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How in the hell was I to protect my brother if I was Simone’s personal bodyguard? Maybe if I convinced Mr. St. James she was safer on his estate, he’d force her to stay. Then I could focus on Conrad until I knew he was in the clear with the Morosov family.
What was I thinking? Simone could be in danger. I needed to keep her safe. Losing another woman I cared about would destroy me. York had it right. I was personally invested in Simone. And that made me vulnerable, along with Conrad. I couldn’t be in two fucking places at one time.
There was always reaching out to the Jagged Lords to protect my brother. Calling in another marker so soon after the last might be bad form, but I also couldn’t put Simone’s wellbeing in anyone else’s hands. I needed help with Conrad’s situation. His life depended on it.
He was family.
My little brother.
But Simone was… She was my goddess.
Somehow I needed to figure out how to keep both of them safe.
3 Simone
IT HAD BEEN over four hours since I last saw Axel. I hadn’t stopped shaking, or looking over my shoulder, or out the windows. Each time someone entered, whether it was the butler or security guard, my blood pressure spiked.
My parents, Will, and Miranda were on edge too, but it wasn’t the same as me. Someone had been followingmearound for nearly a year.
Watching me.
Photographing me.
How close had they gotten without me knowing it? Did I know him… them? I shuddered, thinking it might be someone I knew.
“When is he getting here?” I demanded, not giving a shit about my rude tone. I couldn’t relax here at the mansion and wanted to go home.
Dad sighed. He’d been nursing a tumbler of bourbon the last hour after getting his security staff on alert. “What is going on with you and Axel?”
I furrowed my brow, cutting my eyes to Mom, who arched her perfect brow. It was her tell. She was intrigued but not necessarily in a positive way.
I snorted and waved my dad off. “Nothing is going on. Jeez, Dad. I know him. Trust him. That’s it.” Of course, it wasn’t so simple. Axel was an anomaly. He didn’t talk, only grunted. He had a smoldering gaze that heated my skin and melted my panties. He also pissed me off, like earlier when he told me he wasn’t coming and not to argue.
Dad stared as if he could hear my thoughts. As if he knew I was lying, but I would never admit my real feelings. But then I didn’t know how I felt either. Fake it till you make it, right?
“We all saw the way you clung to him.” Dad shook his head, then drained his glass.
I narrowed my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. Giving them an attitude was the best weapon against my parents. “So? I did just learn someone was stalking me. That would freak anyone out. I’ve since calmed, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“William, give it a rest. It’s been a long day.” Mom considered me a moment. “York recommended Axel to be your bodyguard. How do you feel about having him with you day in and out?”
Was this a trick question? Probably. Better to be safe than sorry.
“I don’t need a bodyguard. Once we know my loft is secure, I want to go home. Alone.”
“Out of the question.”
I turned toward Dad. “I’m a grown woman. You can’t tell me what to do or control me.” But he can make my life a living hell if he wanted. My father could be an arrogant SOB. If I didn’t want to be stripped of my inheritance or removed from the family, I had to play nice. Any man I was with needed William St. James II’s seal of approval. Even Will had to get Mom and Dad’s blessing regarding Miranda. Lucky for my brother, he’d found the most amazing woman. My parents adored Miranda. They would never feel anything remotely close for Axel.
Christ, I didn’t even know how I felt about Axel, but that was beside the point. My parents would see him as beneath our social status.
My mother sighed, crossing her leg over her knee. “It’s not safe, Simone. You will stay here in your room. Just until York… does what he does.” She waved her hand in the air. “I agree with him, you know. York, I mean. You need an around-the-clock bodyguard. I just disagree with his selection.”
Of course she disagreed. There wasn’t a refined bone in Axel’s body. He didn’t dress in a suit like York, Jones, or Darwin. He had tattoos and a wicked snarl to his lip. No, he wasn’t suitable for little old me. Not like I was considering him or anything…
“I’m quite capable of protecting myself. I’ve taken self-defense classes. My building is secure. And I have Darwin. He can stand guard in the hallway outside my door.”
“You’re staying here,” my father muttered in an unyielding tone.
