Protective Measures. Maggie K. Black

paws toward Ivy and Eve. The girls squealed and cooed, and begged Leo to let them go pat it.

      But all of that was eclipsed by the site of the petite, dark-haired woman walking toward him. She was dressed simply, in jeans and a tank top that showed off the strength in her arms. Her skin was free of makeup. A simple elastic held back her hair, letting only a few wisps escape and fall around her face. She was even more dazzling than he’d remembered.

      “Hey,” she said. “How’s it going?”

      “Not bad,” he said. “You?”

      “I’m okay.” Her dark eyes met his and it was like everything else faded to static around him. There was something about her that hit him like a punch in the gut. An attraction? A feeling? He didn’t know what to call it. But it was like someone had attached jumper cables to the dusty remnants of his heart and was trying to jolt it into beating again.

      “Daddy!” Eve said. “Can we go see the puppy? Please?”

      “It’s okay,” Zoe said, stepping forward. “I’m happy to watch the girls. I know you and Josh need to talk. We’ll stay right around here within eyesight.”

      Her hand brushed her ear and he saw she was wearing a tiny earpiece. Apparently she’d be staying within earshot, too.

      “Please, Daddy? Can we go with her?” Eve’s bright eyes brimmed with hope.

      “Okay.” He hated having the girls beyond arm’s length. But he trusted she’d keep them safe, and maybe putting a few feet of distance between himself and Zoe would help keep the jumper-cable jolts at bay. “Zoe, these are my daughters, Ivy and Eve. Girls, this is my friend Zoe. She’s really nice and is going to watch you while I talk to my friend Josh. I want you to be very polite and stay where I can see you.”

      Ivy’s skeptical eyes flitted to Zoe’s face. Zoe stretched out her hand toward Leo’s eldest. “It’s very nice to meet you, Ivy.”

      “I like your bracelet.” Ivy eyed her hand.

      “Thank you,” Zoe said. A tightly woven black-and-green rope encircled her wrist. If she was wearing a microphone, Leo didn’t see it. “It’s a special kind of rope called a paracord. I wear them all the time. You can unravel it really long and use it for climbing or other useful things. I can show you how to make one.”

      Ivy paused another moment, then asked, “Do you like dogs?”

      “Definitely. I have a terrier at home named Oz. He’s very pesky.”

      “Do you like ice cream?” Eve interjected.

      “A bit.” Zoe looked at her seriously. “But I prefer sherbet.”

      Eve’s lips scrunched as she pondered this. “Do you like climbing trees?”

      “I love climbing.” Zoe smiled. “I used to be a gymnast.”

      “Really?” Eve beamed. “I want to be a gymnast!”

      Did she now? Last he’d heard she wanted to be either a princess or a unicorn. But he wasn’t exactly surprised. Both girls loved climbing.

      Having apparently passed inspection, Zoe started walking with the girls toward the dog.

      “I can’t climb trees in flip-flops,” Eve was saying.

      “Well, maybe after we meet the puppy I’ll teach you how to climb in bare feet.”

      Their voices faded to background babble. He let out a long sigh, then turned toward Josh. The former soldier was already on his feet.

      “Good to see you.” A broad smile crossed Josh’s face as he reached out to clasp Leo on the back. “You’ve met Alex, right?”

      “I have.” Leo stretched his hand out and shook Alex’s hand. “Theresa never told me you were a bodyguard.”

      A wide grin crossed Alex’s face. “We do our best to keep it on the down low. Doesn’t always work, but we try. The work we do is one hundred percent confidential.”

      “I noticed Zoe was wearing an earpiece.” Leo looked at Josh. “I take it she can hear our conversation, too?”

      “Yep.” Josh turned his wrist toward Leo. There was a small microphone implanted in his watch. He had to admit, it was pretty impressive tech.

      “I was surprised to hear from you.” Leo sat. “I thought you were on your honeymoon.”

      “I am,” Josh said. “But it’s the second week and it’s hard to keep Samantha off the internet once she knows she’s onto something. She found something on The Anemoi’s message board we thought you should see.” Josh passed Leo his phone. Leo looked down at the picture the waiter had snapped of the vandalized poster of him and the girls. “Did you know that you’re The Anemoi’s next target?”