Claimed By My Secret Husband

Chapter Five

Current Day

Zara’s POV

As I stand in the office of my boss, Harrison Cadell, I can’t believe that I am seeing the man that is sitting across from him, staring at me like I’m a glass of water in an arid desert. When he opens his mouth though, the familiar, commanding voice that I remember fills the room.

‘Zara, good to see you’ he murmurs smoothly as his gaze roams over my body, openly taking me in and I have to forcibly suppress the shiver of awareness that runs through me, damn it, the man always could make me react to him.

‘Zara, Mr Tierra is a potential client, he is in need of a bodyguard and has asked for you personally’ Harrison informs me, and his words snap me out of my stupor.

‘No’ I snap out immediately, hell to the no is what I really want to say but I’m a goddamn professional and Gerrard Tierra is not going to come in here and knock me off my game. I refuse to meet his eye, instead, keeping my gaze on my boss who has questions in his eyes, questions that I don’t want to answer.

‘Zara . . ‘ my name falls like velvet from my husband’s lips, and I notice out of the corner of my eye, how he shifts slightly, leaning closer, as if he unconsciously needs to be nearer to me. I shove away the feeling of need in my chest, trying to ignore how his fingers flex, a tiny movement, barely visible unless you are looking for it, and I hate the fact that I’m looking for it. Even after all this time, I still feel his pull and it infuriates me.

‘No’ I cut him off firmly, eyes pinned to my boss, ‘I won’t do it Harrison, find someone else.’ As soon as I finish speaking, I turn on my heel, intent on getting the hell out of the small office where Gerrard's cologne is everywhere. I don’t know why, with five men in the room, I can only smell him but I can, and it’s making me feel things I don’t want to feel.

‘There is a death threat against my life.’ My feet stall at his words, as fear ripples through me without request. I shouldn’t care, I DON’T care! He’s just making it up, it’s another attempt to get me to go back to him, he’s just upping the stakes from the last two years of attempts.

‘This is just another ploy isn’t it?’ I mutter toward the door, ‘I told you before, leave me alone!’

Gerrard’s sigh feels real as his gaze digs into my back. ‘I admit, I’ve been looking for a reason for a while to get you to talk to me, ever since I found you again that night, but . . ‘ he chuckles, ‘even I wouldn’t go this far just to get your attention.’

I don’t say anything, rolling his words around in my mind, dissecting it, looking for the lie that I was trained to find, but finding none.

I turn around slowly, finally facing the man I’ve been trying to avoid for four years, his familiar grey eyes drawing me in, as they always did.

‘Someone is really trying to kill you?’ I ask, I already know it’s true but I still want to hear him say it.

My husband nods silently, his attention solely on me as I assess him, reading the truth in his eyes. He is in danger and he doesn’t know who to trust . . except me.

Calan tries to interject, pointing out how just me on my own, wouldn’t be enough to keep him safe. He’s wrong, even the dedication of Cadell Security and the money of Callan Hownell, doesn’t reach far enough to know everything about me. My prior life is so deeply buried in a vault at the pentagon that even the CIA couldn’t dig it out.

Gerrard is already shaking his head, though his attention doesn’t waver from my face.

‘I already have a team, that’s the problem, I think one if not more, might not be working for me anymore. I now need someone to vet them, dig into their lives, infiltrate their trust, until we catch the person or persons who are after me . . . I need someone I trust.’

Trust, the word hangs between us, how the hell he can trust me when our entire time together was a lie, I don’t know. He’s not wrong though, this is a job I’m designed for, working myself into enemy territory is ingrained into my DNA, something I perfected long before the government found me.

Callan glances at the twins, obviously uncertain ‘and you think that person is Zara?’ he asks. ‘I’m not disputing that at all', he adds hastily, with a glance in my direction, 'Zara is one of our best, but I’m confused at how you even came to know about her, we’re a small operation a long way from Vegas. How can you trust us? Trust Zara with your life like this?’

I don’t take offense to his words, I’ve gone to great lengths to hide my past from the people around me.

Gerrard smiles, and I brace myself for my past to finally catch up to me.

‘Can you think of anyone else that would be better at protecting me than my own wife?’ he asks the room.

Silence encompasses the room, each of the four men staring at Gerrard wordlessly as I try not to fidget, remaining impassive even as my throat tightens.

‘I’m sorry . .what?’ Harrison finally mutters, and I can now feel his eyes on me, but I’m still holding Gerrard’s gaze as he watches me for my reaction.

‘My wife’ Gerrard repeats, ‘Zara and I are married.’

I feel the burning gaze of my colleagues, but refuse to look ashamed, instead, I meet my boss’ gaze confidently until he looks away again.

‘I see, well in that case . . .’ Harrison glances at his brother who raises his eyebrows in response, neither seeming to know how to handle this situation.

‘Surely there is a conflict of interest here then?’ Callan offers up weakly, looking from Gerrard to his best friends and back again.

‘I am perfectly able to keep my professionalism’ I retort before I can stop myself. Why the hell am I arguing with him? He’s offering me a way out of this. The problem is, I already know I’m going to take the job; if Gerrard is telling the truth, and I know he is, he needs protection and I’m the best person here for the job.

‘I know that, but . .’ Callan is cut off by Gerrard once again, the enigmatic man I remember from before, surfacing again.

‘I understand your concerns gentlemen, but as I said, this is a non negotiable condition of the job. Either Zara is appointed as my bodyguard for the duration of the contract, or I will take my business and all future business I may have regarding security work elsewhere.’