“There is a lot I need.”
“Yeah? Like what?” I wiggled slightly, wondering how I was still turned on. It was like my body didn’t have an ‘off’ switch—it was seriously overwhelming.
His head snapped up as he offered me a look. “Nothing that fun, unfortunately.” His eyes moved down my body. “Although I would take that as well, angel. Always.”
“Without the bullet thing,” I teased. Yates let out a distressed sound from across the aisle. I could practically see him pouting right now, but it was his fault. He had held me captive for an hour! An hour of him telling me how reckless I’d been and a bunch of other stuff, the concern across his face making me feel bad because it was clear he was worked up.
He wasn’t the only one, either. No, King was trying to keep Dermot from losing it, but I could tell that he was also on edge. Sterling just kept trying to hold me and kiss me, his face a bit paler than normal. At this point, I just wanted to be home and have some semblance of normality.
“Which reminds me… I have an idea,” Stratton pointed out, examining my face.
“What’s that?”
“So King and I were talking about looking into my family’s business, which has been demolished, and I came up with the idea of transforming it…” He exhaled. “I’m thinking of starting a security company so that everything is in-house for us and we don’t have to worry about any of the bullshit we’ve been dealing with so far.”
“I love that idea,” I told him sincerely. “Is that something you are actually interested in?”
“Yeah.” He nodded and his eyes darted to my lips. “I’m interested in protecting you.”
I gave him an understanding smile. “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. I love the idea of you doing something you love.”
He smiled, seemingly satisfied. “Good. I will make sure to surround you with security at all times, especially since these fuckers don’t know when to stop. Especially with this hit out, I can’t wait to fucking—” He stopped himself, violence flashing his gaze.
I frowned, thinking about his words. “Hit?”
He exhaled. “Yeah, there is a hit out.”
“Is that what happened last night? Is there a hit out on you? Or one of the others?”
“No,” he growled, “it’s a hit out on you. We think that there is more than one issue in the security, and we are going to be cleaning house because it’s clear they are paying people off. The only people I can assume who would be doing this are the same ones who managed to get that one security guard on Wildberry.”
“The one Yates shot?”
He nodded. “From what I understand, it’s one company that is contracted by the family in both Wildberry and Ardara, and the head of security is someone that has been with the family for over three decades. Mr. Ross is currently talking to him and trying to figure out where the issue is—there has to be someone who is letting these people in. It’s hard to know who to trust.”
My ears were buzzing as my brain tried to process all the new information. “A hit out on me.”
Stratton looked mildly panicked. “We’ve got this handled. I know that last night was terrifying, but no more. You will never be left unprotected, even with just our security. At least until we get this shit handled.”
I frowned. “Why did no one tell me?”
“Didn’t have a chance and didn’t want to scare you,” he murmured.
Nope. That was not a good excuse.
I sat up and then stood, looking over all of them. “Did no one want to tell me that there was a hit out on me? When did you find out?”
“While you were out with me, baby girl,” Dermot explained.
Oh. “Fine, but next time someone wants to kill me, a heads up would be appreciated.”
“How about their head on a platter for you?” King offered, his eyes flashing with a level of fury that had my breath catching.
“I mean, it seems a bit old school, but sure.” I shrugged, Dermot finally cracking a smile.
Yates scoffed and shook his head. “You would not be okay with that,” he insisted.
“You don’t know that.” I put my hand on my chest in mock offense.
“Yeah, maybe she’s got a thing for severed heads,” Sterling pointed out.
“We could have a collection in our house,” Lincoln added.
“Could be an issue if law enforcement ever came over,” Stratton sighed.
I smiled at the lightness the conversation seemed to inspire, just absorbing the improvement in the mood. After all, it was just a joke… Right?