Page 40 of In The Darkness

As he followed her through one room into the next and she talked about how much she loved the blue and soft white color scheme she chose for the kitchen, a sense of pride in what she wanted to accomplish with this place welled in his chest. Sure, maybe she enjoyed redecorating a house the size of a small state, but he believed in his heart she wanted to do this for the good it would help them do in the world.

And he had the right men for the job. He had a few lined up already, so it wouldn’t be long before he brought them all here so they could start fulfilling Persephone’s dream of helping women in danger.

He knew from far too much experience that there would be no shortage of them, unfortunately. Seven men might not be able to save everyone, but it was a damn good start and he was proud to be a part of it.

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Chapter Fourteen

Persephone checked hermakeup and hair in the mirror one last time before heading down to the great room to meet the seven men Nick had settled on in just the past week. He didn’t tell her much about them other than the files he offered to show they had the skills necessary to do the job they needed them for, so all she knew was on paper each of them looked like perfect choices.

She trusted him with this job like she’d trusted him with her life. If he believed in these seven men, then she did. Meeting them now was more of a formality.

If Nick wanted these men on the team, then they were part of the team already.

The bedroom door opened and he peeked his head in. “Ready? You’ve got an audience waiting for you.”

Turning away from her reflection, she looked over at him and smiled. “I’m ready. I can’t wait to meet them, Nick. I’ve already got two leads on women who need our help right now, and I expect to hear about more leads later this afternoon. Your team is already very much in demand.”

He held the door open for her, and as she walked past him, he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her to his body. “Have I ever mentioned how much I love your passion for this project?”

Few things made her happier than having his support for her idea. She knew far too many men would have dismissed it as a female problem or a flight of fancy she’d get over. But Nick wasn’t one of those men, and his help and encouragement from the first he heard of her plan helped her make it come to fruition.

“Have I mentioned how this would have never come about without you by my side?” she asked in response to his question.

He simply smiled and kissed her sweetly. “Time to go meet them.”

Remembering the files on each man, she hurried back into the bedroom to grab the stack of dossiers she’d left on the nightstand. “I want to have them so I can put names to faces and information.”

With a smile, Nick said, “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. I have a feeling you’ll be able to keep them straight after today. They’re a pretty unique group.”

As they walked down the hallway to the main house, she wondered what that comment meant. She trusted Nick implicitly, but she didn’t know how she felt about the adjective he’d used to describe them. Unique. It rarely meant anything positive when it was used to describe anything other than artwork, and even then it was often negative.

“Unique? Should I be worried?”

Nick shook his head. “Nope. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll handle whatever needs to be handled.”

Unique made her wonder, but mentioning something might need to be handled made Persephone downright nervous. The women they intended on helping didn’t have time for things to be handled with these unique men.

She stopped him in front of the door to the great room and took his hand in hers. Looking up at him, she hoped he understood how much this project meant to her. “I trust you with my life, Nick, but the way you’re talking about these men is making me nervous. Promise me they’re right for this.”

Nodding, he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles in that way that never failed to make her feel adored. “I know how much this means to you, Persephone. This has become as important to me as it is to you. I would never let anyone ruin this for you. These men will do you proud. Trust me.”

There, in those two words, she heard what she needed to believe in the men he’d chosen.

“I love you and I trust no one in the world more than you, Nick. You saved my life. I hope you don’t think I ever doubted you. I just got a little skittish when you said they were unique and you’d handle any issues with them. It never meant that I didn’t trust you with everything I believe in.”

He kissed her hand again and nodded. “Okay. Ready to meet the team?”

She smiled and took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

Nick opened the large wooden door and escorted Persephone into the great room where the seven men awaited them. Some stood near the fireplace and the windows, while the others sat on the oversized couch and chairs positioned around the coffee table.

Immediately, she noticed how large all of them were. Nick towered over her by nearly a foot at six foot four, but a few of these men looked even bigger than him. The one who stood next to the enormous grey stone fireplace at the far end of the room looked like he himself could physically move the thing with little effort.

“Gentleman, let me introduce you to Persephone Gilmore, the woman behind the organization you just joined,” Nick announced in a deep voice full of pride she heard loud and clear.

The men nodded as each one was introduced to her by name and his former job before becoming one of their team. First up, he pointed at the tall man with nearly black hair and dark eyes who stood on the left side of the window across from them dressed in jeans and a dark t-shirt that showed off his very muscular arms. His serious expression bordered on angry as he listed to his introduction.

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