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“Why can’t they leave me alone?”
He comes to me, pulling me against his chest. Ryan presses a kiss to the top of my head, and I lean into him, pressing myself against his chest. I hate this. I want to be free. I want to live my life how I want.
But I am a Fraser, which means my life does not belong to me.
It never has.
“This won’t be forever,” he assures me.
I don’t know how he can say that. I’ve always known I was the weak link in my family. I am the thing that could be used against them. Now I feel that more than ever.
I am weak.
I am a liability that could push my brothers into danger to protect me.
It could put Ryan in danger too.
If he tries to keep me safe, he could end up in the firing line of people who want to gain favour with my parents or people who want to use me against my family.
They won’t hesitate to put a bullet in him.
“I should leave the country,” I say. “Disappear in Europe or South America—somewhere far from here.”
Ryan shakes his head. “No.”
“I’m putting everyone I love in danger staying here.”
“Your brothers walk a knife edge every day because of who they are. You haven’t created that situation. It’s always existed. This isn’t new, babe. Your brothers know how to keep themselves safe.”
“What about you?”
He gives me a small smile. “You know what I did in the army?” I don’t, so I shake my head. “I was special forces. The elite. Best of the best. I was trained to the highest standards that exist in the army. I can take care of myself.”
I had no idea about any of that, so his words shock me. It does help a little, easing some of the anxiety rolling through me.
“I don’t doubt your abilities,” I tell him. “But I also don’t doubt my parents’ tenacity.”
“No one is going to hurt me—or you. I know how to fight, how to protect us both. It’s why Zeke assigned me to you. He knows I’m the only person in the Firm who could take care of you. He trusted me with that, and I’m not going to let either of you down.”
“Maybe we could run away together,” I murmur.
I say it flippantly, but the more I consider it, the more I think it’s a good idea.
“Running won’t solve this. If I thought for a second it would, I’d have us on the first plane out of Heathrow.”
I close my eyes. “So how do we solve this?”
The obvious answer is to get rid of my parents, but Charlotte and Anthony have support, a lot of it. It wouldn’t be easy to do. It would lead to a civil war that would never end.
I don’t know if my brothers have enough clout to overshadow them, to overthrow them.
“I don’t know,” Ryan says. “Have faith in your brothers.” He kisses me.
For the next hour, I watch TV. I don’t usually watch a lot of it, so I’m bored to death. I get up and peer out of the window for a bit, just watching the world carry on as normal. It feels surreal, considering I’m locked in this ivory tower.
Eventually, I wander onto the balcony and sit looking over London. The skyline is busy but there’s a kind of beauty to it as well.
Ryan watches me through the window but doesn’t disturb my alone time. I’m grateful. I need to gather my thoughts on my parents, my siblings, and the fact Ryan spent the morning buried between my legs.
