Page 56 of Cruel Salvation

His Naz was a beautiful, intelligent, and complex woman who had a temper that could level a building and yet she could still be vulnerable in the way she interacted with him. The truth of it was, she was his. She’d made that claim on him, and he was going to do everything in his power to ensure she never regretted it.

Damon gripped her shoulder, whether in warning or solidarity, he didn’t know.

Simon looked from one to the other and shrewdly guessed the rough edges he’d rubbed off. Damon didn’t like it, but he was self-aware enough to know that he was overprotective of Nazareli.

“I don’t. I’m sorry but I’ll keep thinking and, if you need me to draw Andrea out, I’m happy to help. I just want this nightmare over.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Damon kept his own counsel as they walked back towards Bás’ office but she knew him well enough to know he had something on his mind.

“Spit it out.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Well, I can’t say I do completely, but I do think having him in a safe house somewhere close could work in our favour.”

“You think Bás will go for it?”

“Think Bás will go for what?”

They both spun to see Bás walking out of the large gym with Val behind him with Scout, who was limping. Naz went down on her haunches to pet the animal who, if you weren’t one of his pack, wasn’t exactly friendly. Lucky for him, he’d been adopted into the pack, but it hadn’t been easy.

“What happened to you, my little French mushroom.”

Her baby voice, which she used on the dog, was cute. “French mushroom? What does that even mean?”

Naz shrugged. “No clue. Are French mushrooms even a thing?”

Bás looked at Naz like she may very well have lost her mind. “Are you talking about truffles?”

Val laughed. “Yeah, those.”

“Why is Scout a truffle?”

“Because he’s delicious and lives underground like us.”

“Lotus, focus. What did you want to talk to me about?”

Naz stood. “Simon Dorsey says Andrea was sleeping with Tim Cooper too, and there might be one more man in the mix.”

“Who?”

“Eric Johnson.”

Bás turned to Val. “We need to bring him in before he goes all berserker on us too.”

“On it.”

Val pressed a kiss to Bás’ shoulder and walked off to do as he’d instructed, no question, no discussion. She trusted him wholeheartedly to know what to do.

“What else? Because I know my life isn’t easy enough that you’d only want that.”

“Rude.”

“True. Now out with it, Lotus.”

He rolled his lips as Naz sighed.