Page 53 of My Silver Fox Savior

“We can’t initiate combat,” Lex Hayes tells me on the phone.

I’m sitting in Grace’s living room. She and her mom are in the bedroom, sleeping. My gun is on the table, and morning sunlight filters through the curtains. There’s no sign of Damon or his cronies, not yet. I’ve called Hayes Securities, the top protection firm in the city.

“However, if we witness a crime, we’re allowed to take reasonable steps, and of course, we can protect our client, sir.”

“So you can protect me,” I mutter. “If I happen to be across the street from a mob bar, and those mobsters happen to want to start something, you’ll stick to your post?”

“The cost would increase steeply,” Lex says, “but that is something we can accommodate.”

I nod. “Then let’s talk numbers.”

For the next twenty minutes, we arrange for me to pay Lex and his men a quarter of my net worth for one week of protection.I’m not sure what I’ll do after this week is over. I sent Ethan the video I took last night, and he’s replied telling me two things: he’ll get it to his police contacts, and the ladies have settled into their rooms.

I purposefully didn’t ask any follow-up questions. I want to see Lily so bad, to hold her. My end already seemed so close because of the diagnosis, but last night, it could’ve happened at any moment. I’ve watched the video Grace took. She was only recording to stop them from doing anything stupid.

It shows me backing into the apartment, then throwing Damon out and slamming the door at the last second. Then I grab the camera and aim it through the small window. Damon gets close, slowly grinning like a horror movie villain.

“Have a good night, my friend. Enjoy it. Savor it.”

Then he stares, his implication clear. Soon, I won’t be able to savor anything.

He turns and gestures to his men, and they walk across the street.

I shut off the video, pick up my gun, toss it from hand to hand. Lex and his men are going to be here soon. They will set up a contingent in the street, around the bar, and at the rear of the apartment building. Lily and Vivian are in Ethan’s penthouse, which has round-the-clock security. There’s no way Damon would be stupid enough to attack anybody in a neighborhood that expensive.

I quickly tuck the gun under the table when the bedroom door whines open. Grace stands in the doorway, a terrified little girl trying so hard to be tough. It breaks my heart because I’ve seen that exact look before.

“Mom is still asleep.” She shuts the door behind her. “Can I braid my hair, Mister Landon?”

“You don’t have to ask, Grace.”

She sits cross-legged on the floor, yawning. She has that demeanor that many kids in her position get in my experience. She can’t imagine this not being her life. She’s calm in the chaos like Lily was … or tried to be.

“Are they coming back?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” I tell her truthfully, “but I’m going to keep you and your mom safe.”

“Are you going to keep the others safe, too?” She’s looking at me in the reflection of the turned-off TV.

Maybe I should lie to her, tell her I can’t be sure, but even if she’s staring from a reflection, it’s still a plea I can’t ignore. She reminds me of why I spent so long doing pro bono work. “Yes,” I bark. “I won’t let anything happen to anyone in this building. Soon, those men will be gone, and that bar will disappear.”

She turns to me, a big grin on her face. I smile at her, but deep down, I know I shouldn’t have said that.

“Do you know the other one? Lily?”

“The other what?”

She blinks at me like it’s obvious. “The other hero.”

I shake my head. “I know Lily.”

She giggles. “Then why did you do this, silly?” She shakes her head overdramatically, causing her braid to spin around her neck. “Oops.”

Because I don’t consider myself a hero, but that’s depressing to say to a kid. I chuckle. That’s the beautiful and magical thing about kids. No matter what, they can find a way to laugh and be happy about the small stuff.

“I know Lily,” I tell her.

Grace lights up. “That’s so cool. She was so nice. If I ever had a big sister, I’d want her to be like Lily. Lily said she’s going to help me, too.”

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