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We wave the car through, and I don’t let go of Reign’s hand until we are in the front living room. The windows are locked and shuttered, and there’s only one way in or out. I station Dal at the windows and Cil and Astro at the door as I hand Reign some water.
Her hands are shaking, so I lift it to her lips as I crouch before her. “Sip, baby, you’re in shock.” A blanket drops around her shoulders, and I tuck it around her. “Do you want something warm?”
She shakes her head, lifting her eyes to mine. “Who is doing this, Raff?”
“I don’t know, but I promise I will find out. This is good,” I reply.
“It is?” She searches my gaze.
“It means he couldn’t get in again, and he’s getting bolder, which means he’s more likely to make mistakes, but don’t worry about any of that. It’s our job to keep you safe, and we will never let anything happen to you.”
“Why is someone doing this?” she whispers, tears filling her eyes. Each one that falls breaks my heart a little more. “What have I done wrong?”
“Nothing, absolutely nothing,” I tell her, gripping her face and wiping the tears away. “They are sick, baby, that’s all, sick in the head. You did absolutely nothing wrong. They have, and they will pay for scaring you and making you cry.”
“What do you mean?” she whispers.
“Baby, you forget who I am. Before I was yours, I was a killer. It’s what I do. Do you really think any of us are going to let the sick bastard live, even behind bars, where he could be a threat to you?”
“Are you telling me you’re going to kill him?” she asks, her voice hesitant. I stay silent, and she just blinks. “That’s kind of terrifying and sweet all at the same time, but you will get in trouble.”
“Let me worry about that, okay? Just breathe for me. You will always be safe with us around, and we aren’t going anywhere. We know how to hunt and kill our prey, Reign, and this man has marked himself for death.”
“Police should be here soon,” Astro mumbles. “He’s right, Reign. He fucked with the wrong people. There is a reason we are the best and why we did so much for our country. It’s who we are, and we will become those people again so we never have to see you cry.”
“But I don’t want to lose any of you, and if—”
Dal comes to her side, turning her face to him. I see more emotion in his eyes than I have ever seen out of our psychopath. He doesn’t feel. He never did . . .
Not until her.
“I haven’t told you everything about my past, Reign, and now probably isn’t the time, but you deserve to know. When I was sixteen, I killed my mother.” She jerks, and he watches her carefully. He already told her that before, but the cool way he says it is sharp and sudden. “You remember me telling you she was a cruel woman who tortured me every day I was alive? She sold me for drugs and money. I was so messed up after it, they committed me. That’s where the government found me. I was in a psych ward, labeled as a dangerous killer, but they saw those traits and thought they were good. They molded me into a soldier, an obedient little dog, and they used me over and over. The dead piled up around me and I couldn’t escape, not until Raff, Astro, and Cillian.
“They brought a little joy into my life, and although I didn’t know what it was, I stayed with them through our missions due to the bond they spoke of. My world was simple. Death was all I knew until you. You showed me what it means to be alive, to feel happiness, joy, sadness, and love. Death is easy for me, and I would kill everyone in this world to see you smile. I might have hated what became of me because of my past, but right now, I’m grateful I have the skills to keep you safe, so don’t worry.
“None of us will ever get caught. Not with you on the line. We have a long life of you showing me how to live, and I plan to have that life with you, understand? Sometimes, though, you have to spill a little blood. This man, whoever he is, doesn’t care about hurting anyone on the way to get what he wants, so neither will we. It’s him or us. I choose us. I will do anything to protect that.”
“Dal,” she whispers.
“Shh, I see your heartbreak in your eyes. Don’t. My life was dark and cruel but it led me here, and I’m thankful for that. I can’t change my past, I can’t change what I’ve done, but I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to be the man who deserves you. The truth is, Reign, I don’t care if I don’t. I have no plans of ever letting you go, so let us do this. Let us protect you. I know you are used to doing everything alone, needing to be strong, but I’ve learned one thing from my brothers—everyone needs someone. You have to trust someone sometime, so trust me. Trust us.”
“I do,” she whispers. “But . . .”
“But what?” Cillian asks.
“What if something happens to you?” she blurts.
I bark out a laugh, as do the others. She frowns, but I can tell she’s serious, so I swallow it back. “My love, we’ve dealt with terrorists, armies, warlords, and death every day. This one man isn’t going to hurt us. Maybe we need to showcase some of our skills for you.” I wink, flexing my arm as she grins. Astro smirks at my attempt to make her laugh as he strolls around.
“That’s not how you do it.” He rips his shirt off and starts posing for her. She giggles, and just then, the door opens and the police are escorted in by one of our guards.
“I’m so sorry, sir. We should have knocked,” the guard mumbles as the four officers gawk at us and Astro, who simply grins.
“Just in time for the gun show—”
“Astro.” Reign huffs.
Grinning, he puts his shirt back on as I take a seat next to Reign, and the officers hesitantly enter. A job like this could be a career maker for them, but it could also just as easily kill it.
