: Chapter 54

“Morning, Mr. Vass.” The man at the front desk looks down at his screen, then back up at me. “I don’t think Nero is in today.”

“Vernon,” I nod my head. “I know he’s not. I just need to use my office for a few hours.”

“Gotcha.” He taps a button under the desk and the bulletproof, glass doors to my right unlock.

Before I step away, I pull up a photo of Val on my phone and show it to him. “I told my sister to stop by later. Please have someone show her up when she arrives.”

Vernon takes the proper amount of time to study the photo before nodding. “You got it.”

Nero Security is all Nero’s, and not officially affiliated with The Alliance. But we recruit soldiers from the men here all the time, and since I don’t have an actual office for my legit business, Nero hooked me up with a private office next to his here. Neither offices are used much, since Nero mostly delegates now and I rarely feel the need to leave home, but they’re private.

As I pass through the multiple layers of security on the way to the top floor, I admire the set up.

From the outside, this three-story brick building is unassuming, plain. But on the inside, it’s state of the art. Because it has to be. Wouldn’t do much good if you had a security company that wasn’t secure.

When I make it to my office, I unlock the door, using the same fingerprint readers I have at my house and step inside.

Hmm, I bet adding Savannah’s prints to the lock system would go a long way to building her trust. Especially since she got zapped by one.

I blow out a breath and make a mental note to have her added. That, along with the diamond burning a hole in my pocket, might be enough to make her smile at me.

A message pops up on my monitor, alerting me that Val is on her way up.

I take my glasses off and rub my eyes––glad I leave a pair here in the desk––and roll out my neck.

A minute later, after I’ve groaned my way through a back stretch, there’s a knock at the door.

I tap the control panel for the door, first turning the glass from opaque to clear, so I can verify it’s Val on the other side, while apparently startling her at the same time. Then I press the key that unlocks the door and the man who escorted her holds it open until she passes, then pulls it shut.

Her brows are raised. “Well, this place is intense.”

I nod. “A bit.”

I hate that she looks nervous about being here.

“Want something to drink?” I offer as I stand.

Moving around to a plain wall panel, I press a hidden key and it swings opens to reveal a mini fridge, a coffee maker, and a row of liquor bottles.

“Well, that’s impressive.” When she steps up to my side to look at the selection, I relax a little.

Val and I, well, Val and the rest of my family, had a rocky start. Considering she was the product of one of my father’s many affairs, it’s probably understandable. But none of that was on her. My mom tried to forbid Aspen and I from meeting her, but of course we didn’t listen. And then when dad died, and we found out he left a chunk of his money directly to Val, it only made things more tense.

But that was a long time ago, and I like to think we’ve moved past it, but when I see her hesitate around me, it reminds me that I should do more.

Which is why she’s here.

I open the little fridge door, showing her what’s inside. “Anything look good?”

“Um, I’ll take a root beer. Please.”

I grab two glass bottles out of the fridge, handing her one.

I carry my drink over to the small round table in the back corner of the office and sit down, figuring this is better than me sitting behind the desk.

But when she sits down across from me, her shoulders back, and spine straight, I realize it’s not much better.

She winces when she tries to twist the metal top off the bottle, so I reach across the table and open it for her. “Sorry, I should’ve thought this through and met you somewhere else. I just wanted to talk to you about some stuff, and thought it’d be easy to do here, but I didn’t mean for it to feel like an interrogation.”

Val blows out a breath “No, it’s okay. It’s just the whole armed guard thing is a little intimidating.”

I grimace. “Okay, well, you’re gonna have to get used to those.”

Her eyes widen. “You’re putting me under guard?!”

“No.” When she starts to pull away from the table, I reach across and place my hand on hers. “No. They’re to protect you.”

“Protect me from who?”

“I’m getting ahead of myself.” I let go of her hand and run my palm over my face. “It’s just a precaution. But there’s been some extra…bad activity recently. And you’re connected to me, so I need you to let me do this.”

She rolls her lips. “Is this because I talked to Savannah? Because I only came over after I heard about Aspen being mean to her. I hadn’t known…”

She trails off, and that tells me everything I need to know.

She hadn’t known that I stole my new bride. But she knows now.

And even though Val knows the broad strokes about my life in the underworld, I’m sure it was still a lot to take in.

I clear my throat. “Let me just say that I’m well aware of the fact that what I did was fucked up.”

Val snorts, then slaps her hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”

It’s enough to break the tension. “Don’t apologize, fucked up is probably an understatement,” I shrug.

“So, you’re not mad about me coming over?”

I think about the hot as fuck drunken sex I had with Savannah on that paint table and have to tamp down the urge to thank her for plying my wife with tequila.

“No, I’m not mad. You can come over any time you want.” I tap a finger on the tabletop. “Which is where the guard comes in. It won’t be intrusive, but there will be a car parked outside your building. And anytime you need to go somewhere, they’ll drive you.” When she looks like she might argue, I shake my head. “This isn’t up for debate. It’s for your safety.”

“For how long?”

“A while. Until I can find a crime lord to marry you off to.”

“What?!”

A full-throated laugh leaves me at the look on her face. “I’m kidding.”

She narrows her eyes at me, and recent experience has me half expecting her to throw her bottle of root beer at me. “Not funny.”

I’m still smiling. “It was a little funny.”

She lifts her drink grumbling something about liking you.

“What was that?”

She takes a sip before setting the bottle down. “I said, I don’t know how you convinced her to like you.”

The words hit me on a delay.

One after another.

“She likes me? Savannah?”

Val gives me a look. “Who else?”

“She said that though? That she likes me?” I don’t care that I sound like a little boy with a crush.

“I believe her words were something along the lines of I’m starting to like your stupid brother.”

I grin. “That does sound like something she would say.”

When she purses her lips, I feel like she might have more to say, so I stay quiet.

Guess we are using interrogation techniques.

Finally, she sighs. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, since you and Aspen were too bullheaded to listen when Savannah tried to tell you herself, but I think it might be helpful if you knew…”

I lean forward. “Knew what?”

Val lifts her gaze from the table to meet mine. “Savannah never slept with Leland.”

Time creaks to a stop.

“Say that again.”

“Savannah never slept with Leland.”

“She told you that?”

Val nods.

A staggering wave of relief crashes into me and I slump back in my seat.

Savannah never slept with Leland.

I hadn’t realized how much that had been bothering me until right now.

And it won’t bother me anymore, because Savannah never slept with Leland.

Something that feels like victory fills my chest and I stand from my chair. “Your guard is waiting for you by your car. He’ll follow you home.”

Val blinks at me. “Where are you going?”

“Home,” I answer as I stride to the door.

Because Savannah never slept with Leland.