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Kaden chuckled, forcing her to look back up He had a really good laugh Not at allIt was soft and vibrated over her ears It wasnice

"It helps in my line of work, ma’am"

"Oh yeah," she muttered

Jace squeezed her hand and then directed his attention toward her security tea seemed so utterly bizarre that she couldn’t wrap her head around it

He glanced back at Bethany, his eyes serious "Kaden and Trevor will accompany you everywhere when I’m not with you They’ll shadow your every move--and I do o out, they go with you"

Her eyes widened "But why? I don’t get it Jace, this is crazy I’, so no one has any invest "

Jace sighed "Do you forget that a day ago those bastards had you on the ground? That they kicked you and threatened you? They gave you a week to respond What do you think’s going to happen when that week coet about you because they suddenly can’t find you where you usually hang? I’et anywhere near you and part of doing thatto stick to you when I can’t be with you Which o nowhere without them You understand?"

"You really think they’ll find me here?" she whispered

"Let’s just say I’ any chances"

Kaden cleared his throat "Ma’aive up easily They have a point to prove If they don’t make those points, they lose street cred If it’s perceived they wi a debt, it means more people will decide not to pay up They operate on fear and intimidation If people cease to fear theo out of business They aren’t going to let that happen, so yes, they willto make sure they don’t succeed"

Her mouth formed a silent O and she stared wide-eyed at Jace

"You understand now?" Jace asked quietly

She nodded but she was still reeling froes in her life

Jace’s driver brought in a snized, though there’d been so o

Jace pulled out a box, opening it to reveal a brand-new cell phone He popped the battery in, powered it up and then fiddled with it for several long minutes Then he pulled out his cell and punched buttons before finally tossing the phone toward Kaden

"Program your numbers into her phone I want her to have you on speed dial in case anything ever goes wrong"

Bethany’s eyebrows drew together as Kaden and then Trevor rapidly punched buttons before returning the phone to Jace Then Jace handed her the phone

"I programmed my number in It’s number one on speed dial Kaden is number two and Trevor is number three My office number is four and my apartment is number five Carry this phone on you at all ti you’re in an alley dead somewhere, then you better damn well anshen I call Got it?"

Nu in circles She could barely breathe and her head was starting to ache horribly Fairy tales didn’t happen for girls like her and yet she’d walked right into the middle of one But this one wasn’t destined for a happily-ever-after That only happened in fiction She was too well acquainted with the way things worked in real life Real life sucked But it was real It was unapologetic It made no excuses It just was

Jace leaned over and kissed her forehead "I’ve got to run into the office I have aKaden and Trevor will stay with you until I get back Groceries will be delivered soon as well Make sure one of theive you the all-clear And whatever you do, listen to whatever they tell you Their job is to keep you safe Make it as easy for the Okay?"

"Okay," she , call "

She nodded o out for dinner Wear one of your new outfits and be sure to bring your daht Then we’ll spend the night here so you can get acquainted with your new apartantly he assu with her She also marveled at the fact that she didn’t correct hiuh her blood when she knew she wouldn’t be alone

Lost Already she was lost in him So completely iain When he decided to walk away, it would break her in a way nothing else ever had Her life Her addiction Her fuck-ups

He had power over her that she’d never i And that scared her s, sex or the men who’d threatened her

Chapter fifteen

Jace strode into the building that housed the HCM offices and rode the elevator up If he didn’t have this daether today He didn’t like leaving Bethany on her own so soon after he got her back

No, she technically wasn’t on her own, but he still didn’t like leaving her to fend for herself

When he walked into Gabe’s office a few minutes later, he saw that Ash was already there--as was Gabe--and the way Gabe looked at him, that flash of concern in his eyes, he knew that Ash had been running his mouth

Jace’s mouth set into a firm line and he plopped into the chair in front of Gabe’s desk

"Let’s get this over with," Jace said tersely

Ash didn’t ht ahead at Gabe That was fine with Jace He didn’t have time for the intervention both of his friends were likely plotting

Gabe frowned but didn’t offer argument Jace was five minutes late--not typical for hioddamn mind

Maybe for the first ti the same women for years How messed up was that? Gabe didn’t blink an eye over that practice But he was going to pass judgment because Jace had finally found a wo? And Gabe had no da mind over Mia Jace’s sister, for Christ’s sake Jace hadn’t ripped Gabe’s head off, though he absolutely should have The bastard had been pathetic enough without Jace heaping more punishment

Jace blinked when he realized they were already well into theand he had no clue what had been discussed so far When there was a prolonged silence, Jace figured out quickly that they were all waiting for his input Daust and then plowed ahead with the information Jace should have provided Ash handled it like a pro, his charroup of investors on the other end of the line