Page 22 of The Royal in Room 3

“Do I need to come over?” I asked, which was a silly question, given he wasn’t my boy. Yet. But I couldn’t help being worried.

“I think Aaron’s got it. He and Soren are close, given that Soren views him as his savior. When I can’t get through to him, Aaron speaks to him for me.”

Something tight pulled beneath my ribs, and an unpleasant taste filled my mouth. I’d been there the night Aaron had taken Soren to Halo House, so I knew firsthand the trust he must have in the cop. Still, I didn’t like picturing Soren turning to another man when he was frightened or hurting. It was my lap where he belonged.

“I guess he’s not coming tonight then,” I said, unable to keep the dejection out of my voice.

“I’m sorry, Jude. I’m not sure.”

The other end of the line went silent, although I sensed there was something else he wanted to say.

“Go ahead and say it. It was stupid of me to bring up my time in prison.”

“In hindsight, it might not have been wise,” he said, tactful as always. “Why did you tell him anyway? You’ve never disclosed that information to any of the other subs you’ve taken under your care.”

“I don’t know. It just felt like something he should know before making the decision.”

“It’s the same decision your other subs made, Jude.”

But it wasn’t this time, was it? There was the promise, though faint, of something new to explore. And since I hated liars and manipulators, I’d wanted to be upfront with Soren.

“Did he talk to you about it?” I asked.

“Of course he did. He was upset that I’d set him up with a criminal, so I have you to thank for that too. I think his trust in me has dwindled and that’s why he wanted to speak to Aaron.”

I couldn’t help the growl that came from my throat. “He could have come to me.”

“Really, Jude? Because it seems you left out quite a bit of the story. Why didn’t you tell him the full truth?”

“I did tell him the truth. What he needs to know anyway.”

“The truth is that you went to prison for something you didn’t do. Darren confessed to the whole thing when they finally nabbed him for trying the same thing again.”

“It doesn’t change the facts, Phoenix. Let him know I’ll wait for an extra hour if he decides to come because I think he’s worth the wait.”

“Jude, I know you give your all as a caregiver to your subs, but I’ve never seen you like this before. What’s different this time?”

“Damn if I know, Phoenix. Damn if I know. He’s just…different. I can feel it.”

“I hope so. I want this for you so much, my friend, but be careful. We don’t know much about him yet. He’s been tightlipped about how he wound up here, and we can tell from his foreign accent that he’s not from this country.”

“I already figured that out.”

He chuckled. “I’ve heard of love at first sight but not love at first sound. If I knew all it took for you to change your mind about love was a foreign accent, I would have picked out an international boy for you a long time ago.”

Despite the worry gnawing at my gut that Soren may not show up, I laughed, but the sound made my chest ache and my stomach feel hollow.

“You think I’m stupid for fixating on a guy I just met. Don’t you?” I whispered because Phoenix was just as jaded as me.

After the horrors of his late teen years, which left him scarred, he’d eventually lived with and married a much older man who’d willed Halo House and the nightclub to him. Their relationship had been built on mutual respect and devotion rather than love. They’d had an understanding that went deep, and Phoenix had vowed never to marry again. Phoenix’s husband had been to him what he was now to the angels he housed. And since, like me, Phoenix had no desire for love, he’d focused all his energy and his late husband’s wealth on caring for the less fortunate, much as he had been years ago.

“Au contraire, my friend, I hope everything works out for you. You’ve provided an invaluable service to Halo House, and if it’s time for you to walk away from that role, you know I’ll miss you but support you.”

I cleared my throat, which had grown thick with emotion from his words. We’d both come a long way.

“It’s too soon for all these maudlin words, Phoenix. We don’t even know if he’ll show up.”

“Well, I hope he does. It would be his loss to miss out on the best Daddy a boy could ever ask for.”