22. Samson
SAMSON
After my dance lesson, Rowan and I soak in the tub, his back to my chest, his head tilted back as he rests against me. My hands slide up his thighs, feeling them bunch under my touch.
I’m fucking happy in this moment. But then again, I’m usually happy around Rowan. It’s a weird fucking feeling.
Don’t know what to do with it, so I just let it settle in me. It makes me itch, but in a good way.
I just want him to be as happy as I feel right now. And I’m not sure he is. Sometimes, it’s like he catches himself when he’s too happy. I can almost see the darkness creeping back in, refusing to release him from its claws.
But I’m stronger than the darkness. More patient, too.
I can wait for Rowan. He’s my person.
I’ll wait forever if I need to.
I hate that I have a deadline for how long I can keep him at my side. There are just three more days before he’ll leave. Unless I can convince him to stay here until we can unravel the whole situation surrounding Adam, Adriana, and who the true murderer is.
If Rowan refuses to stay…well, I’ll just have to move in with him.
There’s no fucking way I’m letting anyone eliminate the sunshine brought into my life.
“How are you feeling?” I murmur, my lips hitting the shell of his ear.
“Real nice. Relaxed. This tub is amazing. I’m going to miss this.”
“You’re not missing anything because you’re not leaving.”
He huffs, but doesn’t argue. He knows it’s futile. And it puts me in a bad mood. So he just stops responding. Don’t like that either, but this is still new. I’m still learning.
Suddenly the bathroom door is flung open, and Harley is standing there, his eyes flicking from the two of us to the wall opposite.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I growl, bending my body around Rowan to shield him from Harley’s eyes. “Go away.”
Harley smirks from the doorway. “No can do. Larry Windsor is here. He’s refusing to leave until he sees Rowan. Dotty even sprayed him in the eyes with that concoction she has, but he’s not budging.”
“Larry?” Rowan says, trying to peer around me. “As in, my grumpy next-door neighbor, Larry?”
“One and the same.”
For fuck’s sake. “Just kill him and bury his body in the backyard.”
Rowan gasps, shoving me away. “Do not murder him, oh my god. Don’t make jokes like that. I’ll go see him. Just…tell him to hold on.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I was only half joking. I won’t kill Larry, not when I know how much Rowan cares for him. Plus, he did call me when he knew Rowan needed me. Guess I owe him for that.
Besides, I don’t think Rowan took me seriously when I told him I’m an assassin. Wylder will probably skin me alive when he finds out what I admitted to, but I’m done lying to Rowan.
Well, I’m done lying to him going forward. Not a lot I can do about the ones I’ve already told him.
Except pray he never finds out.
Rowan stands up, suds slipping off his body, and I see Harley take him in. He only looks away when I toss a bar of soap at his head. It knocks some sense into him as he murmurs an apology and steps from the room.
Rowan is pulling on a robe and stuffing his feet into some slippers, a smattering of bubbles sitting against his jaw. “I’ll be back.”
I’m already hauling myself from the tub, water cascading over the sides in my haste. “No. I’ll go with you.”
He rolls his eyes. “What is it about Larry that has you so worried? He’s an old man. Harmless.”
“Sure.” Images of murders from Larry’s generation as a Windsor flash through my mind. “Harmless.”
I tie a towel around my waist and gesture for Rowan to go first. He does, and I walk by his side down the long hallway and the winding staircase, and into the foyer where Larry is sitting, Dotty in the corner, a mop and spray bottle aimed at him.
When we approach, Rowan gasps, seeing Larry’s red and watering eyes blinking at us. “Oh my god, are you okay?”
He rushes up to Larry, putting a protective arm around him.
Larry tsks, batting him off and putting a few paces between them. “I’m fine. Even if this wench tried to kill me.”
I don’t miss how he doesn’t so much as look in Dotty’s direction.
I glance at our housekeeper. She’s still holding out her spray bottle, her hands trembling slightly. Is it just my imagination, or do her eyes look…misty?
“She’s not a wench. That’s not nice to say,” Rowan chastises. He tries to take a step closer to Larry, but my hand goes around his waist, keeping him at my side.
“Don’t care,” Larry grumbles, shifting from one foot to the other. “Just wanted to make sure you were okay, kid. I know these Buckinghams…”
“We know who you are, too,” I warn. “Don’t make me break his heart.”
Larry’s lips thin, but he gets the message.
Rowan’s gaze moves between the two of us, and he sighs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but we need to find him a seat. He doesn’t have his cane. Why are you walking around without that? You could fall and break a hip.”
Dotty lets out an angry laugh. “Good. Maybe it’ll kill him this time. Better than him showing up here out of nowhere, disrupting all our lives.”
My mouth gapes as she squirts her bottle once more in his direction before sauntering off, Nugget waggling his tail as he trots along at her heels. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her string so many words together at once.
Rowan wiggles out of my hold and slips his arm through Larry’s. “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen. I actually know where that is after getting lost trying to find it. We’ll get your eyes rinsed out and get you some water.”
I follow behind the two of them, watching as Rowan leads Larry toward the kitchen.
As he does, I see Wylder move from one of the corridors, watching as Larry fucking Windsor makes his way through our house.
Our eyes meet, and I see one of his twitch.
He’s not happy about this, but his pinched lips tell me he’ll stay quiet for the sake of Rowan.
But he won’t let Larry move around our house without being watched, so we follow them, Dalton and Harley appearing several moments later. Cade and Matthias join us too, just as grim-faced as Wylder.
“Oh, the whole family is here,” Rowan says. “Well, almost all. We’re missing the significant others…but this is my friend and neighbor, Larry.”
“We know who he is,” Dalton says, leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest.
“Oh, did Samson tell you about him?” Rowan asks, moving to the fridge, pulling out a jug of lemonade Jules made, and pouring a glass for him. “I’ve been helping him out.”
“He seems helpless.” Harley’s voice is full of sarcasm that Rowan seems to miss. Larry uses the opportunity of Rowan’s back being turned to flip the bird at my brother.
“I’m glad you’re here, Larry,” Wylder says smoothly, slipping into his role as the head of the family with ease. “There are matters we’d like to discuss with you.”
“I’m sure there are.” Larry’s tone is just as sarcastic as Harley’s. Rowan’s now humming while filling a plate with breakfast food. I know without asking that it’s not for him. I’m just thankful he’s oblivious to all the tension playing out around him. “But I’m just here for the kid.”
“Kid.” Rowan snorts as he slides the plate in front of Larry. “I’m not a kid.”
“Just like Larry’s not a helpless old man.” I eye the bulge under his jacket. He’s armed with at least one gun, but I’ll be surprised if he hasn’t got other weapons hidden away.
“This is good,” Larry grunts, tucking into the food. “Bet you’ve got some fancy-ass chef kicking around.”
Harley growls. “He’s got more talent in his pinkie than you do in your whole body.”
Larry doesn’t rise to the bait. “Judging by this, I don’t doubt it.”
“I’m surprised you don’t have your own personal chef,” Cade says idly, leaning back against the sink with his arms folded over his chest. “What with all your generational wealth.”
Rowan gives a tinkling laugh. “Larry? Rich? Hilarious. If you could see his apartment, you’d know why that’s so funny. No offense, Larry.”
“None taken, kid.”
Cade shoots me a look as Rowan confirms he truly has no idea who lives next to him, who he’s been baking, shopping, and doing laundry for.
“I don’t get why you’re here,” Rowan says, sliding onto the stool next to Larry. “You’re the one who told Samson to show me his family home.”
“Yeah, but then you didn’t come home,” Larry says tightly. “Had to make sure you were safe and not being kept against your will.”
His eyes linger on each of us in turn before stopping on me. I shake my head minutely. Rowan’s not a prisoner here, but I’m also not prepared to let him leave.
He must see something in my face that satisfies him as he turns back to his plate. “Never can trust people these days.”
“Aw, you do care about me.” Rowan lights up, putting an arm around Larry’s shoulders and delivering a smacking kiss to his cheek. “I knew it! It was the brownies, wasn’t it? No one can resist them.”
“Hell no.” Larry sniffs. “Just didn’t want someone new moving into your apartment. I’d have to get used to a new person. And they might be even more annoying than you.”
Larry can protest all he wants, but given he strolled into our home, armed and ready to fight for Rowan, we all know he cares. He’d already gone up in my estimation when he called me to say Rowan needed me, but now?
I think I might feel just as protective over the old curmudgeon as Rowan.
“I do think it’s in our best interests that we have that discussion,” Wylder says. “Now that you’ve eaten, we can make sure we’re all on the same page.”
“What page?” Rowan’s head snaps up. “What are you talking about?”
Larry ignores the questions. So do I, but I have to grit my teeth to stop myself from speaking. Keeping who we are, what we do, from Rowan feels harder with every minute I spend with him.
Larry studies Wylder shrewdly. “Is there a page we all need to be on?”
Translation: Is there a situation involving Rowan I need to know about?
He nods. “We believe so.”
Translation: There’s a big fucking situation.
“Okay.” Larry nods. “Best show me to your lair, or whatever the fuck it is you Buckinghams use.”
My lips twitch, and they’re not the only ones. I think Larry will have a few loyal fans here by the time this meeting’s through.
Rowan gets to his feet to follow, something Wylder notices immediately. He catches my eye and shakes his head firmly. My heart sinks, but I nod in agreement. Rowan can’t come to this meeting and be kept in the dark about The Firm. Or about how much danger he’s in.
The first, I don’t give a shit about. But the second? If Rowan knows there’s some crazy fucker who’s taken a hit out on him, he’ll be terrified. Fuck, it might even put him off performing, the one thing that brings him the most happiness. I can’t have that. I won’t.
I’ll destroy anything that threatens to dim Rowan’s shine.
I catch Rowan around the waist and pull him to me. “Why don’t you go get dressed and see what Neo and Ansel are up to?”
Rowan grins. “Hate to point this out, but you’re the one just in a towel. At least I have a robe on.”
I grunt. “Yeah, but it’s not the same. I don’t give a fuck if they catch a glimpse of my balls.”
“We definitely give a fuck,” Dalton calls over his shoulder as he hustles after Wylder and Larry. “Put some damn pants on.”
I flip him the bird over my shoulder before turning back to Rowan. His eyes are soft, his grin slightly goofy. “But you care if they see mine?”
“Damn fucking right I do,” I growl, sliding a hand under his robe to palm his naked ass. “This is all mine. Don’t you forget it.”
He gives a small groan, his hands twitching against my chest. “This level of possessiveness shouldn’t be attractive.”
“Might want to tell your cock that.”
Just then, a crunching sound fills the air. Both our heads swivel to see Harley leaning against the counter, munching his way through a piece of toast.
“Don’t mind me,” he says around a mouthful. “I’m just enjoying the show.”
I scowl at my brother as I reluctantly remove my hand from Rowan’s ass. I give it one final squeeze before I do, though—a promise to revisit this later. “Why the fuck are you still here?”
He shrugs. “I’m gonna hang with Rowan and the boys. Rather that than sit through a boring meeting with you assholes.”
Rowan frowns. “Shouldn’t I be at the meeting if it’s about Larry?”
It’s not about Larry; it’s about you.
I don’t say that. Obviously. That’ll just make him think he has more of a right to be there, which he does, but I want to protect Rowan. Not just from whoever this fucker is, but even from the knowledge that someone out there wants to hurt him.
I swallow hard, keeping my eyes on Rowan’s face. “Trust me?”
He bites his lip before nodding. “Okay.”
“Don’t worry,” Harley says cheerfully, finishing his slice of toast and shoving off the counter. “We’ll have more fun than them. I guarantee it.”
He shoots me a wink that has me wanting to find my dagger, but he sweeps Rowan from my arms and out of the kitchen before I can so much as blink.
I don’t know whether to thank my brother or stab him.
Both. You can do both.