier adrenaline and anxiety of almost losing Jeremy. Or perhaps it’s something more.

She tells me, “I’ll be there.”

I watch the confident sway of Lana’s slender hips, walking away from me toward the parking lot. Her car moves slow enough for me to catch a glimpse of her license plate. It only takes a few seconds for me to jot it down to look up later.

I like Lana. I need to have her vetted to see how well she’ll fit into our daily routine. Today is proof that Jeremy needs a bodyguard for now. If that guard can have a nurturing side, that’s even better. I know my boy can learn a lot from someone like her.

“Where are we going, Dad?” Jeremy’s voice cuts into my thoughts.

“We’re going to my office, bud. I need to go to work, but I want you to be safe, too. I don’t want you coming back here or going to any other school until I know this won’t happen again. Do you remember anything about the woman who walked you out of the school?”

I don’t want to pressure him. I damn sure don’t want him to see the fear nestling in the pit of my stomach. Our eyes meet through the rearview mirror, and Jeremy shrugs.

“She’s the new library teacher, I think. I don’t see her a lot,” he says, his gaze shifting to look outside. I nod as we drive to my office in the heart of Downtown Avonia, a cozy mid-sized town along the coast of North Carolina.

“Do you remember her name?” I ask him.

“Miss Ashley. She kept telling me you were outside and brought me lunch. But I knew she was lying, Dad.”

“Oh yeah? How did you know?”

“Because you never just bring me lunch. You show up at lunchtime and buy lunch for everybody. You also tell me the days you’re going to do that so I can tell everybody to leave room for pizza.”

That gets a soft laugh out of me, along with a pause of relief that my little guy is observant. Observation skills aren’t enough anymore. He needs some sort of self-defense training. I’d do it myself, but I fear I’d hold back too much to be effective.

By the time we arrive at my office, there are a dozen messages and meetings that I’m late for. I don’t hesitate to reschedule them and set Jeremy up in the empty office beside mine. My secretary adores him enough and sees to it that he’s busy any time I bring him in.

I’m not in the office long before there’s a call from the security guard in the lobby. Lana’s on her way up, and hearing her name alone makes my heart slam against my ribcage. I have to stop myself from checking whether I look okay. Fuck me.

There aren’t many who fill me with this much excitement to see them. When she steps into my office, I can see why.

Gone are the black pants and collared blouse she wore at the school this morning. Lana’s standing in my office, wearing a black pencil skirt and a low-cut lavender shirt that shines in the sunlight beaming through my large office windows.

Legs for days that I wouldn’t mind wrapping around my face. Instead of giving in to the almost overwhelming urge to pull her to me and taste her full lips, I hold out my hand for her to take a seat in front of my desk.

“Thank you for coming. I’d like to discuss how well you’d fit around me.”