Page 39 of The Price of Forever

How could I keep up the walls without shutting her out completely? I still needed to fucking protect her.

A flash of red hair further down the sidewalk caught my eye. Jordan had confided in me that redheads made her anxious now, until she could verify they weren’t Dustin. I’d been on high alert as well.

Every instance had been a false alarm.

Except for this one.

Dustin locked eyes with me from about a half-block away, looking spooked. Then he turned on his heels and walked the other way. Electricity sizzled through my forearms, sending me into high alert. I was prepared to chase him down and shove his face into the cement. But I took a deep breath and held my ground.

So Dustin did have the balls to show up again after what I’d done to him.

I couldn’t be sure whether his appearance on this street was coincidence or not. But it was too close to Jordan’s orbit for comfort. I’d have to inform Jordan, even though it would spook her. And I’d have to let her brothers know.

I called Damian to give him the news. He was dismayed, of course, and wanted to continue with our current around-the-clock protection plan. And I couldn’t disagree with him. Dustin seemed like a wimp—but I knew better than to underestimate him. Who knew his connections? His secret interests? His dark fantasies? There were a thousand ways one encounter could unfold with someone who was mentally disturbed and unnaturally obsessed. I wouldn’t put Jordan at risk like that while her protection was in my hands.

Lingering outside on the sidewalk for awhile seemed best. I could monitor the flow of pedestrians, stake out the area from a few different locations. After about a half hour passed with no sight of Dustin, my mind resumed its former cartwheels about my inconvenient feelings for Jordan.

I reached for my phone. I needed reinforcements. I needed the insight that only my best friend in the entire world could offer.

Trojan. My brother in arms. My confidante. The one who kept me sane and stable.

It was almost noon. He was stationed out in California on assignment, so I knew he’d likely pick up. When one of us called, we always picked up. Even if we were in the middle of a warzone.

Trojan’s familiar bass rumbled in my ear after two rings. “Sevennnn.”

“What’s up, man?” I smiled in spite of my internal confusion, watching without registering the people flowing past me. “You busy?”

“Nah, I’m off today. You caught me at a good time. Everything okay?”

He was, like me, someone who floated in the wind. Letting his jobs take him wherever they may. A bachelor, untethered, hard drinker with a fitness routine, no plans for slowing down or putting down roots. We shared the same outlook. The same goals. The same past.

We were practically the same person in different forms. Which meant he knew me better than literally anyone else on the planet.

“How’d you guess I need some Trojan advice?”

“I can smell the desperation from San Diego,” he said with a laugh.

I heaved a sigh, my gaze landing on the stopped traffic on the street. “I got a new assignment. And I’m not sure how it’s gonna work out.”

“I thought you were set to open the business.”

“I was. But the brothers found out a few weeks back that their lost sibling was…” I paused, assessing my surroundings.

“Not lost?”

“Nailed it. I’m on close protection detail until further notice. And Trojan…” I sighed again, checking to make sure Jordan hadn’t suddenly materialized on the sidewalk beside me to give me more shit about learning a pole routine. I lowered my voice, just in case she developed bat hearing for this particular admission. “She’s twenty-five, she’s a stripper, and she’s hot as fucking sin. I need to get the fuck off this assignment but she’s high risk right now. She’s moved into my apartment temporarily until we can situate her into more stable housing.”

Trojan let out a disbelieving laugh. “All right. That sounds…tense.”

“Yeah, tense is one word you could use.” I expelled a burst of air, but it didn’t relieve enough of my pent-up frustration. “Plus, I swear to God this girl does not know how to cover herself up after a shower.”

Trojan groaned. “You’re living with an exhibitionist?”

“Feels like it.”

“My man, you know what to do.”

“Fuck her brains out?” I pinched the bridge of my nose.

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