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It took everything in me not to climb in that car with Cadence and say fuck it to everything else. She was scared, and she needed me, but I had no choice about handling this mess before I could comfort her.
I turned away from where her taillights had disappeared around the corner. I didn’t have the time for indecision or regrets.
“Marco, back inside. The music should have hidden the noise but be sure. Damien, take three men and patrol the area. Ten block radius. Mac, police the shells and look into getting those bullet holes repaired asap. I want them gone by the time we open tomorrow. Preferably before morning.”
I rattled off a few more orders as I climbed the stairs, heading back to my office. I posted men on each corner of the building and radioed to my guards at the door to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. It was the most I could do without more information.
As soon as I closed my office door behind me, I called my father.
“Speak.”
“We were attacked.”
I didn’t think anything of my father’s gruff greeting, but I knew I had his full attention by the silence on the other end of the line.
“Three gunmen. Possibly a fourth. Attempted to enter through the back but drew on Roderic when he stopped them.”
“Witnesses? Casualties?”
“Roderic was hit twice. Claimed to be fine but I sent him home with orders to inform the other enforcers of the incident and get patched up. I have men patrolling the area to see if we can spot anyone.”
My father grunted, then grew silent again before repeating the other question.
“Any witnesses?”
I hesitated. I didn’t want to mention Cadence being caught in the middle because I didn’t consider her a liability, but my father might.
“No one that isn’t ours.”
My father’s pause made me wonder if he was going to dig deeper, but luckily he moved on.
“Any idea who did it?”
“Not yet. Working on it.”
“Call me as soon as you have something.”
The line went dead, one worry task marked off the list.
My next calls were to my informants. If the strike came from anyone we knew, including our allies, they should be able to find something.
Men began rolling in with reports, keeping my attention until I looked up and realized almost three hours had passed since I’d sent Cadence to my apartment. The urge to see her was too great, so when the last enforcer I’d sent out returned, I informed them I was going home, and to call me with any other news.
The nerves I felt as I stepped into the elevator were something I had little experience with, but I had no idea what to expect when I entered my suite. Cadence’s car was still parked in the garage, but she could be waiting just to tell me it was over.
My heart gave a painful squeeze and I had to swallow the lump in my throat as I walked through the entrance of my home. Cadence had told me how scared she was of what I was involved in, and I wouldn’t blame her if what happened made her rethink my earlier proposal.
She wasn’t in any of the front rooms, so I made my way back to my bedroom, calling her name softly so I wouldn’t startle her. When I pushed the door open and looked inside, I finally found her.
Sleeping curled in the middle of a new nest on my bed. She’d even pulled out the bedding we’d stored away after her heat was over, piling the sides high until only her golden hair spreading across a pillow was visible.
I chuckled, tension in my chest easing as I slipped off my jacket and stepped out of my shoes. Pulling my belt off, I tossed it on top of where I’d put my jacket and padded over to the bed.
Cadence’s honey blonde waves looked darker in the dim light coming through the window. When I pulled back the blankets enough to see her face, her eyes had dark circles under them, her pert nose still red from crying.
My chest ached knowing how scared she’d been. How close I’d come to losing her after finally having a chance at what I wanted. If we were bonded I could have helped comfort her from afar, and I’d have an idea of how she felt now, but without it I was in the dark.
I crawled onto the bed, trying not to wake her as I laid down beside her and swept hair from her face. I brushed a feather-light kiss across her forehead, but her eyes fluttered open when I pulled back to look down at her again.
