Another pause, shorter this time. “No.”
Of course she didn’t.
Addy’s openness would have been admirable in a different context, in a safer environment. But I’ve already learned the hard way how people exploit this kind of access when they think no one is watching.
I closed my eyes briefly and dragged a hand over my jaw. Irritation turned into something sharper and more personal, directed not just outward, but inward as well. Something feeling horribly like anxiety and fear.
“He’s inserting himself into her life slowly.”
I let out a quiet, humorless breath.
And he probably thought he was being subtle about it.
My fingers flexed slightly at my side; the urge to act — to do something immediate and irreversible — was stronger now that I could see the situation clearly.
“We can remove him,” he offered after a moment. The words were neutral and professional, as if we were discussing logistics instead of a man who had decided, for reasons I couldn’t quite comprehend, he had any fucking right to be anywhere near her.
For a second, I considered it.
Not because I needed time to decide, but because I wanted to understand exactly why the answer wasn’t as simple as it should have been.
It would be easy and clean. Efficient, even.
But it would bedeeplyunsatisfying.
“No,” I said finally, the word quiet but absolute.
There was a slight shift on the other end.
“Boss—”
“No,” I repeated, slower this time, letting the weight of it sink in. “You don’t touch him. You watch him closely. I want to know everything: His routine, his contacts, where he goes and how often and how long he stays. I want to know what he does when he thinks no one is watching.”
“We already have eyes on him.”
“Not enough,” I snapped.
It came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t correct it.
“Maintain constant surveillance. I want no gaps. There is zero room for error here.”
A pause.
“And her?”
I exhaled slowly.
“And her,” I confirmed. “All the time.”
“If he changes behavior,” I went on, choosing my words with more care now, “if he pushes further, if he escalates in any way — you intervene.”
“How far do you want us to go?”
I leaned my head back slightly and stared up at the ceiling as I considered it — not the action itself, but the line I was willing to draw without being there to enforce it personally.
“You’ll make it clear she’s not alone.”
“And if that’s not enough?”