Chapter 9 EN-GARDE

Jared's POV

The next morning the moment I got in my home office, I had a long call with my security team. I knew what I had to do to convince her or beg if necessary. This wasn't just about comfort or convenience anymore-Kate and Sophia weren't safe in that apartment. I couldn't ignore the growing unease tightening around my chest. The thought of Kevin slithering into their space, leaving threats masked as Valentine's greetings, set my blood boiling.

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing a hand down my face. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of my penthouse, the city stretched out in a sea of glittering lights. It looked peaceful from up here, but I knew better. Beneath the surface, the world was always shifting, unpredictable and dangerous. And right now, that danger had set its sights on Kate.

I grabbed my phone and scrolled to her contact. My thumb hovered over the call button for a second longer than necessary before I pressed it. The phone rang once, twice-

She picked up.

"Jared?" Her voice was slightly groggy, like she'd just woken up.

I glanced at the clock. It was nearly 10 AM. "You're just waking up?"

"Maybe," she murmured, yawning softly. "What do you want?"

Straight to the point. I exhaled and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my desk.

"I want you to move in with me."

Silence. A full five seconds of nothing.

Then-

"What?" Her tone shifted, instantly alert and I heard as the bed she was lying on creaked whilst she must have moved around it.

Her voice also sounded sharper and less groggy.

I scoffed.

"I said, I want you and Sophia to move in with me," I repeated, slower this time. "It's not safe for you to remain there, Kate."

"I don't understand-"

"Kevin left that card on your doorstep. That alone should be a wake-up call." My grip on the phone tightened. "I don't trust him. I don't trust what he'll do next. And I sure as hell don't want you in that apartment when he decides to escalate."

His topic and so much as the mention of his name always made me feel edgy. I hated that he had that kind of effect on me.

She scoffed. "Jared, we've been fine on our own for years. I don't need you swooping in and acting like we can't take care of ourselves."

I clenched my jaw. "I'm not saying you can't take care of yourselves, Kate. I'm saying you shouldn't have to be constantly looking over your shoulder. You and Sophia deserve to feel safe, to actually be safe."

"We are safe," she insisted.

"Are you?" I shot back. "Because last I checked, you were burning a Valentine's card in the fireplace like it was evidence in a crime scene."

She went quiet again.

I softened my tone. "Kate, I have security. Surveillance. A place where Kevin can't just waltz up and leave threats on your doorstep. You and Sophia wouldn't have to worry about this. And besides, living in my house as my fiancée is not such a bad idea. It's a good act for the press."

She inhaled sharply. "Oh, I see. This is about you thinking we live in some rundown place, and also about your stupid plans to gain redemption, isn't it?"

"That's not what I-"

"You think we need rescuing from our 'low standards,' is that it?" She was pissed now, her voice sharp like a blade. "I've never complained about where we live, Jared. Not once. Just because you live in a penthouse with a skyline view doesn't mean-"

"Kate, this isn't about luxury or any other thing you just mentioned," I interrupted, rubbing my temples feeling very stressed at the moment. "It's about security. Protection. And slightly about keeping up the act."

She let out a bitter laugh. "Right. And your solution is for us to just pack up our lives and move in with you?"

"Yes," I said firmly. "That's exactly my solution."

She was breathing heavily through the phone, and for a second, I thought she was going to hang up on me. The way she was breathing was evidence of just how angry she was but then she was also a very reasonable lady, I must give her that.

Then, she sighed. "I need to think about it."

"Kate-"

"I said I need to think about it, Jared," she repeated, her voice quieter now but still firm. "I'll call you later."

Before I could argue, the line went dead.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at the screen.

Damn it.

I tossed the phone onto my desk and leaned back, exhaling slowly. She was so damn stubborn. Why couldn't she see that this was the best thing for both of them?

But she'd call. I knew she would.

*. *. *. *. *. *.

Kate's POV

After hanging up on Jared, I sat on the couch, staring blankly at the wall. Move in with him? Just like that?

I glanced at Sophia, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, scrolling through her phone.

"Hey, Soph," I said cautiously.

She hummed in response, not looking up.

"What would you say if- hypothetically- we moved in with Jared?" I asked her, picking at my words carefully.

Her head snapped up so fast I thought she might get whiplash. "Are you serious?"

"Well, he just called and asked us to move in."

Her face lit up. "And what did you say?"

"I said I needed to think about it."

Sophia groaned, tossing her phone onto the couch. "Kate, why do you do this? Why do you make everything so complicated?"

She complained about my completely rational action. Great. What was I expecting? She was a child after all.

I frowned. "I don't make everything complicated."

"You do!" She threw her hands in the air. "It's Jared Cole. He lives in a freaking penthouse. The security there is top-tier, not to mention, I'd have my own bathroom!"

I rolled my eyes. "So this is about a bathroom?"

"It's about safety, Kate," she said, more serious now. "You saw what Kevin did. What if he does something worse next time? Do you really want to wake up one day and find something even creepier on our doorstep?"

I swallowed hard. She knew. Maybe she wasn't so much of a kid after all.

She sighed. "I get that you're proud and independent and all that, but for once, can you just accept help when it's offered?"

I chewed on my lip, mulling over her words.

Maybe she was right.

Maybe Jared was right.

I sighed.

Then I turned to her, "how did you know?"

She stared at me blankly, the confusion in her eyes was very evident.

"About Kevin."

"Oh, that!" She exclaimed.

I gave her a nod to signify for her to continue.

"Well, I saw the envelope and I basically heard you both talking so it was easy for me to deduce that Kevin was a bad guy." She explained.

"Oh I see!"

"Indeed." She exclaimed.

There was no beating her in an argument and yes, they were both right.

"Fine. I'll call him."

I picked up my phone and dialed his number.

It only rang once when his voice came up on the other end of the phone.

"Kate."

I kept silent for a while. Then-

"We'll move in." I said.

I don't know if I was imagining it but I think I heard him breath a little sigh of relief, very faint and almost inaudible.

"Good."

"But," I added, "this doesn't mean I owe you anything. This is just for safety reasons."

"Of course," he said, and it felt to me as though a smirk was tugging at the corner of his lips.

"And I want my own space. I'm not moving in to play house." It was important for me to set boundaries after all. It wasn't like we were going to be sleeping in the same bed.

Why did my mind welcome that thought? I shook my head to get it out.

"Understood."

I sighed. "Okay, then."

"I'll send my men to help you pack." He said.

"Jared-"

I was still feeling weary about what this would later turn out to be.

"They'll be discreet," he assured me. "No arguments."

I muttered something under her breath but didn't argue. There was no point to it.

"Goodnight, Kate." He said.

I exhaled. "Goodnight, Jared."

I turned to look around my house. I never thought I'd ever be leaving this place.