Page 24 of The Protection Agreement

“It stays between us,” I answer. It’s unlikely that I want any man around her when she takes her meds.

“Thank you. I’ll shower and be out in a few.”

I watch her leave and make a mental note of two things: her sleep is crucial. The meds knock her out, which means I can’t let anyone around her when she takes it. I’m glad I made the sofa look like I slept in it, and a bit disappointed she has no recollection of kissing me, while I can’t forget the feel of her lips and the pleasure of kissing her. I hope she dreamt of me.

Instead of going to my office like I’d planned, I return to the kitchen. Chef has made pancakes; Ice is already devouring a stack. Another set of blueberry pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausages is set aside.

“Lexi will be out soon,” I say to Chef Wayne, who, to my surprise, grins.

“Good, I hope she likes my blueberry pancakes,” he cheerfully says.

“I’m sure she will,” I answer. I need her back to what I know as her normal in the last few days. The Lexi in my bed earlier has thrown me for a loop. I wonder if this new form is her normal.

I dig into the platter; I’m almost done eating when she appears, wearing a pair of jeans and one of my shirts.

“Good morning,” she says.

“Good morning!” the chef exclaims. “I made your blueberry pancakes.” He’s sure excited about the blueberry pancakes.

“Aww, thank you, Chef Wayne.” She’s chirpy.

She gets closer and grabs a plate, sitting across from me. She takes a pancake and pours a large amount of syrup on it. She takes a bite and turns to the chef, giving him a thumbs up. He happily cheers like he’d just won the best award. I chuckle and keep my eyes on her; she’s back to her normal self. I think.

My phone pings and I look to see Malik calling. I leave the table and head to my office to call him. He answers right away.

“Hey, boss.”

“What’s up?”

“Pete just broke protocol; he called one of his friends and told him where he’s staying and asked him to meet up.”

“Fuck, that annoying boy. Who’s with him right now?”

“Wolfe and James.”

“Send Smith and Roswell to move him to the other safe house. Keep him locked up and take away his phone.”

“Okay, boss. And the friend?”

“Send me his number. I’ll take care of him.”

“Okay, boss.”

“Anything on the three in Lexi’s case?” I ask

“Still working on them. Will keep you posted.”

I leave my office and return to the living room, and Lexi isn’t there. I turn to Ice.

“Where is she?” My voice sounds more forceful than I intended.

“In her room. She said she was going to her puzzle.” He shrugs

I turn and head to her room, exhaling at the door before knocking.

“Come in,” I hear her.

Opening the door, she’s seated on the carpet, leaning on the table with the puzzles.