“I’m assigning you to protect Willow. If I’m not with her, I expect you to be.”
“The senator’s daughter?”
She wasn’t his anything. He didn’t deserve to call her his daughter. She wasmine. Torin’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly before a glimmer of understanding flashed across his face.
“Yes. She will be staying here for the foreseeable future, and shewill need protection whenever she leaves.”
“Aye. Heard she spit on the senator and slapped you across the face. Ballsy omega. Are you sure she can’t handle herself?”
Aidan didn’t know when to shut up. No doubt that he told Torin everything when the two of them crawled into bed together. Aidan thought that he and Torin were sneaky, but those two were as subtle as a slap to the face.
For the last year, they had danced around each other. I didn’t care who they fucked, as long as they did their jobs.
And they were the best, with Liam and Patrick a close second.
It wouldn’t be long before people realized who Willow was and what she meant to me. When that day came, she would be a target.
Right now, I was certain she could take care of herself. It looked like she had been doing that most of her life. Once the Italians realized she was mine, they would be out for blood. I needed to keep her safe.
I had an inkling that her omega already recognized me as her alpha. Now, it was a matter of getting Willow to come to the same conclusion. I was a patient man when I had to be. I would wait at the end of the earth for her, just to burn it to the ground afterwards if those brilliant crystal eyes willed it.
Almost forgetting that Torin was still there, I dropped into the armchair beside him, squeezing his uninjured shoulder.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if that pint-sized powerhouse could take down a few of my men, but I won’t take any chances. She’s important to me.”
“Then she’s important to me,” he said, nodding. “I won’t let anything happen to her, Boss.”
“Good. There’s one other thing I need. When you find your way into my brother’s bed tonight, have him help you with it.”
Torin choked on a cough, all the color draining from his face.
“Sir. Kaelen. It’s not true.”
I raised a hand to silence him. No one lied to me, especially not my family, and Torin was family. Kin. Even if he wasn’t blood.
“Don’t lie to me. It’s true, and I don’t care. I won’t tell anyone if you two prefer to keep it quiet. You’ll need Aidan’s hacking skills to help. I want medical records for Isabelle Sterling for the last tenyears.”
Torin nodded slowly, still uneasy. Eventually, he would get over it. While watching him and Aidan avoid each other when I knew what was happening behind closed doors had been entertaining for a time, I needed them focused.
Now more than ever.
It didn’t take me long to find out who Willow’s mother was. Isabelle Sterling had been married to William Sterling for thirty years. For decades, she was active in the society pages, her sleek black hair cascading down her back. Willow looked every bit her mother’s daughter.
Then, mysteriously, about eight years ago, she disappeared from social life.
If she had been sick, that made sense, but I hated to see that haunted look in Willow’s eyes when she talked about her mum. I knew some of the best doctors in Boston and was sure one of them could figure out what was wrong with Isabelle.
Six
WILLOW
Cold water hit my face, and I fell on top of the closed toilet seat. I didn’t even know what day it was. My elbows fell to my thighs, and I cradled my face in my hands. My fever had broken a day or so ago, and since then, I’ve slept.
This morning, I finally made my way to the bathroom to try to be a person again. Too tired to stand, I sat on the floor in the shower while lukewarm water splashed over my tender skin.
Back out in the bedroom area, I eyed my nest. I should strip it. Aileen had been so kind to me these last few days. She’d brought me so many blankets and toys to help with my heat.
Three times a day, she checked on me, making sure I ate and drank something. This was my first heat where I didn’t feel dreadful afterwards. I always spent my heats alone. While toys helped, they didn’t fully replace an alpha. I had no one to care for me, which meant I was usually dehydrated at the end of a long week.
