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When my eyes shifted from Micah, I saw the other lads were there. Pierce, Rowan, Gavin. And then a surprise edition… Lakewood.
I seriously hated him a lot less these days. Clearly, I was going soft. When I got to the table, I addressed him first. "Aren't you supposed to be in London?"
As they all stood and shook my hand, Lakewood gave me a smirk. "Well, it seems my boss left me an opening. I can set my own schedule, and I can work remotely. He didn't think about that little loophole when he sent me an ocean away."
I scowled. "Noted. Next time he shall be more clear in his directive."
Lakewood knew that right now, while Gwen needed him, I wouldn't send him anywhere. The more bodies I could have on her, the better.
I took my seat and glanced around at everyone. We were tucked in the corner of the restaurant, but we could still hear diners enjoying their lunches as if all was right in the world. As if less than two weeks ago, someone hadn't tried to take my reason for existing away from me.
Micah rolled his shoulders and eyed me intently. "What's the move?"
"From the minute she leaves that hospital tomorrow, she is never alone. I want all of us on her so tight that you fuckers will be able to see my handprint on her ass. Do I make myself clear?"
Pierce's brows lifted. "I sent you the new security plan. The guys will be done with the penthouse and the new biometric panel today. They already finished setting it up. All you have to do is get her to pick her new passcode."
"And it’s set with the biometrics?"
He nodded. "For everyone on the approved list."
We’d fucked up somewhere. We’d only had our eyes on Dad, and at the time Gwen was shot, he was in fucking custody. To our knowledge, he didn't have time to make any calls as we’d ambushed him with the marriage news. So we needed to go back to our original assumption that he was the one behind everything and figure out where the fuck we went wrong.
Pierce continued. "In the meantime, she'll have round the clock guards in a three-man rotation, one outside the building, two on the door, always."
I turned to glower at my friend. "Make it five."
Pierce lifted his brow. "Are you serious? That means taking at least one off your mother for the time being."
Was he giving me excuses? I stared him down, and he put up his hands. "Okay, I hear you. I'll make it work. I need to hire some more men. Micah, I'll need your help for background checks."
Micah nodded at him. "You've got it." He was watching me as if he wanted to say something. As if he had a judgment up his sleeve.
Rowan sat forward on his seat. "On my end, as soon as she is able and mobile, I'm going to get her started on protection training. I'll run the basics. Anti-kidnapping, self-defense, basic weaponry."
I nodded my thanks.
Lakewood shrugged. "Right, since she is just as good a hacker as I am, I have no skills to offer her other than keeping her mind off everything. Particularly, you not giving her any breathing room."
I scowled at him. "If you don't like it, you can leave."
His gaze narrowed imperceptibly, and he leaned back in his seat, an insolent smile playing on his lips. "Oh no, it’s going to be fun watching your self-destruction. Has it entered your mind that maybe you should talk to her? You know Gwen is not going to want all of this."
Was he daring to tell me what my wife would want? Did he think he knew her better than I did? Did he really fucking think that he had a direct link to her heart? She wasn't going to enjoy it, but she'd understand. She would know that I needed to do this. That I needed to keep her safe. She'd get it.
"Well, the next time she's in your bed, you can ask her." Instantly, I realized what I had said. My own actions had shoved her into his bed just a few weeks ago.
His response was an evil grin. "You fuck this up, and she'll be right back there."
My brother placed a hand on my chest before I could launch myself over the table and punch him like I wanted to. "Lance, shut it." Micah turned to me then, his hand pressed firmly on my chest. "Lakewood is an ass. Ignore him. But… He may or may not have a point here. Look, there isn't a single one of us that wouldn't go to war with you. Whatever you need, if you ask it, we’ll do it. Gwen is family."
"She's not family, you idiot. She is a queen. The crown-fucking-jewel. I almost lost her two weeks ago because we all got lazy. She is literally everything. If I lose her—" I worked hard to quell the shiver that traveled up my back. "So we're not losing her. I am not losing her. Do you understand?"
Micah nodded slowly. "I hear you, and I get it, but Lakewood’s right. If you don't give that woman some breathing room, she's going to resent it. You know what happens when you decide things without talking to her."
Low blow.
"That won't be a problem anymore. She has me over a barrel. She has all my Pendragon shares. I'm just the little CEO. She'll understand that this is necessary. This is important."
