Page 117 of Beyond the Rules

“If Ryan is happy, Zar will be happy,” I said. “I hacked you to convince you to do the right thing, for your son, for Zar, and foryourself.”

I turned around and started to leave. God knew, I wasn’t qualified to give relationship advice, and least of all, on parenting. But for Zar, I’d done it, and to protect the guys, I’d do itagain.

“Nina?” Laura’s voice stopped me at the threshold. “Thanks for not outing me, for not stealing my son from me. Had our positions beenreversed…”

She would’ve come after me with herclawsout.

“I have one last questionforyou.”

I waitedexpectantly.

“Can I play, too?” Her face split into a naughty smirk that explained why Zar had liked her back when. “Maybe every once in a while, you could share your toyswithme.”

Oh, no. No. “I don’t think you understand. Zar, Tanner, and Aiden aren’t sex toys to me. They’re my life loves. And, Laura, so that you know: I don’tshare.”

I walked out of the library, hoping and praying I’d done Zar some good today. I also realized that in coming clean with Laura, I had accepted a new reality. I could protect the guys just as well as they could protect me. In that way, we were equals to eachother.

My heart thudded. Was Istaying?

A muscled man dressed in a too-tight tux waited by the doors. “Ms. Leon?” he said. “The governor would like a word with you. This way,please.”

The governor? The request threw me for a loop. I had no clue what Tanner’s father would want with me, especially after our little exchange earlier, but I followed the man down the hallway and into a service corridor. Another man waited there. I only caught a glimpse of his back, and yet the hair in the back of my neck rose as I realized whohewas.

I whirled around and ran, only to collide against yet a third man, cutting off my escape. I recognized him too. He’d tried to strangle me once. He dodged my knee, but I bit down on the hand he slammed over my mouth and drewblood.

“Damn, the bitch bites.” He swore under his breath. His leer was the last image I saw before the back of his hand collided withmyface.

* * *

Zar

The cell buzzing in my pocket alerted me to an incoming call. I pulled it out. Josh Lane. Strange. He’d known we were off duty today. I set my tumbler down and, leaving the music behind, stepped out to the terrace. “Flint.”

“Trouble,” Josh announced, even curter than usual. “Dimayev sprang, broke out of his holding cell, probably an inside job. He’s ontherun.”

“What the fuck.” My gut went cold. “I thought the FBI had the shithead undercontrol.”

“Wealldid.”

“Howlongago?”

“Not sure. Hours, possibly as many as eleven or twelve by the lastrollcall.”

“Jesus fucking Christ. He could be halfway toRussia.”

“Dimayev’s jet took off three hours ago and dropped off radar,” Josh said. “He might be on it, but until we get confirmation, we’ve got to assume he could be anywhere. I’ve just put Ulysses on fullalert.”

“Nina’speople?”

“Secured.”

“I’ll get my team together and head back to the barn,” I said, activating my global positioning app and pinging Aiden, Tanner, and Nina to mylocation.

“Safest bet,” Josh said. “More as it comes.Laneout.”

Tanner rushed out of the ballroom, clutching both his crutches and his cell in his hands. “We’re onalert?”

“Affirmative,” I said as Aiden trotted up the terrace’s stairs and looked up fromhiscell.

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