All traces of messy, and skirting the lines of proper decorum, are gone as Sebastian straightens up. “I’m prepared to do what you’ve asked of me, yes.”
“You think he trusts you enough?” Cecily asks, which is a fair question. We all know my son is…eccentric and naïve, but that doesn’t mean he’s not careful with his own safety.
Sebastian smiles, and it lights up his entire face, making him appear younger than he is. “I’ve been by his side for months now, ma’am. I don’t believe there’s anyone he trusts more, aside from Lachlan.”
“Good. Then you’re in the perfect position to complete your assignment, and life can go back to normal for you, Agent Riley.”
Sebastian laughs. “I don’t know… I’m having fun on this side of things. I’m more than happy to take on other jobs for you.”
Lachlan scoffs. “I knew he couldn’t trust you.”
Sebastian raises an eyebrow and looks the taller man in the eye. “It appears he can’t trust you either.”
Lachlan takes a step towards the other man, but Cecily sighs and places one manicured hand on her fiancé’s broad chest. “Calm down, we’re all on the same side here. If you didn’t agree that Kieran is no longer effective, you never would have gone along with this marriage farce.”
Lachlan glares at Sebastian, but stands down. It really is a pity Cecily is a woman, she would make an excellent Boss, but…tradition is tradition, and rules are rules. I might be willing to bend them, but there’s only so far I’m willing to go. My legacy needs to be secure, and that means doing things properly. We cannot let ourselves become the next Martelli or Amato Family.
“You have until the end of the week,” I tell Sebastian. “I want to start planning my son’s funeral come Monday.”
“It’ll be done, sir.”
“We cannot afford anymore fuckups, so it better be. Otherwise, I have no problem exposing you to our enemies…”
Sebastian stares at me unblinkingly, his blue eyes almost twinkling with amusement. “Understood.”
Cursing my still-healing body, I struggle to get out of the fucking bed. I manage to sit up and swing my legs around, but have to stop and catch my breath.Fuck. Still, I refuse to give up. There’s a walker with wheels on it across the bedroom, and that’s my goal. Of course, it’s next to that fucking wheelchair. I just…need to get there.
Grunting, I stand up and, for a moment, black spots dance in my vision as dizziness overtakes me. I blink repeatedly, but it doesn’t help at all. Fuck. Gritting my teeth, I get my breathing under control and carefully step forward. My legs hold me, so far so good. I waver on my next step, and hiss as my legs almost buckle. I need the damn walker because Iwillmake it to Roman. Forcing my body to listen to me, I manage two more steps…almost halfway there. Maybe. Fuck, how large is this damn room?
I gulp in air, trying to ignore that I'm feeling like a brand new baby deer or some shit, and lurch forward. I make it maybe three more feet before my knees suddenly give out. I put my hands out, hoping to catch myself, because Dr. Ranlen is going to be fucking pissed at me.
“Fuck!” I yelp as two strong arms catch me around the middle before I can crash into the ground.
The person towering above me snorts and helps me stand. “You have quite the way to go before you’ll be fucking.”
Fucking. Jayden.I’m so screwed.
Swallowing, I meet his intense brown eyes, flinching internally. Fuck. He pretty much picks me up and takes me over to the bed, dumping me unceremoniously.
“Holy shit, that hurt!”
“Suck it up, Princess. That was the one save you get from me. Next time, I’ll let you fall.” He glances down at his fingernails, frowning, and I wonder if I made him chip his nails.If I did, am I supposed to apologize?Fuck. He turns his attention back to me, pursing his lips as he studies me. “I don’t have the time or patience to deal with idiots. I thought you were supposed to be one of the smarter ones, but you keep proving me wrong.”
Hissing, I glare at him, but it does nothing. He merely quirks his eyebrow, waiting. I grit my teeth and spit out, “My love’s father was injured. I want to check in on Roman.”
“Perhaps you’re familiar with this thing called a phone?” Jayden crosses his arms, sneering at me.
I growl as I try—and fail—to push myself into a more comfortable position. The little strength I had is gone. “And do you see a phone anywhere nearby?”
Jayden’s unimpressed gaze does nothing to calm my ire. “Then you could have waited until you were checked on. After all, I did say I’d be here frequently. Unless your goal was toget my attention. In which case, congrats. You’re on my shitlist, Princess. Didn’t take you long.”
Shaking my head, I blow out a breath. All I wanted to do was get to Roman and hold him. I did not want to deal with another sadist. I’ve had enough of those in my life. Although, I am mildly impressed. For someone with ginger hair, he certainly doesn’t have the famous redheaded temper I’ve heard about. Control. Every inch of him screams it. It unsettles me, but I force myself to ignore it.
“Then give me a phone so I can at least call Roman and check on him.”
Jayden merely waves my demand away. “Behave and I’ll see what I can do. Right now, you need to be more concerned about healing than trying to be there for someone else.”
“Fuck. Then can we get to work so I can get out of this damn bed and get on with my life?” I go to run my fingers through my hair, but wince at the movement.
