Page 59 of Protective Phlox

I pulled him into my lap. “No, of course not.”

“Mom?”

“Yeah, Bud?”

“Are we gonna lose this family, too?”

I closed my eyes and held him to my chest. “No, Bud. Sometimes grown-ups are going to disagree, but it’s okay. You’re not going to lose anyone. Your dad and I both love you very much.”

“Okay.” Cutter laid his head against my heart, and I could feel him fall asleep.

“Are you sorry that you said we should go to the club,” I asked Goran.

“Not one bit. There are some moments as a soldier you live for, and watching Nathan terrified he was going to have his manhood ripped off was the highlight of my fucking life.” The rest of the guards snickered. “I only wish I was going to be there to see round two.”

Laying my head back, I stared at the ceiling of the car, just wanting to get home, have a shower, and curl up, holding my son. This was not the reception I’d been hoping for, that was for sure.

Chapter

Twenty-Three

NATHANIEL

Savannah turned and stormed away. Cutter, who was clinging to her, looked at me and then waved goodbye over her shoulder. I lifted my hand in a wave until he was out of sight before clenching my fist, wanting to put it through the wall. My guards wisely didn’t open their mouths or laugh. But with just a glance, it was easy to tell they were struggling to hold it in. Fuckers. My phone dinged with messages. There were three missed calls from Savannah.

“Son of a bitch.”

“We’re really sorry, Boss,” Rita and Becky said together, but I waved it off.

“Go home, and thanks for your help. Don’t worry. You’ll get overtime.”

“Really? Wow, thanks.” The two rushed off while I stared at my desk with cards strewn all over it. I could imagine what Savannah thought when she opened the door.

I quickly locked up my office and marched past Ivan and my guards, who followed me out the front door. Unsurprisingly, Savannah’s car was already gone. I didn’t know who I pissed off, but someone upstairs really fucking hated me.

“Are we taking you home, Boss?”

“She said to give her some space.” I looked over at Ivan as the stretch SUV pulled up. I had to do something with this anger before I saw Savannah. “Has my package arrived?”

“It has.”

“Perfect, take me to it,” I said, getting into the vehicle.

“Are you sure about that, Sir? I don’t mean to overstep, but I’ve never known a woman who actually wanted space when they said it.”

I shook my head. “No, Savannah means it, trust me. I’d be safer getting into a piranha-filled lake, bleeding, than going home right now. Let’s go.”

Sitting back, I stared out the window but thought about the look in Savannah’s eyes at the club. She wasn’t just furious. She looked terrified, and that was the part I didn’t understand. Yes, he was up late, but it wasn’t like I sat him down in the middle of the club where someone could walk away with him. Yes, I probably shouldn’t have brought Cutter at all, but we didn’t have any live-in staff like some other families I knew. She didn’t even let me explain what happened.

“Boss?”

“What,” I growled, not bothering to look at Ivan.

“We’re here.”

That yanked me out of my thoughts, and sure enough, we were parked inside my home away from home. If your other home was really a secret above-ground bunker built on a lavish beach, with dozens of guards, a twenty-foot fence, and locked gates. This was where I came when I needed to vent frustration, and I had the perfect outlet inside.

I’d spared no expense when it came to my beautiful cage. Wide sweeping flower beds flowed down to my own personal dock and helicopter pad. Triple soundproof walls and cells, made and installed as a solid box, just like my vaults, ensured total privacy. There were a few other features, like the walls filled with a fun substance that made sure anyone scoping it out couldn’t use thermal imagining to see inside. Of course, I’d installed the best security system in the world, and soldiers lived on the property. Once you were escorted inside, you didn’t leave unless escorted back out. It had been nicknamed The Triangle by the soldiers because people tended to disappear.