Page 17 of Vengeful Guard

And that’s just the thing.

After Gray left after breakfast, and Soph came over, I’ve been thinking about this whole thing.

“Declan, talk to me. Why do I need a personal bodyguard? I never have before.”

“It’s just a precaution, Paige.”

I scoff. “A precaution? The attack was a month ago. So, what changed? What don’t I know?”

Declan sighs. “Da, Gray, and I think it’s better we have eyes on you at all times, that’s all.”

I throw my hands in the air. “But why? More importantly, don’t I have the right to know whatever this is? If I need security, it means it concerns me, right?”

I think part of the reason I’ve been so messed up is that I was caught off guard by the attack. The brutality, the disregard for human life.

I had no idea things could be that bad.

I mean, I knew it wasn’t all happy places and happy faces all around, but I’d never even been around a gunshot outside of the range. And I am not one to go there regularly. Or hardly ever if I can help it.

God, I’ve been so sheltered.

If I’d paid more attention, be more interested, would it have changed anything?

If it’d been Lara, she might’ve been able to fight him off, but I wasn’t.

I’m a failure. A joke. A princess.

I don’t want to be that anymore. I want to fight be. I want to be a warrior. Because if I had known more, more about what they do, more about what’s going on, maybe I could’ve been prepared.

And I know it’s too little too late, but I never want to go through that again, so I want to know if Murphy is targeting us. Targeting me.

I’m determined to find out, but Declan’s refusing to talk to me.

I don’t even know who we’re expecting, but maybe they’ll be able to tell me more about what the hell’s going on.

There’s a knock on my front door, and Declan gets up to open it.

Is this it?

As much as I wished it could be, my new bodyguard can’t be Jimmy. He was shot trying to save me, and he’s still recovering. Another victim of my inability to save myself.

But if that weren’t the case, I’m sure he’d be the one coming through that door.

So, maybe it will be Mack or?—

Hell no, this is not happening to me.

Kael fucking Sullivan walks in, following my brother, as if he’s welcome here. As if him being in my house, my space, breathing my air, is the most natural thing in the world.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Declan sighs, going to sit down in my living room.

Kael doesn’t look up or react in any way, just follows my brother there.

Grumpy asshole lapdog.

An unfortunately attractive grumpy asshole lapdog.

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