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Ace relaxed as soon as he saw the extra security Elijah had organized, and the extensive protocols that have been put in place seem to have dragged some of the tension from his shoulders.
A huge desk appeared beneath one of the windows twenty minutes ago, and he’s busied himself setting up his computers again. I’m not sure who packed them up as we were hustled out of the hotel suite, careful not to get in the way of the two men in hazmat suits that Elijah called “cleaners.”
It’s been a weird day, and that feels like a strange thought to have for someone who has lived the life I have. Nothing about my life has ever been normal, but today has been extra odd.
Elijah is by the door, barking orders at some poor guys that have been tasked with guarding me. He got extra grouchy when Ace informed him Doc would be coming to check me over after what happened at the suite. I didn’t have the heart to remind him that apart from the explosion, I wasn’t actually in the room for any of it.
I messaged Emerson to ask if she could come sit with me during the examination because if he’s going to be here anyway, I might as well have him do all the other checks too. Ace hasn’t stopped moving for long enough for me to tell him, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
His eyes flick up to make sure I’m still where he left me on the cloud of a couch. It’s without a doubt the most comfortable surface I’ve ever sat on, and I’ll be happy to sleep here if it comes down to it. He can’t keep his eyes off me for more than a few minutes at a time, and each time our eyes clash, it makes my heart skip a beat because I know he’s worried about me. Because he lost me once, and he can’t bear the thought of losing me again.
Commotion drags both our attention from the other, and I find Emerson standing in the doorway with Rayne on her heels. He surveys the area closely, including each of the guards as if he’s vetting them for whether they should be close to his wife or not.
“I wasn’t sure we’d beat Doc here,” Emerson admits as she crosses the apartment to the couch I’m perched on. She’s changed into a pair of yoga pants and an oversized sweater, but she looks just as beautiful as she did when she came to see me earlier.
Ace’s brows pull together in confusion, and guilt hits me. I should have told him. “I asked Emerson to come sit with me during the examination. She suggested that perhaps I should have some tests given…” But I can’t finish the sentence. I don’t want to tell this room full of people that I was used and abused for years. That my body and my choices stopped belonging to me the moment my foster father shoved me into the trunk of a car and sold me into trafficking.
It takes a few seconds for the pieces to fall into place, but it’s the flash of disgust that crosses his eyes that makes my stomach drop.
Here I am with my stomach flipping when he’s worried about me, but it’s nothing more than pity. He feels responsible for the things that happened eight years ago, and now I’m a burden. Just like I’ve always been.
CHAPTER TWELVE
ACE
Something changed when she told me she was going to have Doc run some checks, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. I thought we were finally making progress. She hasn’t looked ready to do a runner since I settled her on the couch when we got here, and she’s welcomed my touch on several occasions.
So what changed?
She disappeared into the bedroom with Emerson and the tattooed giant twenty minutes ago, and I’m having a hard time distracting myself.
I should be in there with her.
“Can you sit down? You’re even making me anxious,” Elijah grumbles from where he’s perched on a barstool. I’m surprised he’s still here. I thought he would have left as soon as we were settled to get back to Snow, but he seems content barking orders at the security team and helping me set up my shit.
“They’ve been in there for hours.”
Rayne chuckles and shakes his head from where he’s leaning against the counter in the kitchen. “It’s been twenty minutes.”
I glare at him before finally relenting, taking up the stool beside Elijah. I don’t know why these assholes are here, but they’re getting on my nerves.
“Does it get easier?” I ask before I realize the words have left my mouth.
“Letting them out of your sight?” Rayne asks.
I nod, and they both shake their heads.
“No. After Snow was taken, I couldn’t even let her pee without having the door cracked open so I could keep an eye on her,” Elijah admits.
Rayne brushes his fingers along the stubble on his jaw. “As you can see, I’m still not able to let Emerson out of the house without me or without a substantial security presence. And even then, I obsessively watch her tracker to make sure she gets where she’s meant to be going.”
I sigh and drop my head into my hands.
“But they get used to it. Emerson still gets frustrated, but she understands that I’m only doing it because I’m terrified of losing her again.”
That makes me pop my head up to look at him. Rayne Saint James, the most ruthless enforcer in the city, just admitted to what scares him the most. I’ve spent all this time resenting their entire family for shutting down my operations all those years ago, but all they’ve done since we rescued Mia and Clara is help us, admit their vulnerabilities, and use their expansive resources to keep us both safe.
“Snow’s the same.” Elijah nods. “We’ve always had an…unconventional relationship anyway, but after I almost lost her, it got a lot worse.”
