Page 98 of Sovereign Oaths

“Nothing illegal?” she asked.

I pursed my lips, thinking it over. “Probably not. I don’t care about money enough to risk my life or freedom over it.”

“You’d own some sort of comic book store plus video and arcade games plus a training gym,” Javi joined in.

“Excuse me? I’m not that big of a nerd.” I scoffed.

He waved his hand in surrender. “I don’t think you are either, but you’d want a place where all your interests could come together. A place where you’d want to spend time to provide a safe, judgment-free space for others with similar interests.”

Well, when he said it like that, the idea had some merit.

“So people could come in and take martial arts classes, then go read a comic book or play video games?” Em nodded. “I like it.”

I smiled at Javi. “I do too.”

He grinned and checked the screens.

“What would you do?” She turned in my lap to face him.

“I would run a self-defense center,” he answered immediately. It was clearly something he’d thought about before now.

“Wow, really?” Em lifted her brows.

“Yeah. I would make classes and workshops available for everyone. Men, women, and children. Victims of abuse could come and receive help and shelter too.”

Damn. Now my idea of a nerd sanctuary sounded shallow.

Her voice softened. “You’d be good at teaching others how to protect themselves. You’re really patient when we train.”

He grinned. “Or maybe you’re an excellent pupil.”

I rolled my eyes. “What about you, Em? If you could be the boss of anything, what would it be?”

She rested her head against my shoulder. “I’m not sure. I don’t have a ton of experience or interests outside of what we do now.”

“A clothing store?” Javi offered.

She shook her head. “That’s lame.”

“It’s not if it’s something you’d enjoy or be passionate about.”

“I don’t like fashion that much,” she said with a shrug. “It’s fun sometimes but not something I’d want to center my life around.”

“You like reading. What about a bookstore?” I offered.

“Could it be attached to yours?”

“Of course.”

She smiled back at me. “Perfect. You can run things, and I’ll make a cozy corner with pillows and blankets and read all day.”

I chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “That sounds perfect.”

Javier smiled, then leaned toward the desk, reading his phone screen. His grin faded. “Wake up Cruz and Marco.”

“What?” I asked, but Em was already up and rushing out of the room.

“Guys!” she called. “Get up!”

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