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I swallowed thickly, knowing she was trying to be honest even when it hurt. “Wherever you want to go, I’ll make it happen,” I promised.
She nodded, though I didn’t know if she realized she was doing it. It was more of an impulse to soothe herself. “I just need a restart. To reinvent myself somewhere new where no one’s ever met me. I need to wash myself clean of all of this.”
“You deserve it.”
I was mentally sifting through places I could send her—resorts with on-site spas and massages and celebrity-level therapists who could take care of her and help her get her mind right—when the doorbell rang.
Ash stiffened at the sound, not blinking when I pulled a gun from under the table. She’d had to jump through hoops just to get inside the gates. No way I’d invited anyone else over.
Typing out a message to the boys, who’d left to check in with Moore and Tennessee now that they’d finished their sweep of Cameron’s men—and to give us a little privacy—I let them know we had a guest.
My phone immediately started vibrating with texts, but I set it to silent and reached under the side table, pulling out two more guns and handing one to Aislynn. Her body shook, but her hand was steady as she checked it over before chambering a bullet.
Once she was armed, I dragged her with me to the pantry. “Stay back here until I say otherwise. If you hear gunshots, there’s a small catch on the side wall that will take you to the underground portion of the garage. Right behind the Lucky Charms.”
“Is that an Irish joke?” Her voice was tight, even with the attempted humor, and I flashed a smile her way.
“Dominic picked it.”
That got an actual laugh. “Of course he did.”
Our unwanted visitor rang the bell again, and I sucked in a breath. “Remember, stay here.”
Even though I didn’t want to leave her, I trusted that she could take care of herself. Once I was in the hallway, I pulled up the security cameras and swore, shooting off another text to my men, who’d flooded the group chat while I was busy. Slipping the still-vibrating phone into my pocket, I opened the door to the one man I’d never expected to see on my doorstep.
Victor Paez.
“Hello, Mari.”
I was devoted to my men, but even I could admit that Victor was handsome.
Tall, dark, and dangerous, but the laugh lines on his face screamed that he could enjoy life with the best of them. Expensive clothes covered a body I was almost certain was as fit as my men, not that I’d find out. And that voice—dear God. He wasn’t as old as I’d expected him to be either. Probably close to forty if he hadn’t already hit it.
Hot or not, he was a snake in the grass, and I wasn’t a fan of serpents.
I leaned in the doorway, making sure to keep my body between him and Aislynn. “There a reason you’re here?”
“Figured it was time for us to talk face-to-face.”
“Last I checked, I didn’t invite you to my home.”
He shrugged, but I could see that he was enjoying that he’d thrown me off. Asshole. “Yet here I am.”
In other words, I’m not leaving. Well, fuck him for deciding that.
“Now’s not a good time.”
“You have a guest. I’m aware.” When I raised an eyebrow, he almost smiled. “I wouldn’t be very good at my job if I didn’t know absolutely everything going into a situation.”
He was Moore’s occupational wet dream. “Your security team must love you.”
“They certainly appreciate my efforts to stay safe.”
For some reason, it made me chuckle, but the sound of Ash’s footsteps behind me quickly wiped that away. “Is it safe to come out now?”
“No,” I said, frowning when Victor responded, “Yes.”
When I glared at him, he raised his arms to his sides. “I promise I’m not here to hurt either of you. I really do just want to talk. Feel free to search me if it will make you more comfortable.”
