Torn Bond (Bonded Duet 1)

“I think the question should be, why the hell are you going to a club owned by the goddamn cartel?”

My breath stalled in my chest, and my hand reached out to Ford, grasping his arm. Shit. Fuck. “I—”

“Ford told me you were there.” There was a pause, and Ford turned his head to face me. His hazel eyes swirled with something I couldn’t place, and then he glanced down at my hand and back at my face. “He told me he got you out of there.” I was waiting for him to mention what Ford had done before he put me in a cab and demanded I went home, but he didn’t. The silence rang louder than anything, and I wondered if Ford hadn’t told him everything that happened. And why had he told him in the first place? What the hell was going on around me?

“I…I didn’t know what the place was, Dad.”

Dad sighed, and Ford’s arm dropped off the steering wheel and moved to the center console, but I still didn’t let go. Ford didn’t stop staring at me, and I ate it up because I didn’t want him to look anywhere else. I wanted to have his attention only on me.

“There’s been a development in the case, and a threat has been made.” There was some shuffling over the line, and then he said, “Ford is there to protect you.”

“A threat?” Ford tensed under my palm. “Against me?” My voice was small, and I knew I sounded exactly how they thought I was—delicate—but I was in shock. Why would a threat be made against me? What had I done to anyone?

“Yes.” Dad cleared his throat. “Ford will be staying at your apartment until further notice. He’ll be following you and—”

“So, he’s basically my bodyguard?” I interrupted. “You sent Ford to be my bodyguard?” I was getting angr

ier the more I spoke. Could he not trust that I could protect myself? He’d taught me how to defend myself. He’d taught me how to shoot a gun, and more importantly, actually hit my target. I’d been prepared my entire life, and now he was sending someone else to watch over me because of a measly threat?

“Yes, Belle. You have no idea the kind of people they are. You need someone looking out for you.”

I gritted my teeth. “But—”

“I’ve gotta go, Belle. Tell Ford I’ll be in touch.” The line went dead, and I pulled my cell from my ear and stared down at it. Dad had done what he always did—given me just enough information to tell himself he’d tried but still kept the majority back.

“I…I don’t understand,” I whispered, my anger quickly turning into frustration.

The silence in the car was stifling. Was Ford about to do the same thing Dad had? Would he fill me with elaborate lies, or would he not tell me anything? I blinked at Ford, hopeful that he’d trust me to know what was happening.

“I was undercover, trying to take down the cartel. The guy who was standing at the door when I…” He glanced away, and I knew what he meant—when we kissed. He looked back at me and cleared his throat. “That was Garza. The boss.” I gripped his arm harder, but I wasn’t sure whether it was because I’d been so close to a cartel boss, or because Ford was actually telling me information. “He saw you, Belle.”

My brows knitted as I replayed his words in my head. “He saw me?”

Ford nodded, and his hand covered mine on his arm. My breath caught in my throat as his long fingers wrapped around my small hand, and I was fascinated with how his tan skin looked against my pale skin.

“He asked me about you and I…I fucked up, Belle. I tensed, and he saw it, and then…fuck.” He let his head drop back on the headrest of his chair and gripped my hand harder. “He had a file on you. So we took him down, but he threatened you. He knew everything about your life, the coffee shop, your apartment, your class schedule.”

“But you arrested him, right?”

Ford rolled his head to face me. “Yeah, but this isn’t the kind of guy you let your guard down with, Belle. And I’m not taking any chances, and neither is your dad.” I bit down on my bottom lip, and it was on the tip of my tongue to ask him if he’d told my dad about the kiss, but I knew I couldn’t ask that, not yet anyway. “You okay, Baby Belle?” Ford asked, and the way he used the nickname he’d given me when I was little had butterflies swarming in my stomach.

“I…I think so,” I said, my voice small. I looked around, seeing people walking around outside, but I was on edge. Maybe I hadn’t imaged that prickly feeling the other day on campus. Maybe someone had been watching me. I knew I should have told Ford about it, but he looked tired if the bags under his eyes were anything to go by. “I’ll be fine,” I told him, removing my hand from under his. “Let’s head to my apartment.” I paused. “You’ll be okay sleeping on the sofa, right?”

He laughed as he sat upright and switched the engine on. “I’ve slept in worse places, Baby Belle.”

“I have no doubt about that,” I responded, and for the first time since he’d turned up, I smiled at him, a genuine smile.

Chapter Five

FORD

I didn’t need to ask Belle directions to her apartment.

I’d taken the intelligence Garza had on her—a whole file full of all her movements from the last week—and I also had a folder provided by Brody. You’d think after knowing Belle for all her life, I wouldn’t have needed it, but apparently, I did.

My gaze slid to Belle, and I stared down at her clutched hands in her lap. She was nervous, and if her shuffling feet were anything to go by, she felt the need to run away. I didn’t blame her. Brody hadn’t wanted me to be honest with her. In fact, he’d specifically told me to not tell her anything, but it didn’t feel right leaving her in the dark. It wasn’t like I was going to go into every little detail and tell her exactly what Garza did to the people who betrayed him, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to make her aware of what was going on.

She was twenty, an adult. I mean, Jesus, Lola had given birth to Belle when she was her age. Even though we all saw her as the little girl we needed to protect, I always knew she was so much more than that. Even before we kissed—