“Can’t I?” he asked, his tone serious. “I set my schedule and unless Drake has an urgent matter for me to attend to, everything else can be put on hold.”
Whoa. The more she became acclimated to Drake’s world, the more she realized that his “men,” though claiming to work for Drake, seemed more like partners—brothers in a sense—than subordinates who took orders from the “boss.” Clearly they set their own schedules and came and went as they pleased unless, as Silas had mentioned, Drake had an urgent matter that needed immediate attention. And she didn’t want to know what constituted an “urgent matter.”
“Okay, deal.” Then she frowned. “Do I have your cell number in my phone? I barely know how to work the damn thing.”
He reached across the island to pick up her phone. After fiddling with it mere seconds, he leaned over so she could see the screen where her contacts were displayed.
“Here’s Drake’s number,” he said, pointing to Drake’s name and the number below it.
“What are all those other numbers?” she asked, astounded by how many numbers were in her contacts.
“After Drake is Maddox.” He frowned a moment and punched a series of buttons, taking it from her sight for a brief period, and then extended it out so she could view it once more. “I took the liberty of moving my number directly beneath Drake’s. If for any reason you run into trouble, I want you to call me if you can’t reach Drake.”
She lifted an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, not wanting to inadvertently offend him. And well, it was sweet that he seemed to have taken over the role of her secondary protector.
“After me, there’s Maddox, Justice, Thane, Jax, Hartley, Hatcher, Zander and Jonas. I notice your parents aren’t in your contacts and neither are your girlfriends, so you should probably enter those. I can do it for you if you give me names and numbers.”
Evangeline wrinkled her brow. “Who is Jonas? I don’t think I’ve met him.”
Silas smiled. “You will. No doubt there. Drake will make sure that you’re well acquainted with all the men assigned to your protection.”
“Does Zander really have to be in my contacts?” she asked, not even trying to keep the irritation from her voice.
Silas surprised her by covering her hand with his and giving it a light squeeze. “Zander isn’t the asshole he can appear to be. Granted, you two didn’t get off on the right foot, but he’s a good man, and he’d go to the wall for any of us and now you. There is no way he would ever allow anyone to harm you under his watch. He’s rough around the edges and has the manners of a boar, but you won’t find many men more loyal than him. He’s not quite sure what to make of you yet, so you have him nervous, and that is not a feeling he likes or is well acquainted with.”
“I makehimnervous?” she asked incredulously. “He could squash me like a bug with his pinkie finger!”
Mirth shone in Silas’s eyes, momentarily shocking her, because he was always so quiet and solemn. Serious. As though he rarely had reason to laugh or be amused by anything.
“None of Drake’s men know quite what to make of you yet. You’re nothing like they’ve ever encountered before, so they haven’t been able to figure you out yet, which doesn’t make them happy because they feel at a disadvantage. I think they are intimidated by you.”
She shook her head in disbelief and then laughed at the idea of all those badass, not-to-be-fucked-with men being intimidated byher. It was absolutely hysterical and she couldn’t stop laughing. She was wheezing by the time she gained control over her outburst.
“You think I’m pulling one over on you,” Silas said, his expression serious. “But I’m telling you the absolute truth. For that matter, we’re all convinced that Drake hasn’t quite figured you out either, and that is pretty damn funny because he can read people as easily as reading a book. But ever since you walked into his club, he’snotbeen himself at all.”
Evangeline frowned at that. “I’m not sure how to take that. As in I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
Silas smiled as they continued eating, the cell phone resting on the island for the moment.
“I’ve known Drake a long time, Evangeline, and trust me. It’s very good.Youare good for him. The best thing that’s ever happened to him.”
She froze, taking in the huge impact that statement had on her. Her heart fluttered and her pulse beat erratically as happiness seeped all the way into the deepest recesses of her soul.
They ate in silence a few more moments before Silas returned his attention to her phone.
“If anything, and I mean anything should ever happen, if you run into a situation that makes you remotely uncomfortable or you are hurt, threatened or injured in any way, you are to immediately call Drake first. If you can’t reach him, then you call me. I have my phone on me twenty-four-seven, so it’s doubtful you won’t be able to reach me. But, in the unlikely event that you don’t get me, then you go down the line in order and call every single one of Drake’s men until you get one of them. You donotwant to have to answer to Drake if shit goes down and you didn’t call anyone, so I want your promise, Evangeline. No matter what, no matter how small or unimportantyouthink it is, you are to pick up the phone and start calling, yeah?”
Her eyes widened, but she swallowed her mouthful of food and then replied, “Yes. I got it. And yes, I promise.”
“Good. Now, do you need help putting in your other contacts?”
She wrinkled her nose. “At the risk of sounding like a ditzy stereotypical blonde, I’m completely tech illiterate, so yes please, if you don’t mind, would you enter my parents’ number and then my girlfriends’? There are only five numbers to enter, so it won’t take much of your time.”
“I don’t have anywhere to be, Evangeline, so stop apologizing with your expression and worrying that you’re taking up too much of my time.”
“Thanks,” she said warmly. “I really like you, Silas. You’ve been nothing but sweet and kind to me. You have no idea how much it meant both times you came to my ‘rescue.’”
He looked as though she’d just accused him of being an ax murderer, judging by the look on his face. He nearly choked as he stared at her in stupefaction.
