The SUVs were parked blocks away from my house; I insisted on it. The last thing I need is my neighbors seeing all of them and saying God knows what.
The limo was currently parked in front of my house. Damien sent security men up there to check my house for bugs and tapes and probably an assassin, though I doubt any would be waiting for someone to just walk in and catch them.
"It's all clear, sir," the security guard said, tapping on the glass.
The security man came around to help me open the door, and when he did, I flashed him a polite smile and attempted to get down, but Damien held my arm, pulling me down. Because I was trying to resist the pull, I fell back into him, my body crashing against his chest.
"Must you fight with me for everything?" Damien grumbled behind me, pushing me slightly off his chest. I noticed how he flinched when my body hit him; he must have been hurt, too. Why did I think he wasn't?
"Are you hurt?" I asked.
"No, not really; you are just really heavy," he said, amusement dancing through his eyes.
I intentionally touched his shoulders again, and he tried to hide it, but there was a flinch there.
"You can come in; I think I have an ice pack in the fridge for that and some analgesics," I said.
"It's okay, Jessica; I am fine, really," he said.
With the position we were in, my back was pressed to his chest slightly, and I realized that I was sitting on his lap, with my hand on his shoulder and the hand he pulled me down with still lingering. Our faces weren't far apart either.
His gaze stayed on mine; it was difficult to tell what he was thinking; I couldn't read it, but his gaze didn't linger for long before he glanced outside to see the peering eyes of a curious neighbor. We both broke away, clearing our throats.
"I was thinking maybe you wouldn't stay in your house for at least a few weeks," Damien said. I scrunched my face up.
"So now you want to keep a low profile?" I asked, and this made him roll his eyes.
"It isn't safe that you are here alone. If you have other houses, vacation homes, you could stay there for a while," Damien said.
"I am sure I can manage, Damien," I said, attempting to leave.
"Okay, but one of my men will stay outside your house every night," he said.
"That won't be necessary; like I said, I can handle myself," I said.
"He had a fucking machine gun, Jessica. I am not saying you can't defend yourself, but both of us are well-trained with arms, and yet we barely made it out. They weren't even afraid to cause a scene," Damien said. I opened my mouth to say something, but he just raised his hand, shushing me.
"You are not fighting me on this; the security guard stays," Damien said firmly, his gaze daring defiance.
"The last thing I need is having Mia recognize one of your men loitering in my backyard at night," I said, and he rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"You were shot at almost twenty-four hours ago, and all you can think about is what Mia would think?" he asked, giving me an incredulous look.
"She's my best friend and your fiancée. In case you haven't forgotten, we went missing together. We don't need to give people pieces to figure out that we went away together. It won't matter what the explanation is; we slept in a motel together. If it comes out, there will be awful rumors that could destroy our careers," I said.
Damien glared at me and moved closer, cupping my cheeks with his hands a little harshly. It surprised me.
"That wasn't a request or an offer; the security guard stays. I don't care if the media comes with torches to our doorstep," he dropped his hands from my cheeks and motioned for the guard outside to open the door for me.
"Now, please step down from my car."
****
The first thing I did when I got home was slam my door so hard I was sure the neighbors thought it was a gunshot, and then I dramatically dropped down to the ground (you know in movies when the girl just falls to the ground with her back against the wall? That is what I did).
When I glanced at the kitchen, I found myself flashing back to when Damien took care of my wounds the night I was stabbed when he was in between my legs.
I shook my head rapidly, shaking off the image my mind was conjuring up for me. What is wrong with me? That's my best friend's man. After I internally slapped myself, I decided that I needed alcohol in my system ASAP.
I got up, retrieved the finest wine from my cabinet, and poured myself a glass. That's when I heard the rustling; it seemed to be coming from the guest bedroom. I grabbed an unopened bottle of champagne and walked in that direction.
My gun was upstairs, and before I would be able to get to it, I would probably be murdered.
Could it be the assassin was here right now? But how could that be? Damien's men checked the house thoroughly. I know that because I was in that limo for almost two hours.
Or maybe it was that thing I saw the other night... that monster. Chills ran through my spine, but I still grasped the bottle tighter as the rustling turned into footsteps that drew closer and closer.
This would make that four attacks, who did I really offended, God maybe?
I backed against the wall, waiting, and just as the footsteps paused right at the other end of the wall, I charged at the person or thing with my full strength.
"Oh my God, Jessica?" the female voice said, stopping me from crashing into her skull (or giving her a mild concussion).
"Jesus Christ, Nina, what are you doing here?"