Page 73 of The Devil's Thorn
“Fine.”
My voice is steel.
“I work for you.”
My agreement hangs in the air like smoke—thin, dangerous, and impossible to take back. Across the room, Ash and Kellan are still coiled with tension, their loyalty radiating in every breath. But beneath it? They’re waiting for my cue.
Because even now—especiallynow—they followme.
Rafael’s eyes cut to them.
“And the two of you?”
Ash doesn’t blink.
“Where she goes, we go.”
Rafael smirks faintly.
“You sure about that? Because where she’s going next… it’s not something you come back from.”
Kellan steps forward, blood still drying at his temple.
“Neither is where she’s been.”
Rafael watches him for a beat. Like he’s reassessing. Or maybe he already knew Kellan would say that.
“Fine,” he says, calm again. “Then here’s how this works.”
He moves behind the bar, pouring another drink—but this time, it’s all business.
“You’ll be assigned off-floor security. Not marked. You’ll stay in rotation at the casino, but when I give you an order—you follow it. I don’t repeat myself.”
Kellan nods once.
Ash mutters, “We’re not bodyguards.”
Rafael raises an eyebrow.
“No. You’re leverage.”
Kellan tenses, but he doesn’t argue.
Ash lets out a sharp breath. “Anything happens to her?—”
“And you’ll die before you reach me,” Rafael finishes easily. “Try not to let that happen.”
Another pause. Then Rafael lifts his glass in dismissal.
“You’ll be contacted soon with details. Until then, stay out of the way.”
He turns toward the windows, gaze fixed on the skyline again. Like we’re done. Like this was just a transaction.
Ash and Kellan start moving, stepping toward the door. I begin to follow.
And then?—
“Wait.”
