Bridegroom Bodyguard by LISA CHILDS Page A

Paynes—they’re all about law and order.” But he notably didn’t make that claim for himself. “You’re safer with this guy than you would be with anybody else—probably even with the police right now.”
    Parker flinched as he remembered how the greed of a certain police officer had cost both him and Garek their fathers. Parker’s dad had died and Garek’s dad had gone to prison for killing him even though another man had pulled the trigger. Parker hadn’t had time to deal yet with finding out how his father’s partner had betrayed him before he’d found out that someone was trying to kill him.
    And then he had found out he was a father....
    No wonder his head was pounding now. It wasn’t just because of the concussion or exhaustion...
    He was overwhelmed.
    No doubt so was Sharon. So many people had been telling her so many things. Was it any wonder that she might struggle over what to believe and whom to trust?
    She said, “Detective Sharpe warned me that Parker’s a playboy.”
    Garek laughed harder—so hard that the baby laughed with him. “Maybe Sharpe’s not as big an idiot as I thought....”
    “He’s an idiot,” Parker insisted to Sharon. Then he turned back to Garek. “And you have no room to talk in the playboy department.”
    He laughed again. “I’m not denying that....”
    Parker couldn’t deny his reputation, either. He had vowed to never marry, to never have children. But he’d had reasons. He had actually wanted to spare someone mourning him the way he and his mother and siblings had mourned the loss of their father. And even before the hit had gone out on him, his life had often been in jeopardy. As an undercover cop, he’d put his life on the line with every dangerous assignment. And when he protected someone, he again placed himself between that person and potential danger.
    “Thanks for breaking and entering,” Parker said, “to give us the heads-up.”
    Garek shrugged and winced. “Don’t mention it. I’d stay to help protect you and all, but I’m a lousy shot. And I should probably stop by the emergency room and have them x-ray my ribs.”
    “Sorry about that,” Parker said with a carefully light slap on Garek’s shoulder.
    “I would have called...”
    But Parker had pulled the battery out of his phone so no one would have been able to hack the GPS and find out where he was. He pulled another phone from his pocket. “I replaced my cell with this one. It’s an untraceable track phone.” He gave the number to Garek. “Now you can call next time....”
    “Let’s hope there isn’t a next time. You don’t want the reward getting tripled.” He grinned. “Or I might be tempted to collect.” Then he turned and headed down the stairs to the basement garage.
    Parker wasn’t so sure that Kozminski was kidding. If double an already generous reward was obscene, then triple would probably prove irresistible.
    After the door clicked behind Garek, Parker made sure it was locked and the alarm was engaged. Then he headed up the stairs to where Sharon waited for him. Instead of the gun, she held a bottle, which Ethan was eagerly sucking down. She arched her neck to indicate where she had left his weapon sitting on the nightstand next to the rumpled king-sized bed.
    He only noticed how delicate her neck looked; how slender she was. Vulnerable. And beautiful...even as exhausted as she was.
    She hadn’t had much sleep, and it showed in the dark circles beneath her enormous eyes. After what they had just learned from Garek, she probably wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep even if Ethan did.
    “I’m sorry about that,” he said.
    She skeptically arched a brow. “Sorry that he made you tell me?”
    “Yes,” he admitted.
    “Why?” she asked, and she bristled with pride. “Do you think I’m too weak or fragile to know what’s going on? That the reward for our murders has been increased?”
    He glanced again to where she’d put the gun. “You handled that pretty