Page 49 of Claimed By the Boss

“That’s so sweet.” Jade pats the side of Caleb’s face. “Isn’t he so sweet? I want to bubble wrap him so he never changes.”

Caleb sighs and stands, hauling Jade up. “I’ll leave you to handle this conversation. We need to report to the President.”

“Mmm, yummy. Aaiden’s so hot.” Jade sways against Caleb. “I want to climb him like a tree.”

A beat of silence follows before Caleb laughs. “Oh, damn, I’m so going to hold that over your head when the drugs wear off.”

“Get him home safely.” Nolan cuddles me closer, making no move to see them out. “And thank you for today.”

“Anytime.” Caleb drags Jade to the door. “That’s what family is for.”

Nolan lifts one of my wrists and kisses the bandage. “What did the doctor say?”

“I’ll heal.” Unexpected tears rise to my eyes, and a tremor goes through me. “He said I should ice my f-face…”

“Oh, my sweet boy.” Nolan gingerly tucks me against his shoulder. “I’m so sorry you went through this because of me.”

“I was so stupid to believe Gino,” I sob into his shirt. “And then I got myself kidnapped and put you in danger.”

“Shhh. You were scared.” He rubs my back. “You’ve been in survival mode for a long time. When I walked into that warehouse and saw you hurt, it terrified me, but I could also see that you fought like hell. You are so much stronger than you realize.”

“I’m not, though.” I sniffle and wipe my eyes. “If I hadn’t doubted you, I never would have been in that position.”

“Or they would have found a different way to get to you.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “If I was more transparent about my family, you would have known the risk being with me posed, but I was selfish. I didn’t want to scare you away. Once you’re in, it’s for life, though. No more offers of NDAs and payoffs. No more running away. This is for life. So you need to be sure this is what you want.”

Rather than instilling fear, the warning brings me comfort. When Nolan asked if I would be with him forever, it wasn’t mere words; it was a vow. “You killed Rich and Gino, and I’m still here. I’m not afraid of the blood on your hands. When I left, I thought it was for your happiness, because you loved Jade, but I’m not going to be a martyr again. You’re mine, and I’m yours.”

“That’s right, sweet boy. I’m yours, and so is my family.” He cups my uninjured cheek. “We’re not good people, but we have our own code that we live by. We have rules for what’s allowed in our territories, and when people cross those lines, we take care of them. Sometimes that involves doing things that others might consider extreme.”

“Like killing,” I say, the words a statement instead of a question.

“Yes.” He holds my eyes. “That doesn’t scare you?”

I shift on his lap to straddle him. “The only thing I’m afraid of is you being hurt.”

“I can’t promise to stay out of danger.” Nolan grips my hips. “But I will always come home to you, no matter the cost.”

“Then I won’t be afraid. I already had an idea that you were crossing the line of legality when I told your family I wanted to spend the rest of my life loving you, and I meant it.” I take his hand. “I want to know.”

Nolan searches my face, and when he doesn’t find any sign of hesitation there, he squeezes my fingers. “The Rockford family has been around for a long time. They started as landowners, buying property and businesses whenever they could. They used the money they made from that to smuggle guns but eventually moved into drugs and prostitution. They built a sizeable fortune, but my grandfather somehow managed to gamble it all away.

“Our father refilled the family coffers by returning to crime. He focused less on guns and drugs and moved into sex clubs and money laundering. The family already had a number of cash heavy businesses, so washing money was easy to integrate.”

“Your clubs?” I ask.

He nods. “One of several places where we make dirty money clean. We also run the docks, making sure the right officials are on duty when smugglers move their products.”

“Drugs?” He nods. “Gun trafficking?”

“Yes, although we’ve found more ways to make money and are moving away from guns and drugs.” His thumb rubs over my fingers. “We’re getting heavily into imported cheeses, caviar, high-end fashion, art, etc. Whatever the market demands.”

“Slaves?” I whisper.

“No.” His firm tone reassures me. “As I said, we have a code. We don’t allow human trafficking. We don’t allow drug dealers to target children. We’re working to get rid of the gangs that terrorize neighborhoods like yours. We invest in affordable living and schools, too, implementing meal plan programs. Not everything we do is bad, but we do cross that line, and I won’t hide it from you.”

Drugs had stolen my brother from me, but I can’t blame Foley’s addiction on Nolan any more than I can blame him for my mother’s need for alcohol.

Nolan touches my cheek. “Leo?”

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