Page 34 of Bound to the Guard

My mind races. This is really happening.

“I want the Doctornow,” Damien growls. “He’s isolated enough that we can pull him without alerting the others. And we won’t have to organize a big team.”

Sebastian frowns. “We should wait?—”

“No.” The single word ends the argument.

His lips flatten into an unhappy line. “I’ll pull Milo into a strategy meeting.”

I release Damien’s hand to twist the blanket. “What do you need me to do?”

Damien tilts my chin toward him. “Nothing until we have the Doctor, okay? We’ll take it from here.”

I gulp, relieved I won’t be expected to return to those places, but also guilty for leaving them to do all the work.

“Hey, don’t give me that look,” Damien murmurs. “This is the stuff our family thrives on.”

My brow puckers in confusion. “Taking down human traffickers?”

His thumb sweeps across my bottom lip. “Destroying anyone who goes against our family.”

Breath catching, my eyes drop to his mouth, and his nostrils flare in response. I sway forward, wanting a reminder of his kiss, wanting to experience the pleasure of his hands on me again, and not only in comfort.

“We’re going to need more firepower than we have for an operation of this scale,” Sebastian says, interrupting the moment. “I’m reaching out to Avery.”

I straighten away from Damien’s tempting lips. “Who’s Avery?”

“He took over gun-running when our family went more legit,” Sebastian explains as he picks up a burner phone from the clutter on his desk.

I turn back to Damien. “Legit?”

“You don’t think billionaire playboys usually have this kind of setup in their homes, do you?” He sweeps a hand around the room. “We have family in the mafia, though we do more business in stolen artwork, illegal cheeses, strip clubs, and gambling these days. We let Avery take over the less savory aspects of our business.”

“Oh.” I take in the room with fresh eyes. “So, all this is built from blood money?”

“No, but also yes. It involves a whole story about our great grandfather losing our fortune, and how the older generations made it back.” His knuckle strokes over my cheek. “Does that worry you?”

I shake my head. “No, it relieves me to know you guys aren’t just playing superhero and actually know what you’re doing.”

He barks out a laugh. “Glad it can ease your worry.”

I frown. “If you’re trying to distance yourselves from your family’s past, will contacting this Avery person be dangerous?”

Sebastian pauses with a smirk. “Depends who you ask.”

“Avery can be unpredictable, but we can’t take down these bastards with a few handguns,” Damien explains. “We need serious artillery.”

“And he’ll help just to hold a favor owed over Raphael’s head,” Sebastian adds.

“Why?”

Damien shrugs. “Let’s just say they dated for a while, and it didn’t end well. Avery’s got a bit of a temper, and Raphael… well, he’s not the easiest person to get along with.”

I curl into Damien as I process this new information. The thought of being caught in the middle of a lovers’ quarrel churns my stomach.

Sebastian’s phone lights up, and he checks the message. “Avery wants a meeting in person to discuss things.”

“Of course he does.” Damien nudges me off his lap and stands. “We’ll leave the planning to you. Seven and I have other plans for the night.”

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