How can I blame him for the same thing I was always too afraid of?
TWENTY-ONE
COLTEN
Ihaven’t had time to put cameras up inside the apartment, and not having eyes on Lexi is beginning to make my skin itch.
It was bad enough when she was at Cruz’s, but at least I knew there was a team of security around the house at all times.
Look how that worked out.
Unfortunately, since we weeded out all those that were disloyal to the family, we’ve been a little shorthanded, which means I could only get Ken, Lexi’s regular security detail, to watch the place while I’m out.
And don’t even get me started on the fact I haven’t had the time to start looking for the person that broke in this morning.
It should be my top priority, and normally it would be, but I have to keep the family afloat until Cruz gets back.
I wonder if he’s open to taking on a new underboss so I can go back to just being the tech guy.
Unlikely, but it’s a nice dream to have.
My phone buzzes across the desk, and I glare at the device that has barely stopped ringing since I sat down this afternoon.
I was supposed to stay home today to help Lexi get settled and to make sure she feels safe, but when half a million dollars’worth of drugs goes missing, it’s a little hard to stay out of the office.
“What?” I snap, not bothering to check who’s on the other end of the line.
“Excuse me, young man. Is that any way to speak to your future mother-in-law?” Mary reprimands.
I rub a hand down my face and sigh. “Sorry. It’s been a long day, and I’m yet to sleep.”
“And my girl is giving you hell,” she adds helpfully.
“It wouldn’t be Lexi if she wasn’t.”
She lets out a soft laugh. She knows better than anyone that her daughter is a force of nature bound to forge her own path, the rest of us are just along for the ride.
“Is she doing okay?”
“She’s strong,” Mary reminds me. “The match has her a little spooked, but only because she doesn’t believe that you’ve ever seen her as anything other than Cruz’s little sister, which you and I both know was never the case. She just needs some time.”
The problem is that’s not something I can give her. Not when there’s a threat to her life.
The sooner I tie her to me for life, the sooner she’ll be safe, and that’s all that matters.
“Thank you for keeping her company this afternoon. I’m going to head home shortly. I just have a few things I need to finish up.”
“I love spending time with my girl, and the only thing better than you finally being one of my children is that now she won’t be marrying someone on the other side of the country.”
We end the call, and I tip my head back against the chair.
For a long time I felt unworthy of the unconditional love Mary showed me. She wasn’t my mother or even a blood relative, but that didn’t matter to her. She always made sure I hadeverything I needed, even when it meant getting in trouble with her husband, and so I can’t find it in myself to disagree with her.
My phone vibrates again, and I groan.
What now?
Plucking it off the desk, intent on being irritated at whoever is prolonging this already impossibly long day, I’m stopped in my tracks by the notification on my screen.
