Page 124 of Seizing Control: Part Two

Her disbelief is obvious, even as she inclines her head.

“I mean it... there’s no reason to worry about Gabbi and her intentions toward me.”

Layla juts her chin. “Permission to speak freely, boss?”

“You’re my consigliere, so that’s pretty much your job” I retort with a half-grin. “Not that you ever asked for permission before that.”

That comment sees me rewarded with a quick quirk of her lips before the undercover goth girl tells me, “My job is to illuminate your blind spots—and in my opinion Gabbi is more like quicksand than a potential weakness. Her entanglement with Diablo is immoral and illegal, and her attachment to you is unnatural. With her mother’s debt, her sister’s criminal tendencies, and the Blackards refusal to fully back the Shamrocks and, in turn, the curia, Gabriella Mitchell is a liability to our overall strategy?—”

I pinch her lips together.

My 2IC’s mumbled protest dies when I coldly state, “Rather than take offence at the bullshit you just spouted, I’m gonna change the subject.” My tone is stern, tightly wound and full of barely controlled fury. “Why do you think Lily’s at the NICU?”

Once I’ve removed my hand, Layla shakes herself, then she replies in a flat voice, “Figure she’s going to see the twins.”

“Fuck.”

Even in the midst of our banishment, I didn’t think Lily would withhold the babies from me. As I comprehend the depth of metukà shelì’s desire to free herself from me and Slash, all thoughts of fixing the misunderstanding Layla has formed about Gabbi evaporate. My woman is about to meet our twins for the first time, and I’m determined to be there whether she likes it or not.

As I stride off, Gabbi offers me a sympathetic smile.

Passing the bikers who are still talking, I can feel everyone’s curiosity.

It doesn’t slow my step.

I know where I belong.

In the underworld as the Adjudicator.

In the light as Lily’s protector.

In the darkness as her man and the twin’s dad.

My protégé falls into line behind me. Layla scoffs under her breath when Cub and Meeyal follow us as well. We’re efficient, the five of us moving with speed, taking the stairs instead of the elevator to the lower level, then moving through the corridors in a manner that makes everyone step out of our way.

I’ve memorised the layout of the hospital, so finding the entrance I need is easy.

The hard part is discovering Slash with my sweet thing.

Why would she inform him and not me?

“Lily.”

“Lazarus.” My woman gingerly turns in her wheelchair. Showing me her phone, she adds. “I was just about to call you, but I realised that I don’t have your number.”

“You do.” Confusion darkens her gaze, then she beckons me forward. After dismissing my team, and Cub and Meeyal with a jerk of my chin, I stoop low to kiss my woman’s forehead. She accepts my affection without hesitation. “I added it the second time I came to see you in the dark.”

“Truth?”

“Sweet thing... I’ll remind you for as long as it takes you to grasp it. I’m not going anywhere—no matter how hard you try to scare me away.”

“I’m not doing that... I’m setting boundaries.”

“No, sweet thing.” I gently cup her nape. “Boundaries are for you, not me.”

After I call her out, Lily’s lips tighten, and she scowls. “What do you know about boundaries? All you do is cross them, then make excuses.”

“Which boundary, and what excuse?”

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