Page 49 of Guarding her Gangster Girl

Anger flashes in Brie’s eyes. “Oh, he did, did he? I’ll talk to him myself, have some guards put on your suite.”

“No,” Holden says at once. “No, Brie, please don’t do that. I don’t want him to know I’ve been talking to you about it. He already thinks I’m a useless coward.”

“But—”

“No.”

Brie flinches at the finality in Holden’s voice, and looks back at me. “Then maybe…”

I can see exactly what she’s thinking. Maybe we could take Holden with us to Solara.

I open my mouth to protest—bringing an outsider to her one secure location is a risk we can’t afford—but Brie’s face tells me it’s pointless. When she sets her mind to something, there’s no changing it. She’ll bully, barter or wheedle her way to a win.

I’ve learned that much about her already.

“Fine,” I concede.

“What?” Holden asks, glancing between us.

“You’re coming to Solara with me,” Brie says softly. “You’ll be safe there.”

Relief washes over his face. “Really? You’ll really take me there?”

“Of course. You’re my best friend, silly. And you need to tell us about these threatening notes and this stalker, but you can do that when we get there.” Brie stands. “We’re not getting anywhere with this right now, and you’re exhausted. So let’s get out of here.”

“What about…” I raise an eyebrow.

Brie shakes her head a little, and once we’re in Holden’s own suite, helping him pack, she tells me in an undertone, “Sophie Johnson’s not in right now. We’ll have to come back. Besides, Holden is my main concern right now. If someone’s threatening him, we need to make sure he’s safe.”

“Then tell his lordship he’s not packing for a six-month cruise,” I reply. “He should just take what he needs for a few days.”

“Thisiswhat I need for a few days,” he says with a scowl at me, hair dryer in hand as he exits the bathroom.

Oops. Guess I spoke a little loud.

As I watch Brie and Holden move around the room together, I’m struck by the bond between them. It’s not romantic—anyone with eyes can see that—but there’s something strong there, born of shared experiences and secrets. It’s a stark contrast to how alone I’ve been. How I’ve kept everyone at arm’s length for so long.

Except for Brie Colombo. She’s the first person who seems to have so easily gotten through all my defenses and set up a space for herself.

The drive to Solara is longer than ever, because I take a circuitous route, doubling back several times to ensure we’re not being followed. Holden is huddled in the backseat, looking small and scared. It’s hard to reconcile this frightened kid with what he actually is—or was, anyway: the lover of a powerful Mob Boss. He has none of Brie’s spine about him, or not that I can see, anyway.

Frank Colombo might have been an asshole to laugh at Holden’s fears, but I can kind of see how it happened.

As we pull up to the gated community, Holden’s eyes widen. “Holy shit,” he breathes, taking in the sprawling architectural masterpieces. “Thisis where Terry put you?”

Brie smirks as she turns from the front seat, a hint of her usual sass returning. “What, you thought I’d settle for some tacky McMansion?” She turns back to face forward and adds, “Beside, Terry didn’tputme here. I’m the one who researched the community, approved all the architectural plans, oversaw the build. This ismyhouse.”

We pass through the gate with Brie’s keycard and wind our way up to the house. Holden practically jumps out of the car, his mouth open in awe even though he can’t see the full glory of the place since we’ve arrived in darkness.

“Jesus, Brie,” he whispers. “Terry must have really cared about you.”

A look of surprise passes over Brie’s face, there and gone in an instant. “Of course he cared about me,” she says softly, standingaside so that I can enter the house first for my security sweep. “But helovedyou, Holden. You know that, right?”

Holden nods, blinking back tears. “Yeah, I know. It’s just…all of this…it’s overwhelming.”

“And you’ll be taken care of, too,” Brie continues, her voice firm as we step into the cavernous living room. “Terry made sure of that in his will.”

Holden shakes his head vehemently. “I don’t care about any of that. I loved him for who he was, not what he could give me.”

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