Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Landon
Serious and monogamous.
I have never used those words in relation to myself. Ever.
And yet we did.
Or rather, she used them and I’m totally on board.
That’s the crazy thing—this doesn’t feel as weird as I always thought it would. I assumed falling in love would make me uncomfortable and I’d need to take a long time to make sure it was right or whatever.
Nope.
I just jumped in with both feet yet I have zero regrets.
It’s very unlike me but Allora is unlike anyone I’ve ever been with.
She brings out a softer side of me, one I really only tap into when I’m with my nephew.
It’s going to take a little getting used to but it feels like this is the right person at the right time.
I didn’t think thirty-eight would be the magic settling down number but maybe it is.
Holy shit.
I just thought about…settling down.
Rage would die laughing if he knew what I was thinking right now.
Okay, maybe not. My happiness wouldn’t be a joke to him.
He might give me a little shit about it, in private, but not in a malicious way.
He hasn’t had a serious girlfriend in a long time either so he understands my reluctance.
Our lifestyle just isn’t conducive to that kind of thing. At least, it never was before.
Now that we’re with Shadow Security, the jobs we’ve taken have been different. Abused women who need help escaping from their abusers. Movie stars with stalkers. Assignments that aren’t that dangerous, not compared to the missions we took on in the past.
This sex trafficking ring is something else.
It’s dangerous, no doubt about that, but I’m more worried about Allora than myself.
They’ll have to work extremely hard to get one over on me, but she’s a lot more vulnerable.
Because whether I’m her bodyguard or her boyfriend, we can’t stay holed up forever.
She has to get back to work. I have to start taking other jobs.
We have to live our lives and my gut tells me that’s not going to be easy with our current situation.
Unfortunately, I’m starting to believe the only way to catch these guys is to draw them out, and the best way I can think of to do that is to dangle the woman I’m falling in love with like bait.
And the alpha protector in me isn’t down for that at all.
This weekend is a mild version of that, her being out in public, but with me, Chaos and even Courtney here to protect her. I honestly don’t believe they’ll strike while we’re in this kind of scenario—too much of a chance they’ll be seen.
Which brings me back to what we need to do going forward.
“Have you been up all night?” Allora’s soft voice brings me out of my reverie, and I glance over at her with a smile.
“Not all night. I slept but like I told you, I don’t need more than four or five hours.”
“Well, we are definitely not compatible in that department,” she says, stretching like a lean, sexy cat. “I love to sleep.”
“That’s okay, baby. Sleep all you want. I like watching.”
She wrinkles her nose. “That would be creepy coming from anyone else.”
“It’s not creepy. You’re beautiful. And I’m perfectly happy just looking. I’ll never touch you unless you’re awake enough to consent.”
Her eyes soften and she lifts a hand, putting it on the side of my face. “I know that, Landon. And you’re welcome to touch me any time you like. Especially now. Because I’m certainly awake.”
I dip my head and capture her lips just as there’s a knock on the door.
“Oh shit.” She sits up. “I totally forgot I’m meeting Alexa for breakfast! She said she’d swing by and pick me up.”
“Go get dressed,” I say with a smile, grabbing my sweats. “I’ll keep her entertained.”
“You’re the best.”
She rushes into the bathroom while I go to the door. Sure enough, Alexa is standing there with a smile.
“Good morning. We overslept. My fault. But Allora will be ready in a couple of minutes.”
Alexa waves a hand as she comes in. “No worries. I’m still half-asleep myself.” She glances toward the bedroom and then lowers her voice. “How is she really? Is she okay?”
I nod. “I think she’s getting there. It’s just a matter of her being patient with herself. She wants it to just go away.”
Alexa sighs. “Yeah, that makes sense. I’d want it to go away too, but it doesn’t work that way.”
“Two more minutes,” Allora calls out, coming out of the bathroom.
She’s barefoot, with no makeup, in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and still the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen. Her beauty radiates out of her in a way I can’t explain, but there must be something in my expression because Alexa grins at me.
“You’ve got it bad. Good for you. She’s a hell of a catch. I just hope you’re careful with her.”
“Careful with her?” That’s interesting wording.
“With her soul. With all the broken pieces that are going to take a long time to heal. Because it won’t be easy, Landon.”
I nod solemnly. “I know.”
* * *
Since I want to give Allora and Alexa a little alone time, I sit in the dining room a few tables over, ordering coffee and a full breakfast. Then I text Chaos and ask if he wants to join me.
He’s down in less than five minutes, ordering coffee.
“How was last night?” I ask, grinning.
He chuckles. “It was exactly what we needed it to be. The perfect distraction. Although, I now have five new job offers. Two to work in Vegas as a male stripper, one to be an escort, and two modeling jobs.”
“You considering any of them?” I ask dryly.
“Nah.” He shrugs. “I wouldn’t have minded modeling when I was younger but that’s just a hassle now. I’m too old and jaded.”
“You’re thirty-two. Not exactly ancient.”
He meets my gaze. “I’ve lived a lifetime in these thirty-two years.”
We don’t talk about his past much but I know he’s had a rough life.
He’s a felon who served time, and just when he was getting his life together, his fiancée and her son from another relationship were killed in a car accident.
He spiraled for a while, got into some trouble, but our old boss, Darryl “Chains” Carruthers, got involved and set him on the right path.
Originally, he was going to move to Atlanta with Chains but somehow wound up in California working for Daniil. I don’t know the whole story and it’s never seemed prudent to ask, but from the outside looking in, he’s doing okay.
“You know what a hot mess I am,” he adds after a moment.
“Actually, I don’t know,” I say, “but knowing the details of your life aren’t a requirement for us to be friends and coworkers.”
“I appreciate that.” He gazes over at Allora. “She doing okay?”
Everyone keeps asking me that, like they know there’s more to us than a professional relationship.
“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” I ask, though it’s somewhat rhetorical.
He smiles. “Is the relationship between you a secret?”
I scowl. “No but—” I cut myself off. I’m not going to tell him we only got together last night.
“It’s new,” he says, nodding. “I get it. And I won’t say anything.”
“You can say whatever you want. It’s not a secret. I just need people to not keep asking me how she is. Ask her. She needs to talk about it. She needs to be able to let out all the pain she’s holding in.”
“Not everyone needs to let it out,” he says, lifting his coffee mug. “Some pain has to stay buried deep. Otherwise, it could bring on the kind of chaos not even I’m prepared to handle.”
I stare at him for a beat and nod. “Fair enough. But that’s not Allora.”
“I don’t think she wants everyone she meets asking how she’s doing. I mean, I barely know her.”
“You’re part of her security team. And if we keep seeing each other, she’s going to be a regular around headquarters.”
He hesitates. “Yeah, but I might not be.”
“You might not be what?” I ask, knitting my brows together. “Are you leaving?”
“I got an offer from Lynx.”
“Lynx?” I gape at him. “Jesus, Chris, they’re fucking mercs! They don’t even have a moral code.” I rarely use his first name but he knows I’m not fucking around if I do.
“They pay well and they’re not…” His voice trails in a way that tells me he’s going to say something stupid.
“They’re not what?” I demand, irritated.
“They’re not so…family oriented.” He scowls.
“I thought I was ready to be around that again but I don’t know if I am.
It’s hard. And sometimes I just want to hurt people.
Not my friends!” he adds hurriedly. “I wouldn’t hurt anyone at Shadow.
But there have been a few times I’ve wanted to take a swing.
At you. At Dan. Something is broken in me, Grim.
And I don’t want it to impact people I care about. ”
“Lynx will get you killed.”
“I’m already half-dead inside,” he says quietly. “So maybe that’s the place for me.”
I stare at him and he stares back.
He’s not kidding that there’s a deadness in his eyes. The guy I know is lurking behind it but the darkness is winning whatever internal battle he’s waging, and I’m not sure there’s anything I can do.
“Have you thought about talking to someone?” I ask.
He laughs but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “So many I wish I could get that money back and buy—” He’s interrupted by Allora joining us. She sinks into a chair and grins.
“Breakfast is over. Who’s babysitting me while I work today? It’s going to be a long one.”
“Actually, Courtney is going to be in the room with you,” I say. “I’ll be watching the main entrance, and Chaos will be patrolling all the others.”
She nods. “Okay, I need a shower and then I have a full schedule.”
“You guys go,” Chaos says with a friendly wave. “I’ll take care of the bill and meet you at the ballroom.”
I want him to know we’re going to pick this up again later, but he’s doing something on his phone and Allora’s already chatting about today’s schedule.
Later, I’ll talk to Courtney.
For now, I get to watch my girl work.
And I’m genuinely looking forward to it.