AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m worried about you baby,” I say to Caroline privately one day.
“I know you are, my big man,” she says with a sexy little grin. “Always my protector.” She kisses me.
I have a rare moment with her alone, so I figure it’s time to tell her everything that’s been on my mind.
“You know that my feelings for you run deep. They’re more than just superficial. I think I love you, Caroline. You’re the only person I’ve ever met that can cool my heated, angry heart. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before.”
Her eyes tear up and I know that what I’ve said affects her on a deep level. I kiss her and hold her small body within my rough, strong arms. This gentle flower deserves the world.
“I love you too, Marshall. I love all of you guys.”
The words pierce my heart. I never dreamed I could be so happy or that there’d ever be a reprieve from the rage that’s always simmering right beneath the surface. Caroline is like the sun shining the light on all the storm clouds of fury that circle like a vortex within me.
She’s the sun, the epicenter of my life, the gravity that grounds me. Nothing can pull me out of my fury and back down to earth quicker than a smile from her beaming face.
In the days leading up to the attack, I know that she has similar conversations with all the men. We each love her. I have no doubt of that. We’re a tight unit, and she’s a part of that now in every way. In fact, she’s become the center of our lives.
I, for one, won’t allow Edwin to get anywhere near her, and I hope to God she doesn’t shed one more tear of sadness for him.
I know it must be hard to learn what she did about her father. That her own flesh and blood was willing to have her murdered.
I know she wanted to prove herself to him, but now she’s coming to realize how deceptive and manipulative he really is. How callous and unfeeling. But with us in her life, she’ll be happy. She’ll have everything she could ever need. I’ll make sure of it. Losing her dad will seem like nothing in comparison. We’re her universe and she’s ours.
The days fly by as we prepare for the attack, and pretty soon it’s the evening before we make our move. Justin plans a special dinner for us in the penthouse, something we left to him since he has such a fondness for creating spectacular food. His palate is more refined than anything I’ve ever witnessed.
It’s like a fucking five-star restaurant up here. All of us sit with Caroline and give toasts.
“To my men and their safety,” she says as she raises her glass of wine.
“To keeping Caroline safe,” I toast.
“To the death of all evil,” Ares adds.
There’s excitement in the air because as hardened criminals, there’s nothing we love more than going into battle. But tonight, there’s also an element of fear among us. Before, we had nothing to lose, only our lives. Now, we have Caroline to think about. If one of us dies, it will scar her forever. If she dies, we might as well all die too because there’s no one else like her. There’s no going back to the way things were before we met her. That knowledge hangs heavy in the air.
Tomorrow will be an epic day. It will determine our fate and the rest our future.
Chapter 25
Ares
We finished dinner an hour ago. Caroline has gone to bed, alone. I keep counting my brothers as we sit around the conference table going over the last details one more time before hitting the hay ourselves. I wouldn’t put it past Apollo to try to slip off and see Caroline tonight.
The only thing holding him here is his love of being in charge and the fact that I might break his aristocratic nose if he tried to fuck her tonight on his own. Hell, the only thing keeping most of us here is the thought that she needs her sleep before the operation tomorrow.
“Ares,” Apollo snaps my attention away from a quick daydream about walking in on him with our girl and carrying her off for my own pleasure, “wake up and confirm you’re making a sweep of the west wing after clearing the kitchen with Samuel.”
“I’m on it, boss,” I answer back, raising my middle finger playfully. “We’re all on it, been planning this for a while, dude. I think we’re all on top of our game.”
There’s a murmur through the room—we have planned this little operation with more precision and attention than any other operation we’ve ever run. We never fail, but failing this time is more than any of us could bear. Not with Caroline at stake.
