not havin’ them on Lexie.”
“We’re the best in L.A. There’s no one else.”
“There’s me.”
Keltan let him go, stepping back. “You? You’re a MC member, not a bodyguard.”
“I’d die before I let one more centimeter of her body get bruised,” Killian declared. “I’m on her.”
Keltan gave him a long look, one of understanding at his words, at what they meant, at what Lexie meant to him. There was respect in there too. He nodded once. “Get it. Got one like that too.” He paused and glanced at Bull who had been watching the exchange with an impatience like he was waiting in line at the DMV and they’d been taking too long.
“Still put one of my guys on her,” he said.
“She’s not gonna like it,” Bull said finally.
“Doubt it,” Killian replied, straightening his cut.
“Yeah, well, it’s got to happen. This guy’s getting bold. After the letters, lurking at the house, the photo, then this…” Keltan trailed off.
Every molecule of air turned to ice as Keltan spoke.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Bull asked, his voice flat.
Keltan’s eyes flared in surprise. “You don’t know?”
Bull shook his head once, the only bit of his body that moved.
“Shit,” Keltan muttered under his breath. “Strictly not meant to talk about client’s shit, but I’m guessing I won’t be able to leave this room unless I do?”
Killian clenched his fists. “Not in one piece.”
Keltan nodded. “Lexie’s been having problems. Started with letters. First seemed like overzealous fan mail. Then got creepy. Disturbing.”
“She read these?” Bull bit out.
Keltan shook his head. “Assistant did. Then the rest of the band decided not to tell her.”
Fury licked at Killian’s throat.
“Not until she saw the person watching her from her backyard the day of the funeral,” Keltan continued.
Bull’s jaw hardened. “The day of the funeral?”
Keltan nodded. “Yeah, that’s when we got Duke on her. Upped it to around the clock after the photo.”
Killian’s blood turned to ice. “The photo?”
Keltan swallowed. “The one someone left on her Jeep. Of her sleeping.”
There was silence. A long one. Killian worked very fuckin’ hard not to do any damage to the furniture, considering it was God’s house. Though he felt like he could burn this fuckin’ chapel to the ground and not even blink.
He looked to Bull, whose face was blank. “You know about this?”
Bull regarded him. “You think she’d be in any fuckin’ situation like this if I’d known this before?” he said quietly, his eyes haunted.
Killian couldn’t do it. Couldn’t swallow his anger. So he moved, throwing the doors to the chapel open with one destination in mind.
Lexie.
They let me see Duke, only for a short time, and he wasn’t awake or anything. I almost collapsed the moment I stepped into the room. It was deathly silent, apart from the beeping of the various monitors strapped to Duke’s body. Those beeps were so loud in the quiet room, they made my teeth chatter. On autopilot, I stepped toward the edge of the bed, my shaking hand touching his hesitantly.
His strong body took up the entire hospital bed, and I wondered idly if they had to get a special bed for his hulky form. Many bulky body builders, stuntmen, and action stars had lain in beds such as these after hurting themselves.
I made sure he was in the best private room they had, and had Mark insist that I cover all of the bills.
Mark and Jenna had arrived not long after Zane and Mom. Mark had been all over this, making sure the press wasn’t tipped off yet and Jenna was already preparing a statement for the robbery that we were going to say this was.
A robbery gone wrong. But it wasn’t that. Duke wasn’t here because of a robbery. He was here because of me.
He wouldn’t be lying in this bed, a breathing tube down his throat, if it wasn’t for me.
A single tear trailed down my cheek.
“I’m so sorry, Duke,” I
“We’re the best in L.A. There’s no one else.”
“There’s me.”
Keltan let him go, stepping back. “You? You’re a MC member, not a bodyguard.”
“I’d die before I let one more centimeter of her body get bruised,” Killian declared. “I’m on her.”
Keltan gave him a long look, one of understanding at his words, at what they meant, at what Lexie meant to him. There was respect in there too. He nodded once. “Get it. Got one like that too.” He paused and glanced at Bull who had been watching the exchange with an impatience like he was waiting in line at the DMV and they’d been taking too long.
“Still put one of my guys on her,” he said.
“She’s not gonna like it,” Bull said finally.
“Doubt it,” Killian replied, straightening his cut.
“Yeah, well, it’s got to happen. This guy’s getting bold. After the letters, lurking at the house, the photo, then this…” Keltan trailed off.
Every molecule of air turned to ice as Keltan spoke.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Bull asked, his voice flat.
Keltan’s eyes flared in surprise. “You don’t know?”
Bull shook his head once, the only bit of his body that moved.
“Shit,” Keltan muttered under his breath. “Strictly not meant to talk about client’s shit, but I’m guessing I won’t be able to leave this room unless I do?”
Killian clenched his fists. “Not in one piece.”
Keltan nodded. “Lexie’s been having problems. Started with letters. First seemed like overzealous fan mail. Then got creepy. Disturbing.”
“She read these?” Bull bit out.
Keltan shook his head. “Assistant did. Then the rest of the band decided not to tell her.”
Fury licked at Killian’s throat.
“Not until she saw the person watching her from her backyard the day of the funeral,” Keltan continued.
Bull’s jaw hardened. “The day of the funeral?”
Keltan nodded. “Yeah, that’s when we got Duke on her. Upped it to around the clock after the photo.”
Killian’s blood turned to ice. “The photo?”
Keltan swallowed. “The one someone left on her Jeep. Of her sleeping.”
There was silence. A long one. Killian worked very fuckin’ hard not to do any damage to the furniture, considering it was God’s house. Though he felt like he could burn this fuckin’ chapel to the ground and not even blink.
He looked to Bull, whose face was blank. “You know about this?”
Bull regarded him. “You think she’d be in any fuckin’ situation like this if I’d known this before?” he said quietly, his eyes haunted.
Killian couldn’t do it. Couldn’t swallow his anger. So he moved, throwing the doors to the chapel open with one destination in mind.
Lexie.
They let me see Duke, only for a short time, and he wasn’t awake or anything. I almost collapsed the moment I stepped into the room. It was deathly silent, apart from the beeping of the various monitors strapped to Duke’s body. Those beeps were so loud in the quiet room, they made my teeth chatter. On autopilot, I stepped toward the edge of the bed, my shaking hand touching his hesitantly.
His strong body took up the entire hospital bed, and I wondered idly if they had to get a special bed for his hulky form. Many bulky body builders, stuntmen, and action stars had lain in beds such as these after hurting themselves.
I made sure he was in the best private room they had, and had Mark insist that I cover all of the bills.
Mark and Jenna had arrived not long after Zane and Mom. Mark had been all over this, making sure the press wasn’t tipped off yet and Jenna was already preparing a statement for the robbery that we were going to say this was.
A robbery gone wrong. But it wasn’t that. Duke wasn’t here because of a robbery. He was here because of me.
He wouldn’t be lying in this bed, a breathing tube down his throat, if it wasn’t for me.
A single tear trailed down my cheek.
“I’m so sorry, Duke,” I
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