Page 35 of Voracious

“Very well,” he replies. “But I need you to have the manor on high alert. Every member of security you have needs to be on guard. I can bring in my own team too.”

“I’ll arrange it all.” Ewan grabs his phone and leaves the room.

Aria glances at Barry after checking my temperature. “How did you know to bring her here?”

“Mr Mitch— Kade was the one who ordered— told me to bring her here.”

Aria doesn’t seem to catch his blunder. “You know him?”

“You could say that,” he replies. “We… worked together.”

Kade has said from the start that his family can’t know the truth about what he actually does for work – or who he works for. When I told Kade about my visit to Tobias, he wasn’t happy in the slightest.

Telling them would risk their lives. Would make Kade’s job harder.

Barry knows this – that’s why he’s lying.

“I do have a few more questions for you both because none of this is making any sense, but she needs rest. I’ll clean her up and get her into fresh clothes. Thank you for bringing her to us. I could take your number and call you if I need to know anything else.”

“With all due respect, ma’am, I need to stay by her side to make sure she’s okay. Kade will be home in a few days, and he can take over for me.”

Aria smiles and looks down at me. My eyes are practically closed, but I can see a little. They must think I’m asleep. “I always knew they’d find their way back to each other. I’m glad they talked things out.”

Barry hums.

I want to cry, because that isn’t the case at all. Nothing had changed between us – just him protecting me as usual.

“I do have some work to do, so I’ll make a few calls and shower while you see to her. She… she was attacked in a hotel. She fought back. I’m not sure they got the chance to do much else but rip her dress.”

“The police should be contacted.”

“Believe me, ma’am, that is the last thing she needs right now.”

My eyes close fully, and I want to sleep so badly. Everything hurts, and it feels like my skull is cracking – red images flash before my eyes, and I hear their screams again and again until I fall into a deep sleep.

13

KADE

FLASHBACK

Iroll a joint while we walk, Stacey holding both leads as we take the dogs around the front of the manor grounds. We have acres of forests and a dug-up golf course – zero chance of walking the full vicinity as planned when we woke from our nap earlier.

Once I finish rolling my joint, I tuck it behind my ear and take a lead.

Stacey is glowing, her face highlighted by the moon, and wears both my cap and a permanent smile that keeps drawing me in. As well as myhoodie, she has on the tightest fucking yoga pants, but, annoyingly, myhoodiedrowns her so I can’t stare at her ass.

I take her free hand and lead us through the rose garden while the pups sniff around. Before, I would’ve hated this. Holding hands. I barely ever held my mother’s hand orLuciella’s when we were kids – it wasn’t something I wanted. But I always have Stacey’s hand. Either in my lap while I play online games with Base andDezor when I drive, or interlaced as I push into her.

Once she woke up and saw the dogs hugging into her, she relaxed, and I kept my eyes on her while she played with them. We sat at opposite ends of my room and threw toys at each other – both the pups running between us.

She squealed when I said we own them. Hugged me when I said I’drehomedthem and that they’d be with us from now on.

Us. I said “us” and she didn’t correct me.

Not going to lie, they prefer her to me – she suits having them on each side as she walks. I wonder if they’ll be around when we have kids.

Woah, slow the fuck down.

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