Max and the Prince by R. J. Scott Read Free Book Online Page B

differ? What the hell? I’ve been handling Kev for
two years. I don’t think you have any idea what you are talking about.”
    “Lucien—”
    “Don’t Lucien me. You’re here to watch my back and
keep me safe. BI may have suggested the boyfriend cover, but we never agreed on
it, and I didn’t have time to prepare. You do not drape yourself all
over me and make people think we are a couple without warning me first.”
    “You need to calm down—”
    “Don’t you dare tell me to calm down! Did you ever think
that whoever has this murderous intent might just see what you did and see me
reacting wrong which then  pushes him over the edge? Did you?”
    Lucien had worked up a full steam of righteous anger, and
Max wasn’t sure where to start.
    “But that’s a good thing. Getting this murderer out of the
woodwork is what we need. Just because he hasn’t threatened you direct, he
could still be the one who killed OS in the original letters.”
    Lucien spluttered a little, lost for words. Some of his self-control
was slipping. “You took me by surprise. We should have had a thing, you know, a
story.”
    “A legend?”
    “Yeah, where we have a reason for everything and I’m not
left in a situation I can’t control. Because without one, if you put me in
danger, then maybe I was wrong to hire you. Because if you’re suggesting for
one minute that it’s good to put me in the marksman’s eye? That you think this
will protect me and stop me from being hurt? What the hell, Max?” Lucien
twisted fingers in his hair, then impatiently pushed the length of it off his
face. The motion was quickly becoming familiar as a habit of Lucien’s. “You’re
fired,” he added.
    “You’re not firing me,” Max said with a lot more confidence
than he felt.
    “I did and I have and you’re fired.” Lucien turned on his heel
and made his way to the kitchen, where he filled the kettle and flicked it on
at the wall.
    Max followed him with the intention to explain himself. He
didn’t bother softening the blow. “What if Kev is the person sending you the
letters? I saw your posture, you were intimidated and pissed off with him at
the same time. I did what seemed right at the time. It’s my job. And hell, what
if it is one of the team? What if seeing that you have someone with you
all the time means they up their game and pulls them out of the shadows? Isn’t
that a good thing? Do you want this to be over or not?”
    Lucien leaned on the work surface, his back to Max, and Max
wished he could see Lucien’s expression.
    “It’s not going to be anyone on the team. It’s more likely
to be someone from home following me here,” Lucien said. His voice was low and
cautious and Max could only just hear him.
    “You’re right,” Max said. “You received that last letter
stating the problem had been cleared when you were still back home. I get that,
but the very fact you had letters here means that there is a connection
somehow, and who knows what that association is.”
    Lucien turned to face Max, his expression resigned. “So you
pretended to be my boyfriend to get Kev to back off and at the same time send
some kind of message?”
    Max nodded. “I won’t apologize. You won’t fire me and I won’t
leave. What I can do is get BI to send another protection officer if you
can’t work with me. But when I work, I do it by instinct, and what transpired
tonight was what needed to happen.”
    Lucien considered what Max said as he poured hot water on
coffee, frowning in concentration. Then he grasped the mug.
    “When it was suggested, I imagined we would sit and get a
back story in place, how we met, how long we’d been together. I didn’t imagine
you jumping me and forcing me to think in the face of people judging me.”
    “Maybe you need some of that in your life.”
    “How dare you—” He visibly deflated. “What’s done is done.
I’m going to bed.”
    And with that he left.
    Max stayed up longer, reviewing paperwork.