Chapter 8: Getting into their Heart

  

Daveson stood outside Lissa's private office, waiting to be summoned. He'd requested this meeting two days ago, and she'd finally granted him fifteen minutes of her time. Fifteen minutes to sell the most crucial part of his plan.

The door opened. Lissa's assistant gestured him inside.

Lissa sat behind her massive mahogany desk, reading glasses perched on her nose as she reviewed documents. She looked up as he entered, her smile warm and practiced. "Roarke. Come in, sit down. I've been meaning to speak with you anyway."

"Thank you for seeing me, Mrs. Heyden." Daveson took the offered seat, keeping his posture professional but relaxed.

"Please, after what you did for me, I think we're past such formality. Lissa is fine." She set down her pen. "How are you healing? Those were some nasty bruises."

"Almost gone. Nothing serious."

"Good. I wanted to personally thank you again. What you did that night..." She paused, and for a moment something genuine flickered across her face. "I have enemies, Roarke. More than most people realize. The fact that you didn't hesitate, that you put yourself between me and that gun, that means everything."

Daveson nodded, letting her words settle. "It's what I'm here for. To protect you and your family."

"Yes. Which brings me to something I've been considering." Lissa leaned back in her chair. "I'm promoting you. Head of my personal security detail. Significant raise, full benefits, and direct access to me at all times."

It was a generous offer. More than Daveson had dared hope for. But it wasn't what he needed.

"I'm honored, truly. But I'd like to propose something different."

Lissa's eyebrows rose slightly. "Oh?"

"Your son. Leonard." Daveson kept his voice measured, carefully presenting his reasoning. "He's brilliant, ambitious, and he's making powerful moves in the business world. Which makes him a target. Not just from your enemies, but from competitors, from anyone who sees him as a threat."

"Leonard has his own security team."

"He does. Good people. But they're not with him constantly. They secure locations, sweep vehicles, maintain perimeter. But Leonard himself..." Daveson leaned forward slightly. "He needs someone closer. Someone who's always there. Someone he trusts."

"You want to be his driver."

"More than that. I want to be his shadow. Driver, bodyguard, first line of defense. Someone who can read situations before they become threats, who can protect him the way I protected you."

Lissa studied him for a long moment. "Leonard is particular about who he allows in his space. He values privacy, independence. He's already refused your company on multiple occasions."

"I know. Which is why I'm coming to you. He needs protection whether he wants to admit it or not. After what happened at your party, we have to assume there are active threats against your family. Leonard is just as vulnerable as you are, maybe more so because he doesn't take the threats seriously."

"And you think forcing your presence on him will help?"

"I think," Daveson said carefully, "that once he sees the value I can provide, he'll come to appreciate having someone competent watching his back. But he's stubborn. He won't agree unless you make it clear this isn't optional."

Lissa's lips curved in something that might have been amusement. "You want me to override my son's objections."

"I want you to prioritize his safety over his pride."

The silence stretched. Lissa tapped her fingers on the desk, considering. "You're very confident in your abilities."

"I'm realistic about them. I know what I can do. And I know Leonard is important, not just to you but to the future of this company. Protecting him is protecting everything you've built."

More silence. Then Lissa nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll speak with Leonard. But understand, if this doesn't work, if he finds your presence more hindrance than help, we'll revisit this arrangement."

"Understood. Thank you, Mrs. Heyden."

"Lissa," she corrected. "And Roarke? I hope you know what you're getting into. My son is not an easy man to work with."

Daveson allowed himself a small smile. "I've noticed."

Leonard's reaction was exactly as Daveson had predicted.

"Absolutely not." Leonard's voice was flat, cold, final. He stood in his mother's office, arms crossed, his violet eyes hard. "I don't need a babysitter."

"You need protection," Lissa countered, her tone brooking no argument. "Someone tried to kill me last week. You think they won't come after you next?"

"I have security."

"You have a team that secures locations. You don't have anyone personally dedicated to your safety. Roarke changes that."

"Roarke is competent, I'll grant you that. But I don't want someone hovering over me constantly. I have meetings, private calls, sensitive business that requires discretion."

"And Roarke has proven he can be discreet. More importantly, he's proven he can act when it matters." Lissa's voice softened slightly. "Please, Leo. For me. I can't lose you."

Something flickered in Leonard's expression. Not warmth, exactly, but acknowledgment of his mother's concern. "This is not negotiable?"

"No. It's not."

Leonard's jaw tightened. "Fine. But he answers to me. I set the rules, the boundaries, the expectations. If he can't meet them, he's gone. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Leonard turned his cold gaze to Daveson, who had been standing silently by the door throughout the exchange. "You. With me. Now."

Daveson followed Leonard out of Lissa's office, down the hallway to Leonard's private study. The moment the door closed, Leonard rounded on him.

"Let me make something very clear," Leonard said, his voice like ice. "I don't care that you saved my mother's life. I don't care that she thinks you're some kind of miracle worker. You're here because she's forcing the issue, not because I want you here. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"You will drive me where I need to go. You will remain outside during meetings unless I specifically request your presence. You will not speak unless spoken to. You will not offer opinions on my business. You will not gossip about what you see or hear. You will be invisible except when I need you. Can you do that?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Because the moment you become more trouble than you're worth, I'll have you reassigned no matter what my mother says." Leonard moved to his desk, dismissing Daveson with his attention. "We leave for the office at seven tomorrow morning. Be ready."

"I will be."

"And Roarke?" Leonard glanced up, his expression unreadable. "Don't mistake my mother's gratitude for my own. You haven't earned my trust yet. Every day, you'll have to prove you deserve to be here. Every. Single. Day."

"Understood, sir."

Daveson left the study, his heart pounding with satisfaction. Perfect. Leonard didn't want him there, which meant Leonard would be watching him constantly, evaluating him, testing him. And every test Daveson passed would draw Leonard in deeper, make him more dependent, more trusting.

It was exactly what he needed.