Chapter 175 - On One Condition

Harry watched Jade as she ate her food in silence while he sipped from his glass of wine. He wasn't exactly hungry but had come out for lunch because he wanted her to eat as she looked too thin for his liking. He wasn't sure she has had a decent meal in a long while. 

"For someone who claimed to be hungry, you haven't touched your food," Jade pointed out calmly without looking at him, although she could tell that he staring at her. 

"I've been too hard on you, right?" Harry asked, and Jade's lips quirked as she raised her head to meet his gaze. 

"You've been an arsehole," Jade admitted with a nod, but she no longer sounded very upset.

"I know. It's probably going to be stupid of me to apologize once again," Harry said with a crooked smile, and Jade gave him a nod. 

She cleared her throat, "You really don't have to stay with me though. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," Jade assured him, looking directly into his brown eyes. 

'Yeah, I can see how well you managed to take care of yourself,' Harry thought to himself but bit back the urge to say it. The last thing he wanted was to offend her in public and have her snapping his head off at the five-star restaurant where they were having lunch, "I don't doubt that you can take care of yourself," Harry said, but Jade narrowed her eyes at him.

"That wasn't what you wanted to say, was it?" She asked, watching him keenly, and Harry chuckled before he could stop himself. 

"I'd rather not say that. I've argued with you more times in just a few hours than I have done with anyone else my entire life," Harry confessed, and she raised a brow. 

"Not even your sisters?" Jade asked in disbelief, recalling how many arguments and fights she had growing up with her brothers, especially Bryan who always seemed to get her on her nerves.

"I'm an only child," Harry informed her, and her lips rounded in a silent o.

"And your girlfriend?" She asked curiously.

"If I had a girlfriend, I wouldn't be here looking after you now, would I?" Harry asked with a slightly raised brow, and Jade shook her head. 

"But you have had girlfriends in the past, haven't you?" Jade asked, and Harry's right brow quirked as he narrowed his eyes at her. 

"Are you asking me about my love life, Esquire?" He asked suspiciously, and Jade giggled. 

"You wish. I'm only asking because of what you said. So I'm just wondering what kind of angel you must have dated to have never gotten into arguments with her," Jade said with an indifferent shrug as she returned her attention to the shrimp dish in front of her. 

"Well, after experiencing the power of my tongue first hand, what do you think?" Harry asked with a wry smile, and Jade looked at him for a second before shaking her head. 

"You're kidding, right?" She asked in disbelief, and Harry chuckled when she added, "Don't tell me you've never been in a relationship before?" 

"Well, I did meet someone once for a blind date, and she walked out and never returned after I told her the makeup looked funny on her," Harry said with a wince, and Jade burst into a peal of laughter before she could stop herself. 

"You're impossible," Jade said with a shake of her head feeling sorry for the lady whoever she was that Harry had done that to. 

"Yeah. I know. What about you?" Harry asked, watching her curiously.

"What about me what?" Jade asked in confusion, even though he could still see the mirth in her eyes. 

"No man in your life? I heard about your fiance's death, I'm sorry," he added as an afterthought, even though there was nothing in his tone that showed he was sorry. 

Harry watched as the mirth died in her eyes, and she pressed her lips together briefly before flashing him a stiff smile, "Now you're curious about my love life?" She asked with forced humor, and Harry could tell she was trying to change the subject.

"Yes, I am. So tell me, do you have a boyfriend?" Harry asked, even though Tom had already told him that she was single. He figured that she might not be dating, but it was possible she had a man in her life, maybe a friend with benefits kind of arrangement, or a lover she was keeping hidden from her family. 

"Why? You want to know if there is someone you can hand me over to, who would watch over me in your stead?" Jade asked with a teasing smile as she stylishly avoided his question. 

"I want to know if there's someone I might get into a dirty fight with over living with you," Harry said instead, and Jade sighed when she realized that he was not going to drop the subject unless she answered his question. 

"No. There's no one."

"Good then. So you won't have a problem with moving from your home to the hotel, right? We could work from the comfort of the hotel suite while having our own bedroom," Harry suggested.

"That would send a message of fear to them. They would think I ran away from my home because I am scared," Jade said with a frown, not liking that idea. 

"Why should you care about what the criminals think? All that should matter to you is that you are safe while gathering all the evidence you need against them until the day you have to be in court, right? It's best if they believe you ran away. That way they would let their guards down, thinking you're out of the picture," Harry suggested, and Jade pursed her lips as she thought about it.

"Maybe you have a point," Jade said with a nod. 

"So now that we have gotten that out of the way, how about you tell me all I need to know about the case? That way my men can know what to look out for," Harry said, and Jade gave him a nod.

"It involves the lords of a drug cartel. The cartel is known as the Legion..."

"Hold on, the Legion?" Harry interrupted, recalling that the men he had asked to go after the private investigator had informed him a while ago that the private investigator had been picked up by members of a gang known as the Legion.

"Yes. Do you know about them?" Jade asked curiously when she noticed the frown on his brow. 

"Yeah... They picked up a private investigator today..."

"What private investigator? How do you know about it?" Jade asked, and she listened with keen interest as Harry gave her the details. 

By the time he was done her eyes were narrowed thoughtfully as she looked at him, "Would it be possible for your men to find out who they asked him to find?" Jade asked hopefully, and Harry smirked.

"Sure. On one condition though," Harry said, and Jade's brows furrowed. 

"What?" She asked in confusion.

"Admit that you need my help, and you want me here," Harry said with a grin.