“Back Off, She’s With Me!”—Single Dad Ex-SEAL Protected a Stranger Who Was Actually a CEO
Chapter 3
Mason had rules.
Don’t get involved with strangers.
Don’t ask questions that aren’t yours to ask.
Never bring danger home.
And above all—
Protect Emma.
So when Claire appeared at his repair shop the next afternoon, he should have told her to leave.
Instead, he looked up from beneath the hood of an old pickup truck.
“What happened?”
“My car won’t start.”
He glanced toward the parking lot.
“You drove it here?”
“Barely.”
Mason wiped his hands.
“Pop the hood.”
She did.
He inspected the engine.
“Battery.”
“Can you fix it?”
“Eventually.”
Claire smiled.
“You always answer like that?”
“Usually.”
Emma was coloring at a small desk in the corner.
She looked up.
“Claire!”
Claire smiled.
“Hi.”
“You came to see Daddy.”
Mason closed his eyes.
“Emma.”
“What?”
Claire laughed.
“Apparently I did.”
Emma smiled proudly.
Mason shook his head.
Ten minutes later, Claire was sitting on an overturned toolbox while Mason worked.
“Why Greyhaven?” he asked.
She stared at him.
“Because nobody knows me here.”
“You wanted to disappear.”
“Yes.”
“From your company?”
She nodded.
“Why would a CEO run away?”
Mason stopped.
Claire froze.
He looked at her.
“CEO?”
She cursed under her breath.
Mason wiped his hands.
“You’re a CEO?”
She sighed.
“Yes.”
“Of what?”
“Bennett Global.”
He stared.
He had heard the name.
Everyone had.
It was one of the largest technology and logistics companies in the country.
“You’re Claire Bennett.”
“Yes.”
“The Claire Bennett.”
She smiled nervously.
“I guess.”
Mason laughed once.
“So the woman I rescued from a bar fight is a billionaire CEO.”
“Technically, I own stock.”
“Still.”
She looked uncomfortable.
“I didn’t tell you because I wanted to be Claire.”
“Not because you wanted me to think you were poor.”
“No.”
Mason nodded.
“I understand.”
She looked surprised.
“You’re not angry?”
“Why would I be?”
“Because I lied.”
“You were protecting yourself.”
“So were you.”
Mason went still.
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t move like a mechanic.”
He looked at her.
“Your eyes are always checking reflections.”
Silence.
“You scan people before they come near Emma.”
She lowered her voice.
“And yesterday, when Marcus reached inside his jacket, you knew exactly what he was doing before he moved.”
Mason stared.
“You notice everything.”
“Only things that don’t fit.”
That sentence hit him.
It sounded familiar.
Because he had said almost the same thing to her.
She continued.
“Who were you?”
Mason’s hands stopped.
“I was in the military.”
“I guessed.”
“How?”
“Your scar.”
She pointed toward his wrist.
“The way you reacted yesterday.”
Mason looked away.
“That’s all you need to know.”
Claire nodded.
“I won’t push.”
He returned to the truck.
For several minutes, they said nothing.
Then Claire spoke.
“I was going to leave today.”
Mason glanced at her.
“Why?”
“Because my security chief found me.”
“You should.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because if I go back, whoever is behind this wins.”
Mason lowered his wrench.
“You’re staying.”
She stared.
“You don’t know me.”
“No.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“No.”
“Then why?”
He glanced toward Emma.
“Because she likes you.”
Claire smiled.
“That isn’t enough.”
“For me, it is.”
His answer made her heart beat faster.
Later that evening, Mason drove Claire back to her motel.
He parked outside.
“Stay inside.”
She frowned.
“Why?”
“Your rear tire has been cut.”
She looked.
He was right.
Her face went pale.
Mason got out.
He checked the area.
Fresh tire marks.
Someone had been waiting.
He called the motel manager.
Then moved Claire inside.
“Do you still think I should leave?” she asked.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because now we know they’re willing to come after you here.”
She swallowed.
“What do I do?”
“Stay with me.”
She looked at him.
“You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
“I have a daughter.”
“So do I.”
He almost smiled.
“That may be the first thing we agree on.”
Claire hesitated.
Then nodded.
“Okay.”
Mason looked toward the road.
He had a bad feeling.
Someone wasn’t trying to scare Claire anymore.
They were testing how close they could get.
And Mason had seen that pattern before.
It always came before an attack.
