I take his hand cautiously, glancing back at Trey.
His eyes meet mine immediately.
A silent reassurance.
You’re safe, his gaze says.
“Valentino?” I murmur, confused.
A faint smile tugs at Niko’s mouth.
“I’m Valentino,” Chace replies. “Chace is… a stage name. I prefer to keep my family separate from my work.”
“Oh,” I breathe.
The name lingers in the air longer than it should.
Valentino.
It feels important. Like something I haven’t yet understood.
Niko gestures toward the door.
“Well then,” he says. “Shall we?”
Only then do I notice Johnathon is gone.
The room feels lighter—but not safe.
Men line the perimeter outside the suite. Dark suits. Still. Professional in a way that makes it clear they would act before anyone even realized there was danger.
Chace steps ahead of us, placing himself slightly in front of Trey and me, while Niko follows behind.
Protection arranged like a moving wall.
My breath catches when I see Klause and Artemis walking beside us, tails flicking, ears alert, mirroring the men around them with quiet instinct.
Trey leans slightly toward me.
“Our dogs seem very comfortable with them,” he murmurs against my ear. A faint smile in his voice. “As long as they know I’m the daddy.”
A soft laugh escapes me.
Then dies.
My hand drops instinctively to my stomach.
Daddy.
The word lands differently now.
Trey doesn’t notice.
Not yet.
All the protection. All the planning.
None of it matters if danger finds us again.
