Crisp headed his way. As his features came into focus, he saw how pale Crisp had gone. Damn. He should have grabbed that gun.
“What are we dealing with?”
Crisp spoke quietly, keeping the conversation between them. “Beau Bosi’s personal guard, Henry, and Jett.”
Jay had unfortunately already met both. They were the ones who had sent Jay’s already bleeding and beaten body straight into the arms of his torturer. He didn’t have time to process. Crisp took his hand and headed for the door, steering him around the hazards they had left on the floor.
“We’ll have to move slowly. He can’t see.” Jay might have snorted at the way Crisp made him look helpless, but Crisp’s voice actually sounded pretty deadly, and allowing everyone to underestimate him was a genius move.
Neither of the guards responded. Jay mentally prepared for anything except losing Crisp. They would have to kill him first.
This had been Crisp’s worst fear. He couldn’t let Jay get hurt. Jay had suffered enough. Why had he gone against everything that had screamed inside him to run with Jay months ago? If they survived today, he wouldn’t make that mistake twice. When Henry led them into Beau’s office, Crisp’s stomach dropped. While he had known Beau never went anywhere without Henry, he had still held on to a small hope Beau wasn’t there.
Crisp couldn’t let Beau speak first. “I didn’t know you were here for the holiday. Did my brothers come with you?”
Beau motioned toward Jett. “Get the man a chair.”
At the order, Jett grabbed a wingback chair from along the wall and set it next to a chair already at the desk.
Crisp helped Jay sit, playing up his loss of sight.
Kylo skipped into the room wearing an elf outfit. “Jay! You’re looking so much better.” He hugged Jay as if this were a family visit. Kylo sat on Beau’s lap.
Crisp’s shoulders relaxed a hair. Beau looked sort of human while holding Kylo.
Beau focused on Crisp. “Your brothers will be here in about two hours. It’s best we have this meeting now. Austen has located a surgeon in Canada who he feels has the skill needed to help restore at least some of your guest’s eyesight. If you’re interested, he can see you after the holidays. There’s a catch.”
Wasn’t there always?
“Um. Okay.” Crisp heard all the confusion he felt in his voice.
“As I said, your brothers are on their way. The plan is to stay here for at least three months.”
“Yay!” Kylo shouted, making Beau smile.
Crisp blinked at the sight.
Beau pressed on. “If you intend to continue on with this secret, you’ll need to leave in the next hour. It’ll be up to you to make your excuses for missing Christmas with them. Of course, all that is moot if you intend to let your brothers know you’ve been keeping the traitor as your pet who fully intended to murder Scout.”
“I’m no one’s pet.” Jay’s growled words made Crisp jump slightly. He was in such shock he had nearly forgotten Jay was there.
“I love you two’s matching onesies. You look adorable.”
Henry barked out a laugh behind them at Kylo’s words.
“Whatever makes Crisp happy.”
At Jay’s statement, Beau gave a sharp nod. “As it should be.”
Crisp was so confused. He had no idea where to even start. He looked Jay’s way. “What do you say? Do you want to give this surgeon a shot?” The entire situation felt surreal as hell. How long had Beau known? Who else knew?
“I won’t be the reason you miss Christmas with your brothers.”
A loud huff left Crisp. Now things felt familiar. “It’s a damn date on a calendar, stubborn ass. They’ll still be here when we get back. If not, I’m a grown man—current attire aside—I can go see them anytime I like. So, let’s go. I bet it’s beautiful up there this time of year.”
The way Jay smiled at his tirade had Crisp melting inside. “You don’t always get to be in charge. You know that, right?”
The chorus of snorts that went up around them made Crisp blush. “We already had that discussion once today.” Crisp triedto say the words as quietly as possible. To his shock, Beau burst out laughing. He looked like a completely different person.
