Page 95 of A Little Naughty

He laughs lightly, falling back. “I’ll be going then. Goodnight,Taylor.”

We watch as he slinks away into the crowd, and I’m ready to go after him when Jemima grips my arm. “Let him go.”

I turn to her, frowning. “Let him go?”

She nods, but I can tell she’s shaken. “We need to tell Aiden he’s here, but I don’t want to jeopardize Nikki’s adoption. If we do anything to him, he can use it against me in court, and trust me, I know he would.”

My lips tighten, and now I really don’t want to leave her alone tonight for any amount of time. I don’t even like Nikki being at Aiden’s mother’s house without a guard.

“You’re right. We need to talk to Aiden. We need to make sure the kids are covered.”

She steps closer into my chest. “Thank you for being here for me.”

I surround her in my arms, hoping my presence eases the tension in her body. “I won’t let anybody hurt you. I made you that promise, and I’ll keep it.”

With a soft exhale, she nods, resting her forehead briefly against my chin before taking my hand. The rest of the night, I’m on high alert, staying close to her.

We tell Aiden what happened, and he immediately leaves, claiming he’s not much of a gala person. Ten minutes later, he texts me he’s spending the night at his mom’s.

Aiden

All good here. Stay with Jemima. I know she’s covering for Piper.

It’s another twist, me joining forces with Sheriff Stone. My brother’s words thump in my head with every heartbeat.They won’t make you legit,and a fist of defiance rises in my chest.

I don’t need them to make me who I am. I’ll protect my family, and I don’t have time for a brother who won’t even get out of his own shit.

Aiden

Keep me in the loop.

I’m studying Aiden’s final text when Bender strolls up to join me. “Heard we had some trouble here tonight.”

He extends a hand, and I shake it. “Just an old ghost from Jemima’s past.”

“We get so distracted by the men, we forget the ladies have lives, too.”

“The only thing Jemima’s guilty of is taking the law into her own hands.”

“Last I checked, the court doesn’t treat vigilantes any better than regular criminals.” It’s almost like he’s speaking from personal experience.

Glancing over at him, I notice he’s dressed in the same formalwear as I am, and a crystal tumbler of bourbon and a cigar are in his hand. His silver hair is swept back, and even his beard looks trimmed.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were downright elegant.”

A rough laugh coughs from his chest, and he slides a hand into his pocket. “Don’t get used to it. Gwen’s really into this gala. Seems Mardi Gras has a lot of mystique.”

“Mystique.” I nod, and he narrows his eyes.

“You’re a far cry from bare feet and blue jeans yourself.”

“Not far enough.” I turn, leading him away from the crowd of people we know. “I need your advice on something.”

We stop at a tall wooden table, and he rests his elbow on the rough-hewn surface. “Shoot.”

“I said I’d do something back when nothing I did seemed to matter.” Scrubbing the back of my neck, I think about how that wasn’t so long ago. “Now if I don’t see it through, people I care about could get hurt. But if I do, people I care about could be really disappointed.”

His dark brow lowers, and he studies the amber liquid in his glass. “You want to know what I’d do?”

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