Page 61 of My Silver Fox Savior

“Move forward a little,” I growl in my hostage’s ear.

He lets out a whimper, no longer the tough guy he was when he had the upper hand. When he steps forward, I push the gun against the back of his head. With my other hand, I take out my cell.

“Your boss is dead,” I tell the men as I navigate to Lex’s number. “You’ve got two choices now. Risk your friend here going the same way for no reason, no gain, since your boss is gone. There’s nothing you can do about it now. Or you can leave and fight another day. Wait, there’s a third option. You can wait here while my very well-trained and very fucking merciless mercenaries arrive. The choice is yours.”

I send Lex a text with the address. Then I wrap my arm around the man’s neck again.

“Fuck,” one of the goons grunts.“Fuck.”

Slowly, they filter out of the bar. I don’t let my guard down, though. I keep my eyes on them. I keep the coldness inside of me, the knowledge that I may have to keep shooting, keep killing. Once the last man has gone, the hostage says, “What about me?”

“You’re waiting here until I know we’re safe,” I snarl. “Lily, I’m sorry. I can’t help you and your friend until my backup arrives.”

“It’s okay,” she says from the floor. “Maddie, listen, just breathe. It’s all over now. Landon has saved us. It’s over, okay?”

We stay like this for some time. It takes all my effort not to turn and hold Lily. I feel free to let him go only when the door opens and Lex busts in. Lex runs across the room and grabs the man. More men filter in, spreading out.

I kneel down and lift the entangled chairs. On the other side, one of Lex’s men begins untying Maddie. I cradle Lily’s face in my hands, feeling her warmth and tears.

“Lily,” I whisper.

“I’m okay,” she replies.

“Lily …”

There’s so much else I want to say, but it’s like words fail me. Instead, I lean in and hug her tightly. She buries her face in my chest. I cradle her like I never want to let go. No, notlikethat. It’s the truth of what I want and need, but I must remember …

“Don’t think about anything else,” she whispers into my neck.

“How did you know?”

“I can feel you tensing up and worrying, but let’s savor this. We’re safe. We’re together. That’s all that matters.”

Later that night, I’m sitting with Vivian and Lily in my living room. I’ve spent the day with Lex, getting my story straight andestablishing an alibi. When the cops turned up to investigate the gunshot, Lex arranged for one of his men to admit to “accidentally discharging his weapon.” It cost more money for the man to take that hit, but he won’t get prison time since “nobody was hurt.”

“He saved me, Mom,” Lily says, squeezing Vivian’s hand. “Without him …”

“You never would’ve been in danger to begin with,” Vivian says.

“That’s not true. I went to The Row before I met Landon again. He saved my life. You have to accept that he’s not Dad, okay? He’s not that person.”

“I swear, Vivian,” I tell her. “I would never trick your daughter. I would never hurt her. I’d die before I let anything happen to her.”

That’s literally true, in my case, but I don’t add that morbid thought.

“I’ve been holding onto the past,” Vivian whispers after a pause, her anger visibly draining away. “I’ve beentryingto hate you, but I can’t.” She looks at me with glistening eyes. She’s been torn up ever since learning what happened. “I can’t, Landon, but I need to know you are who you seem to be.”

“I can’t promise I’m perfect,” I tell her, “but when it comes to your daughter, my intentions are honest.”

Vivian slowly breaks into a smile, glancing at her daughter. She can read the hope on Lily’s face as easily as I can, most likely the way she’s waiting to erupt in relief. I know it’s been a hard day for Lily, too. She spent much of it with the security team, tryingto calm Maddie down. Now, she is at home with a security detail, just in case. I can’t believe I didn’t think of her friend before.

“Thank you,” Vivian says, “for taking care of my daughter before … and now.”

Lily throws her arms around her mom. They hug for a long time. I lean back on the couch, letting myself smile even if it feels surreal. I’ve killed two men in my life now. Sure, they were two men who deserved it, but it’s still more than I ever planned.

“Do you mind if I have a lie-down?” Vivian asks.

“Of course not,” I tell her.

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