“Because you seemed so damned lost on the phone, I needed to see whether the other end matched your misery. I roped in Juliette to force you. If she failed, she had to let me know.”
Turning my back on him to hide the emotion plastering my face, I stared at a bird pecking at a half-eaten apple on the ground, similar to how my heart felt right now. First Juliette, then Beth and John, now Saint. They’d all visited her behind my back, not letting on that they planned to while I fucking played an obsessed stalker. God, when had I become a teenager?
“Don’t hide from me, Father,” Saint’s soft words had me slowly rotating to look at him. “She took a bullet meant for you, and despite being miserable, she stayed away. If that isn’t love, then I don’t know what is. Why are you so blind to this,” he grumbled. “She only stayed away because you demanded it.” He read my confusion. “You said her brain has been conditioned to always accept a Master. She sees you as her Dom, and because you gave her a Master with the freedom she deserved, she’ll willingly obey you. Always.”
I tried to ignore that kick in my chest. “Why would she? She has Rhett now.”
“You were the one that told me why. Remember?” He touched my arm. “That day in the boardroom when I asked you how mother stayed with you despite the conditions behind the ritual?”
“Against sounding biblical, women are God’s divine creatures, son...”I smiled in memory.
“She’s God’s divine creature. Mikaela accepted you, flaws and all. She gave you her life because you were the one person she trusted unconditionally.” He sighed as if he were tired of fighting an uphill battle. “Rhett might’ve fathered her child, it doesn’t mean he has to be the man who raises the baby with her.”
“And you think he’s just going to step back and say, ‘have at it, Xavier?” I shook my head with a laugh.
“Yes, if I have anything to say about it,” he threw back with such passion I pitied the man who crossed him if he set his mind on something. “My father found love after an eternity of never knowing its true impact. I’m not about to let anyone stand in your way. You let her go once, and I allowed you to. I’ll see you at home, Father.” He was gone before I could form an appropriate response.
♥♥♥♥♥♥
AFTER SEVERAL HOURSof sitting outside Cinder’s Palace, I caught movement in the rearview mirror, and before I could react, someone stood at my window. “Wilkes?” I said as my bodyguard’s face came into view, the afternoon sun casting a halo around his head. “What are you doing here?” My frown dug deeper into my brow. Following Saint’s departure yesterday, I found myself driving toward the shelter. No amount of arguing with myself could get me to turn the car around.
“You needed this.” He lifted the black duffel with the Sinclair crest I kept on the plane for emergency travel. “And this.” He held up a keycard that read The Valmont.
Leaning my head against the backrest, I uttered a low laugh. This was a man I’d walk into battle with even if he were a wounded soldier because he’d make damn sure we both came out alive. “How did you know?” I asked after he opened the door, and I climbed out.
“I got a call about a suspicious vehicle parked outside the shelter for the last two days. Judging by that.” He pointed to the cans of energy drinks I’d tossed onto the back seat. “I’d say that either my boss has decided the looney bin should be his new home, or he’s a man who just discovered he’s in love and decided to do something about it.”
A belly laugh rumbled out of my chest. “Didn’t figure you for a comedian, Wilkes.”
“Ha ha,” he muttered, yet one corner of his mouth twitched. For a man who rarely, if not never, smiled, it looked good on him. “Now, sir, if you climb back into the car, I’ll take you to the hotel for a hot shower and a fresh change of clothes. If you prefer to sleep, we can do that too.”
Without meaning to, I glanced up at the gates leading to the shelter.
“She’ll still be here when we return, sir.” Wilkes dragged my gaze back to him.
His eyes, hidden behind black sunglasses, left me with just my imagination of what he thought of me. A grown man huddling in a car over two days, pinning for a woman.
“I’m not judging, sir.” God, this man was a piece of work—the good kind.
Smiling, I climbed into the passenger seat, ignoring his raised brow. “Back seat’s crowded,” I said, my eyes on the black gate again. “Do you drink, Wilkes?” I asked after we’d driven off.”
“When I’m off duty, I enjoy a beer or two,” he replied, keeping his gaze fixed on the road.
“Good thing you’re off duty, then.” I turned my head to find his shaded eyes on me. “Does The Valmont have a good bar?” I had a feeling I’d be crawling instead of walking, so the hotel bar would be the best choice. He nodded.
Four whiskeys later, I poured my heart out to a man who’d seen me at my best and now, my worst. I’d lost count by the time the clock struck midnight, and I felt someone’s arm around my waist, leading my staggering body away, my slurred words making no sense to my own ears.
