Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 125248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
He kept going as if he hadn’t just dropped a grenade in the room.
He’d made that decision the second he saw the comfort Morrison’s sheer presence gave Xander. Not to mention he’d called Morrison when he was in danger. He trusted him…needed him. And he wasn’t about to be the man who took that comfort away.
“Any issue with that?” God asked Morrison.
Morrison’s jaw flexed. “No.”
Xander couldn’t hide his relief, and God knew he’d made the right call.
“Wes and Law speak very highly of you guys,” Xander said. “They said you were the reason they got to come back to LA.”
His voice wavered. “I’m glad they did. I missed them. I don’t have a lot of friends.” He said, seeming embarrassed by the admission.
The room went still.
Xander swallowed. “I’m sorry you had to take time away from the important stuff you do to come and—”
“This is what we do, Xander.” God let his voice settle “Doesn’t matter that it’s on a different coast. Wes and Law are ours. They asked us to come. That makes you ours too.” God held his gaze. “We protect our own. And we’ve never lost a principal.”
Xander nodded once then whispered, “Thank you.”
“I’m sure you wanna get some sleep, so I’ll give you the short version,” Day took over. “There are two penthouses on this floor. God and I are in this one, Free is set up in the other. This floor is command. Nobody comes up here without us knowing.”
Xander was focused on every word despite how tired he looked.
“The floor below us is where you’ll be,” Day continued. “There’re only three suites in the east wing. Yours is the one at the end and takes up the entire right side. It has two master bedrooms, and the floor is only accessible by an encrypted elevator code. Ruxs and Green are in the suite opposite to yours. Tech and Steele are ahead of that. The West end suites are empty, except for one. It’s occupied by newlyweds from Detroit. They check out in two days, then Free will block it from future reservations.”
“I checked out the couple, they’re boring and harmless.” Free said. “Terrible taste in room service desserts, and bad tippers, but harmless.”
“My point is…” Day shook his head at Free. “We control everything. Anyone trying to hurt you has a lot of obstacles to get around, including my men. They’ll have to decide if trying to get to you is worth dying for.”
A single tear slipped free before Xander quickly swiped it away.
“All right,” God said, his voice shifting into command mode. “He’s ours now. You know what to do.”
“The enforcers are going to escort you to your room.” Day said. “Tomorrow we’ll meet with you and your team, look over your itinerary, scheduled public appearances, studio hours, everything.”
Ruxs pushed off the wall, he and Green moving toward the door.
Morrison stayed where he was, so close behind Xander air could barely squeeze through.
He and Day turned and went into their bedroom.
Xander Vale was in their circle now. And the men hunting him just had their last easy night.
Now they had a much bigger problem.
Xander Vale
Xander grazed his fingertips over the ring as he left the penthouse.
He glanced back once before stepping into the hall, unable to stop himself from gaping again at the man they actually called God.
That was insane.
He was a huge, six-foot-four, commanding sonofabitch, with brown-blond hair flowing over his broad shoulders.
There was something more overwhelming about him than his appearance. Something hard to turn away from. He was intense, terrifying in a powerful way, and somehow, he’d made Xander feel safe.
He reminded Xander of someone.
He turned, and looked at Cassidy.
Of course he was right there. He’d been there the entire time, silent and watchful, close enough that Xander didn’t have to search for him.
Cassidy picked up their bags and gave a small gesture with his head, indicating for him to walk in front of him.
At the door, Tech and Steele exited first.
Steele was a lot. There wasn’t another way to put it. Black combat boots, dark jeans, and a ratty, gray long john shirt stretched over lean muscles.
The man radiated danger.
Xander wondered if his menacing glare and bristly, hard-set jaw was the result of him spending most of his life unimpressed and angry. He had a toothpick sticking out of the corner of his mouth, and when he passed by, Xander caught the smell of sweet tobacco lingering beneath spicy cologne. But it was those eyes that unsettled Xander. Icy gray irises emitted a glare that could freeze a man in place.
Tech, at least, appeared far less alarming…at first glance.
He wore a collared shirt beneath a plaid vest, starched jeans, polished loafers, and thick, black-framed glasses that made his green eyes shine even brighter.
His jet-black hair was parted on the side and slicked back without a single strand out of place even at almost four in the morning.