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Shaking my head, I sigh. “Her legs were still closed, her knickers still on. If Stanley had fucked her, she’d have been more...”
“Yeah,” he says, thankfully not needing me to continue. “We’d better be right about this.”
“No shit,” I murmur and head off down the stairs to see what the hell is going on with Alex and whoever the fuck took Ever from us earlier.
17
ALISTAIR
Pacing back and forth like a caged animal in the living room of my ancestral townhouse, the thick carpet does nothing to muffle the anger in my steps. I stop, glaring at Alex.
“So, you’re telling me you’ve got an evil twin that Sebastian saw with Ever?” My voice is ice, cutting through the bullshit.
Alex backs up until his ass hits the edge of the desk. “I swear, Alistair, I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is the first time I’ve heard about some doppelgänger wreaking havoc. All I have to go on is fucking nervous Seb calling you and Charlie running into some guy!”
“Convenient,” I snort, not buying it for a second. “You expect me to believe you didn’t know? With all that’s at stake?”
He shoves his hands through his hair, a mess of frustration. “Hell, I feel guilty enough as it is, okay? IfI had a bloody twin, don’t you think I’d know about it?”
“Guilty?” My eyebrow arches. “Why guilty if you’re innocent?”
“Because it’s my face he’s wearing, isn’t it?” His voice rises, tinged with desperation. “And now Ever’s caught in this mess because of me. I’m as blindsided by this as you are.”
Verging on the edge of believing him, I back off, but if this is true, it’s a puzzle piece we had no idea about, which is... unnerving. If there’s a twin, he’s not just a threat to our plans but to Ever, too. The thought alone sets my blood boiling.
Just then, Ben and Charlie barge in, their faces etched with concern.
“What?” I snap as they look pretty shifty, like I’ve missed something vital.
“We’ve decided not to tell Ever about being spiked and Stanley nearly violating her. She doesn’t need that stress.” Ben gives me a hard stare as if daring me to challenge his decision.
Charlie nods in agreement when I shift my steely glare onto him.
“Nearly violating? How can we be so sure?”
“Apart from the way she was laid out when we arrived before Stanley got too arrogant, he said he wastryingto win the bet,” Damien mutters. “It stands to reason that he didn’t get to her. We stopped him. This time.”
“Yeah,” Ben murmurs.
Their words hang heavy in the air. None of uswant to add to Ever’s burdens. She’s got this fire in her, no doubt, but even fire can be snuffed out if you smother it with too much crap.
“Fine,” I say, knowing they’re right but hating that we have to keep secrets from her at all. “But we watch her back twice as hard now.” My gaze meets Damien’s, and I see the same protective fury there. Ever might not know about the danger, but we’ll damn well shield her from it.
Ben leans forward, hands flat on the mahogany table that’s seen more secrets than a confessional. “She’s got her studies, her work... the last thing Ever needs is to worry about Stanley and his fucking mates.”
“Work. I’m not loving the idea of her going there,” Damien murmurs.
My gaze snaps to Damien’s. “I know, but are you going to be the one to tell her she can’t go to work?”
“No,” he says almost sulkily, which makes me snort despite the gravity of this entire situation.
“All we need to do is up the level of eyes on her.” A shield made of flesh and bone because nobody’s laying a finger on her. Never again.
Charlie’s glance flickers to me and then to Damien, his voice low but fierce. “We keep her safe. Always in sight, always guarded. Even in her room.”
Damien’s nod is slight, his gaze doesn’t waver, steel-grey eyes fixed like he’s already scanning for threats in the shadows. “Cams are already up in there. So we just shift surveillance, even in our own home.” His icy gaze lands on Alex.
“Nothing touches her,” I confirm. It’s simple, really. Ever’s untouchable, and we’re the barrier between her and the world that doesn’t know just how damn precious she is.
