Page 10 of Elf

“I understand. I’ll need some backup. Oh, he’s that close? Send him.” When he hung up, he held out his hand to help Ezra up. “Xavier told me something you aren’t going to like.”

“What’s that?”

“The person after you has put a bounty on you. The reward is so high, the sylph makes sense now.”

“How much is it?”

“Two million dollars.”

“Whoa,” Ezra muttered, barely able to breathe. He’d been scared before, but that fear had now turned to a kind of bottomless terror that made him reach out to brace one hand on the wall. “I’m surprised the first two guys didn’t just shoot me.”

“Xavier believes they were hired directly. But when they failed and you hired us, the price on your head went out.”

“Went out where? How did your boss find out?”

“Dark web. We have people who can find anything there, including Xavier. He has his finger on the pulse of everything.”

He shut his eyes, that terror sucking him into a vortex of helplessness he hated. He controlled his life and had since he’d realized he was the only one looking out for himself.

“Ezra,” Alaric said softly as he turned Ezra to face him.

Ezra opened his eyes, meeting that pretty, purple gaze.

“I will keep you safe. And it won’t only be me. We’re adding another preternatural and taking you somewhere secure.”

“For that much money, they’ll be relentless. Hell, in another couple of months, I could pay several times that for themnotto kill me. My father might have hated me but I’m still in the will and getting so much, two million will be a drop in the bucket.”

“Is your husband?—”

“Ex-husband! Soon to be anyway.”

“The divorce isn’t final.”

“Not yet. But he’s rich, too. He’d have no reason to kill me for money.” Ezra paused, taking a shaky breath. “But Brian hates me, which is why I still want to question Jake.”

“Then that’s what we’re going to do. Bain should be here soon—he was already on his way to investigate the sylph’s disturbance. Once he’s here, we’ll go up.”

“Bain?”

“Coworker and friend. And don’t let his appearance fool you. He’s strong, and his alternate form is terrifying.”

“Aw, you say the sweetest things.”

Ezra whipped around to face the speaker, eyes flaring wide. The man who gracefully stepped over all the debris was absolutely stunning, with silvery-blond hair in a high ponytail and beautiful, androgynous features. He wore blue leather pants that showed every lean muscle in his legs and a colorful shirt that actually sparkled like it had been sewn with glitter. “Wow, is everyone who works at your company gorgeous? Is it a prerequisite?” he blurted out.

“Oh, I like him,” Bain said with a wink to Alaric.

“Give it time,” Alaric muttered.

Ezra supposed he deserved that. Still, he looked between the two, realizing that while Bain was certainly someone he would have pursued in the past, he didn’t come close to how much Ezra preferred looking at Alaric, with his dark, wavy hair and brilliant purple eyes. He even loved the pointed ears. They looked so elegant. The man, or elf, just flat out did it for him.

They took the elevator to the fifth floor, and Ezra knocked on Jake’s door. The massive bodyguard raised his eyebrows high when he opened the door, then narrowed his eyes. “Ezra? Why would you come here? This is a bad idea.”

“Can we come in? I need to talk to you.”

Jake’s gaze flicked to Alaric and Bain. “Hanging out with models these days? They can’t come in.”

“They’re my protection. They do what you do, and I need them with me.”

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