The Boss Assignment (Rogue Protectors Book 3) by Victoria Paige (summer beach reads .TXT) 📕

to what happened years ago, decades ago, then you’ll need to give us something so we can piece this shit together.”

He needed to talk to Luis.

All the possibilities were spinning in Antonio’s head and he couldn’t wait to get this thing with Claudette over.

A couple of plainclothes LAPD were already in the safe house where they would stash Claudette while they figured out who wanted her dead. The puzzle was slowly taking shape, but there were still missing pieces. Antonio knew the only way to find them was to cooperate with the CIA.

“Are you not staying with me?” Claudette asked. She’d been uncuffed and she touched the collar of his suit jacket. “Always the dapper businessman, Antonio. You need to loosen up a bit.”

His skin crawled at the familiarity she still had with him, so he picked up her wrist and removed it from his person. “Listen to me, Claudette. Whatever you’ve imagined between us is over.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve found someone to replace me.” Her mouth twisted derisively. “I heard you’re still licking your wounds from losing Ariana.”

Antonio chuckled and Claudette must have noticed his lack of irritation at her mention of Ariana. Her brows drew together. “You find it funny that you’ve been bested by a mere bodyguard?”

“I don’t know who your sources are, but I assure you Ariana is in good hands. I wish her only the best.”

“You are … unusually magnanimous,” she observed. “You seem … happy.” Her eyes widened. “Could it be that the great Antonio Andrade is finally in love?”

The men—Kelso and Garrison, who were standing off to the side—turned their way and he could feel their amusement at his expense.

“That’s nonsense,” came his terse reply.

“But there is someone …” Her eyes narrowed. “That’s why you’re dumping me.”

Antonio exhaled heavily. “You knew what this was. What it is. It ends when one of us finds it’s not working anymore. I would have ended it earlier, but the CIA kept you hidden.”

“What? So, you could end it with me and find a different fuck buddy?” She gave a bitter laugh. “You’re a serial womanizer … you love to fuck and can’t last long without sex.”

The last thing he needed was to have his sexual history aired in front of strangers, but Antonio guessed he deserved it.

Garrison was trying to get his attention. “Declan called and needs a pick up at Downtown Medical. Bristow was supposed to get them on his way back, but something came up.” Antonio suddenly felt the anvil drop into his gut.

“Is Charly all right?” he strode away from Claudette and drilled his eyes into John.

“She is, but there’s been an incident.”

“Who’s Charly?” Claudette screeched. “Is she your new girlfriend, Antonio? Oh wait, you don’t have girlfriends, do you? We’re your fuckbuddies.” Her voice was petulant, and he’d had enough of her.

“What happened?” he demanded of Garrison. “I told you. I don’t want to be separated from her.”

“There was nothing you could have done. You’re not allowed inside where it happened. Let’s go.” Garrison was already walking away from him.

Dammit.

He was about to follow when Claudette gripped his arm. “Antonio, baby.”

Antonio swung around and faced her. “We’re over. We’ve been over ever since I found out what kind of woman you are. I liked your ruthlessness in business, Claudette, but what you did with the baby was unforgivable. Goodbye.”

Shrugging off her arm, he turned away from her for good and walked out of her life.

“What did Roarke say?” Antonio growled. He tried to call Charly, but she wasn’t picking up. Her locator was showing she was still at Downtown Medical.

“Her father,” Garrison started, but they were already at the hospital. The second their vehicle pulled into the loading and unloading zone, Roarke appeared, his arm around Charly. Antonio felt a snarl bubbling up his throat, but he knew that was what bodyguards did. Instead, his eyes focused on her ashen face.

Antonio shoved out of the vehicle and met them. “Are you okay, gatinha?”

“Just take me home,” she whispered.

He helped her into the back of the SUV and got in after her. Roarke sat in front with Garrison.

“What happened?” Garrison asked. He was addressing Declan.

“William Bennett walked in like any other regular doctor. The guard recognized him and called him by name. I checked with Bristow on Charly’s background, and he sent me a file. He’s a hospital administrator. Well respected, so I figured he was just saying hi to his daughter. Oh, and by the way, we were ambushed by the press.”

“Homeland Security had a press-con late last night,” the CIA officer said.

“They don’t waste time, do they?” Antonio said. “So they named Charly?”

“Yes.”

“You must have suspected something was wrong,” he prompted.

“The man just rushed out and his face was red. Angry.” Declan turned in his seat and looked at Charly. “My spidey sense told me you were in trouble.”

“Your spidey sense should have kicked in sooner.” Antonio tried to keep from snarling.

“It’s not Declan’s fault,” Charly said. She was strangely holding herself away from him. Antonio didn’t like that. He would need to have a chat with her this evening about how this was going to go forward between them.

He was claiming Charlotte Bennett.

Actually, he very much wanted for her to claim him too as her protector.

Not wanting even a millimeter of space between them, he scooted closer and picked up her hands.

She yelped and yanked them away from him.

Declan glanced at them and his eyes met Antonio’s before Antonio also caught Garrison’s briefly in the rearview mirror.

“Let me see your hands, Charly,” he said calmly.

“I’d rather not.”

“Don’t. Be. Stubborn,” Antonio growled and cursed when she flinched away from him. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I know you won’t.” A sob caught in her throat and tears formed in her eyes. “Please, just take me home.”

Antonio was trying hard to keep a lid on his temper. His simmering rage was not aimed at her, but at the man who he suspected was behind Charly’s injury. And it appeared he’d hurt her