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of convenience,” she relayed matter-of-factly. “He needs a wife so he can bid for a magazine he’s set his sights on. He wants me to fill the role.”
    Luke’s roar only escalated with that little tidbit. “Unbelievable! You’ve told him what he can do with his offer, right? He may own a few publishing groups, but that doesn’t mean he has the entire industry in a choke hold. Even if he decides to follow through with his threat, I can easily establish a different cover.”
    “I know, and it gave me great pleasure to shoot him down. I wish you weren’t caught in the middle of this, though. Intrepid is a good fit for you.”
    “Don’t worry about it. You were right to refuse him. Are you sure you won’t let me pay him a visit?”
    Lauren chuckled. “I love how you always come charging to my rescue, but I can stand on my own two feet.”
    “And you’re very good at it. Charging to the rescue is what big brothers are for, so humor me, okay? I expect you to let me know if that idiot bothers you again.”
    “Thanks, Luke. I love you.”
    “Love you too, sis. Now get some sleep.”
    It wasn’t a tough directive to obey. Exhausted from the emotional roller coaster she’d been on since Friday night, she was dead to the world when her head hit the pillow.
    The chiming of her phone the next morning woke her, sending her heart jolting. Rafe, she determined, calling for her decision. It was showtime.
    “The answer is still no,” she relayed, forgoing the standard greeting in her impatience to have him out of her life once and for all.
    “Lauren?” a puzzled but familiar female voice queried.
    “Oh, I’m so sorry, Liz,” Lauren apologized, realizing belatedly that her caller wasn’t Rafe. “I was expecting another call. What’s up?”
    “I was wondering if I could stop by,” her boss requested. “Something urgent has come up, and I’d like to talk to you about it away from the office.”
    “Of course.”
    Fifteen minutes later Lauren opened her door to Liz’s knock.
    “I come bearing gifts.” The beautiful blonde backbone of Sentinels smiled, handing her a still-warm bakery bag.
    With an appreciative groan, Lauren breathed in the mouthwatering aroma of cinnamon and chocolate wafting from the bag. “Mmmmm. Something smells wonderfully decadent. Fortunately I can be convinced to be a bad girl with minimal arm twisting.”
    “I thought maybe,” her boss grinned.
    “Since you’re plying me with treats, I’m guessing what you have to tell me isn’t pretty.”
    “I’m afraid the news I have to share is about a 9.9 on the devastation scale.”
    “Piece of cake, then. I handled a 10.0 Friday night. I have a pot of coffee brewing, so between the caffeine and the sugar we’ll be set to take on anything the world can throw at us.”
    “Stephanie filled me in on what happened at the benefit. It must have been quite a shock. How are you holding up?”
    “I’m fine. I’ve seen the last of him now, I think.”
    Liz fell uncharacteristically quiet, hesitating before handing her a thick manila folder.
    Lauren flipped the folder open and froze when she saw the subject of the dossier. The face in the photo attached to the front page was all too familiar. Rafe. Suddenly the luscious cinnamon roll she’d been savoring held all the allure of a piece of cardboard. “You’ve got to be kidding,” she groaned.
    “I wish I were.”
    “I don’t understand,” she croaked, her throat tight with disbelief. “If Rafe thinks he requires protection, why doesn’t he simply employ his father’s security detail?”
    “Rafe isn’t the one who enlisted Sentinels’ services. His father, Philip, did. Everything is detailed in the dossier. In a nutshell, there have been some threats made recently against the Dimitriou family, and Philip isn’t leaving anything to chance. He tried to talk Rafe into using the family security team, but he wouldn’t hear of it. Philip told me Rafe has refused to let anyone work a