Page 4 of Redemption

“How long do you think you’d be gone this time?” Jasper asked.

I considered a few routes but knew that I wanted to sail from Florida down to the Caribbean, settling on… “Six to eight weeks.”

The company was used to my annual sailing trip, and we had the right systems in place to accommodate my extended leave. In fact, we encouraged all our employees to take advantage of their generous vacation time, and we had an extended new-parent leave policy as well. We wanted our employees to feel valued. Appreciated. We wanted them to be able to feel free to care for their families without worrying about their jobs. To spend time on the things that lit them up so they could come back reenergized.

“An elegant solution,” Graham said. “Someone from Hudson can accompany you.”

I gaped at him. “You can’t be serious.”

“As if Graham knows how to tell a joke.” Jasper balked at the idea.

“This sailing trip has always been something I do alone. And that’s important to me.”

“We get that,” Knox said in a gentle tone. “But this time is different. Whoever is sending these threats knows your schedule. How to get close to you. I’m not trying to scare you, but they are likely watching you.”

I glanced around, creeped out by the idea even though I’d had the same thought myself. Still…my sailing trip? It was the one time I got to escape the pressures, expectations, and demands of my life, and just…be.

“You don’t have a bodyguard,” I said to Knox. “Why do I need one?”

“I have a residential team from Hudson Security, just like Nate. And Kendall has a bodyguard, as does Jude.”

I jerked my head back. “They do? Since when?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “We should probably keep that between us for now.”

“Wait.” I pointed at him. “You mean to tell me that your fiancée and your adult son each have a bodyguard, and they don’t know about it?”

“Ah—”

Jasper smirked. Nate sighed. “I think we’re getting off track here.”

“What about you?” I spun to Jasper. “You don’t have a bodyguard.” I turned to Graham. “Or you.”

“Everybody loves me.” Jasper winked, one ankle crossed at the knee.

I arched my brow. He was so damn cocky. “I have a feeling a few of your former flings would disagree.”

Nate snorted. Knox coughed into his hand to cover a laugh.

“This isn’t about us.” Graham had clearly reached his limit. “It’s about you. We’re not the ones receiving threats.”

“Then shouldn’t it be my decision? Besides, I have self-defense training.” Years of it, in fact.

“Enough!” Graham roared then turned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Enough,” he said again, more quietly.

Silence fell on the room, and I glared at him.

Knox draped his arm around my shoulder. “What he’s trying to say—” he glowered at Graham “—is that we love you, and we’re worried about you. And we understand that this situation is frustrating and scary.”

“We’ve already lost so much,” Nate said, taking my hand.

When I glanced at him, I could see the fear in his eyes. All of their eyes, even Graham’s.

“Please.” Jasper kept his voice low. “I can’t…I can’t lose you too.”

His alarm, his vulnerability, finally made me stop and listen. The four of them might be overprotective, but I understood their fears. I understood what it was like to lose someone you loved. I sagged, unable to fight them anymore. I took a deep breath and accepted the fact that maybe it was time to hire a bodyguard.

“So…what?” I asked, trying to figure out how this would work. “They’d sail the same route?”