Aria’s jaw dropped. "Oh my God. Are you like... Bella’s secret security detail? What is happening right now?!"
I blinked, stunned. "Wait—are you?"
The girl straightened, her eyes sharp but her tone oddly respectful. "Yes, second boss. You can call me Jo, ma’am." She held out my purse like it was some kind of royal artifact. I took it, still trying to process the last ten seconds.
"Jo," I repeated, my voice still catching up with reality.
The silent one, hauled the mugger to his feet and spoke for the first time, her voice a low gravel. "He won’t be a problem again." She gave him a slight shove toward a black sedan that had materialized at the curb, its engine purring silently. The back door opened as if by magic, and the thief was bundled inside. The car pulled away without a sound, vanishing into traffic. It was so clean, so seamless, it might as well have been a mirage.
"Thank you for retrieving my bag," I said. I opened it and checked inside. My wallet was there. My keys. And tucked safely in a side pocket, the small, glossy photograph of a tiny, pulsing blur. The most important thing in the world.
She gave a clipped nod, already starting to melt back into the shadows but I stopped her. "Wait. Were you... following us? Did you see what we came to do at the clinic?"
"Yes," Jo said simply, not flinching. "I was instructed to stay close. Always. Therefore, I am aware."
Something fluttered uneasily in my chest. I glanced at Aria, then back at Jo. My eyes narrowed. "So since you’re basically... my personal guard, does that mean you’re loyal to me, or only to my man?"
Jo didn’t blink. "I am loyal to both of you. Equally."
Aria shoved her sunglasses down her nose, studying Jo like she was inspecting fine art. "Okay, but can you be more loyal to us than Adrien?"
"Yes," Jo said flatly. "Since you are the boss’s wife, that makes me, technically... your dog."
I choked on a laugh, a nervous, disbelieving sound. "My dog?"
Jo inclined her head again, a miniscule movement that somehow conveyed immense seriousness. "Technically. Under his command structure, but your needs are my primary directive."
"So," Aria said, her voice a low, amused purr, "if Bella wanted you to, I don’t know, go fetch me a unicorn, you’d try?"
Jo’s gaze flickered to Aria, a flicker of something unreadable in her sharp eyes. "If the directive was given, and it was within my capabilities, yes. Unicorn fetching is not currently within my skillset, however. But I would endeavor."
My lips twitched. "So... if I asked you not to tell Adrien about today, about what I did at the clinic, would you?"
Jo met my gaze head-on. "No, ma’am. That is not part of my duty. I do not report on you. I only protect you and assist you when needed."
Aria and I exchanged a look. The kind of look that said this is perfect without either of us needing to say it.
"It’s settled then," I said, sliding my bag over my shoulder. "You’re joining us for tacos."
Jo blinked like I’d just threatened her with a sword. "I must decline. I cannot eat with the master’s wife while on duty."
"Nonsense," Aria interjected, already pulling Jo by the arm towards the car. "You’re protecting us while we eat. Think of it as a tactical refueling mission. Plus," she added, her voice dropping conspiratorially, "How can you protect us from afar if you’re not privy to our taco preferences? What if someone tries to slip us a bad taco? This is vital intelligence, Jo."
Jo’s expression was a fascinating study in contained bewilderment. Her eyes darted from Aria’s determined grip to my expectant face, a flicker of something almost akin to a smile playing at the corners of her mouth before she quickly suppressed it. "My protocols do not account for..." she trailed off, unable to articulate the sheer absurdity of the situation.
"Your protocols are about to get an upgrade," I said, a mischievous grin spreading across my face. "Consider it an executive order. Plus, you look exhausted. Both of you." I said pointing to the third lady.
Jo’s gaze shifted, a fleeting shadow of something that might have been concern crossing her features as she looked at the other woman, a woman who had been silent until now, standing a respectable distance away. The other woman, whose presence had been so subtle I’d almost forgotten her, offered a barely perceptible nod. Her own aura was one of quiet competence, an extension of Jo’s own stillness.
"She is... also part of the protection detail," Jo stated, her voice still low but with a new inflection, a hint of weariness that mirrored my own. "Her designation is Kai."
Aria’s eyes widened, then she let out a delighted chuckle. "Oh, this is too good! So we have Jo, the stoic warrior, and Kai, the silent ninja, and me, the fabulous auntie, and Bella, the... well, Bella, the mom-to-be! It’s like a superhero team, but with better snacks!"
I smiled."You can eat tacos and still watch over us. Think of it as a training exercise. Plus, I’m starving, and you’re not on duty if you’re going to let me pass out from hunger." I winked at her, my tone lightening the tension that hung in the air. "Come on, Jo. I promise not to make you fetch a unicorn... today."
Jo’s lips twitched, and for a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of a real smile. "Very well, ma’am. But only because it is imperative that you not pass out from hunger. I would hate to have to explain that to the boss."
Aria clapped her hands together, retrieving her abandoned heels from the asphalt and tossing them onto the car floor. "Excellent!"
As the driver started the car, pulling out of the clinic parking lot, I leaned back, clutching my purse. In one corner, the tiny, glossy picture of my future. In the other, the reminder that my life—and now this delicate secret—was being managed by a network of highly trained professionals whose loyalty was absolute, yet whose existence I had been completely unaware of just hours ago.
Adrien wasn’t just wealthy; he was powerful, protective, and clearly, deeply operational. The mugging felt less like unfortunate street crime and more like a minor disturbance that his system had neutralized within seconds. The level of response was staggering.
I glanced at the car keeping a good distance at the back.
This baby is going to have some serious bodyguards, I thought, a strange mix of terror and immense safety washing over me. But first, I have to figure why I suddenly feel like eating avocado and salt.