Page 64 of Prodigal

They wereable to put The Council off for a week, but eventually their time ran out. They took Gideon’s private jet since the meeting place was in a whole other state. On the jet, André listened with half an ear as Gideon shared that The Council never met in the same place twice. He was too busy staring at Ennis, who sat near the front of the plane, with a doctor and two nurses at his side.

The doctor had been against Ennis leaving the med unit, but neither Ennis nor Gideon listened to her. So instead, she’d shot Ennis up with a bunch of painkillers and insisted she come along. Samir was also at Ennis’s side, watching the older man like a hawk. As if Ennis could do anything or go anywhere. He looked so pale and frail.

“Hey.” Gideon touched his knee. “You okay?”

He wasn’t okay, and he wouldn’t be until he was back at the penthouse with Jules. He met Gideon’s eyes, and he knew the other man understood because he released a breath and cupped André’s face.

“It will be over soon.”

He wanted it to already be over, but André just turned his head and pressed a kiss to the inside of Gideon’s palm. He tried not to feed into the anxiety that had his stomach in knots, tried not to allow himself to indulge in worst-case scenarios. Before they left, he knew Gideon, Samir, and the rest of his team had a closed-door meeting to discuss security, but André didn’t want to know anything about it.

After everything he’d learned about The Council? He wanted to dig around in his skull and remove all that Gideon had shared. He didn’t want to have that kind of knowledge, couldn’t even see himself being a part of something like that. It was scary as fuck to think that just a handful of people could hold the kind of power that you only saw in movies or read about in fiction novels. But it was real. The Council was real, and his father and his lover were members of it.

Hell, technically he was a member. Ennis’s proxy. His heir to the seat.

Fuck.

He wished for a simpler time when it was just him and Jules and all he had to worry about was navigating his sister and her teenage hormones. Things were so much easier then.

But you wouldn’t have Gideon.

He wouldn’t have Gideon at his side, touching him the way he did now, and that would’ve been a crime. As much as he was afraid, as much as he dreaded what awaited them at this council meeting, he was also happy. Gideon made him happy. Gideon made him feel things he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He couldn’t regret Gideon.

He leaned against Gideon, and when the other man put an arm around him, André melted into his side. He didn’t know what was coming their way, but he knew for sure that Gideon would protect him. That knowledge allowed him to close his eyes.

The next thing he knew, Gideon was shaking him awake. “Hey, come on. Let’s go.”

André blinked at him. “We’ve arrived?”

Gideon nodded. “Yes.” He kissed André’s brow. “How are you?” He scrutinized André as he sat up. “How do you feel?”

“Like I wanna get this shit over with.”

Gideon grinned. “You and me both, babe.” He stood and held out a hand. “So let’s go deal with those fuckers.”

André took his hand, allowing Gideon to haul him to his feet. He glanced around with a frown when he noticed they were the only ones on the plane. “Where is everybody? Ennis?”

“Already got off.” Gideon gripped his hand, leading him toward the exit.

“So, we’re going directly to the meeting?”

“Yes,” Gideon answered as they deplaned, heading toward one of the five SUVs that sat waiting on the tarmac. “It shouldn’t take long. We should be back home before nightfall.”

They’d had to make up some excuse to Jules, telling her that Gideon was taking André on a special outing for just the two of them. He sighed as one of Gideon’s guards opened the SUV door for them. “Okay. Let’s get this shit over with then.”

In the back of the SUV, he and Gideon sat together, but they didn’t speak. The ride was short and quiet, and by the time the vehicle rolled to a stop outside a large standalone structure located in the middle of an otherwise empty field, André felt as if he were coming out of his skin.

“We’re here,” Gideon told him softly.

André gripped his hand, clinging to him. “Promise me nothing will happen to you.”

Gideon hiked a brow. “What do you think could happen to me?”

“I don’t know, but you’re not invincible, so promise me.”

Gideon studied him before replying. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. Or myself,” he continued quickly when André opened his mouth to speak. “Those people can’t touch me, baby. I promise you that.” He kissed André, a hard, too-short kiss on the lips that lingered long after he’d pulled away. “Now, like you said earlier, let’s get this shit over with.”

The bodyguards exited the vehicle, then Will opened the door for them. Gideon got out first and held out a hand for André, helping him to climb out. They were immediately flanked by Gideon’s people. Gideon had shared with him that each member was only allowed to bring one bodyguard with them, but he’d decided to ignore that rule this time. His men escorted them to the door and some remained outside, but three guards followed them into the building.

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