Total pages in book: 187
Estimated words: 174623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 698(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 698(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
"Any updates?" I ask Recon as I approach the front of the house.
"Nothing of note," he answers with a yawn. "Max did mention that the private investigator in Colorado ended up with a female judge who denied his bond. So he's still in lockup."
"That's good news," I mutter.
"Are you here to relieve me?" Recon asks.
"I don't know," I say. "Let me call base."
I step away from him, my eyes drifting back to the front door. The curtains shift, telling me that someone was looking outside, but there are easily eight to ten other people inside besides Juliet, so I have no way of knowing who was peeking out.
"How was your night?" Kincaid asks the second the call connects.
"Quiet," I assure him.
"And how would you respond if I told you that you needed to head back to get your six hours of rest?"
The line fills with silence for a few beats before his laughter comes through the phone.
"That's what I thought," he says. "Take a break if you need it."
"Yes, sir," I respond, thankful he isn't insisting that I come back to the clubhouse.
"The fundraiser is tomorrow," he says, and I recall Juliet mentioning it earlier.
"On a Monday?"
"It's summertime, and all the organizations thought it would be a good idea," Kincaid responds. "Some of the guys are excited to show off the booths they've been building the last couple of weeks."
"She can't go," I snap. "It's too dangerous."
"She'll have to make that decision herself," Kincaid says, a hint of warning in his voice. "We don't tell women what they can and can't do. If we did, it would make us no better than the men who used to control them."
I frown, not feeling like his warning suggests I would try to control anyone, just that it's good to remember what kind of backgrounds some of these women come from.
"We'll protect her," Kincaid says. "Keeping them all safe is our top priority."
All.
Not just Juliet.
His wife, daughters, and grandchildren will also be in attendance. If he thought for a second that there was danger for them, he'd make alternate plans. His confidence in our abilities makes things a little easier for me to handle.
"I have no doubt that you'll be staying at her place again tonight. I'm going to double up on security outside tonight, so I want you to get some sleep if you can. I'll need you at a hundred percent tomorrow."
"Yes, sir," I say, although I know sleeping when I'm supposed to be keeping her safe won't come easy. "I'm going to relieve Recon on the door."
"Sounds good. Be safe. Let us know if you need any help," he says before ending the call.
Just as I'm walking back toward the front door post, another black SUV pulls up and parks. Thumper, Legacy, and Bishop climb out, nodding in my direction.
I know the guys have been briefed on what's going on with Juliet. If they haven't had full-on meetings at the clubhouse in my absence, I know they've been made aware through the app we use.
"I'm relieving Recon," I tell them before they can get to him and take over.
Thumper chuckles as if I just told a joke, but before I can glare at him, Legacy speaks.
"Kincaid thought it would be a good idea to have two on the front and two on the back today," he says. "I'll head out back."
"Me too," Thumper says, walking in that direction.
"Looks like you and me up front," Bishop says. "Gonna be hot today."
"Nothing to note," Recon says as we walk up, updating Bishop. "Victoria has called and should be able to get back later this afternoon."
"Have a good day," Bishop tells him before heading to a spot on the other side of the sidewalk parallel to the one I take when Recon steps away.
I keep my eyes open, constantly scanning, wondering if Juliet is even going to let me into her apartment this evening after standing in this hot sun for the next ten to twelve hours. My deodorant from yesterday is working triple time right now, and I bet it wears off long before the shift is over.
I make a mental note to grab some necessities at the grocery store when she does her shopping after work.
"Kincaid is keeping the women back at the clubhouse," Bishop offers. "Normally, they'd be here helping prep for the fundraiser."
"So he is worried about their safety," I mutter.
"Always. We always worry about our loved ones. It never ends."
Chapter 30
Juliet
The day started with me walking into an argument between Kayla and Caroline. They have different opinions on the rules for supervised visitations. I have no idea how the conversation started or how it ended up with them all but screaming in each other’s faces.
Caroline insists that supervision means the supervisor should be physically in the room during the visitation.