Page 63 of Dragonfly

Okay. Ci sta. Fair point. “Women are protected in our Family. It shouldn’t take a ring for my men to know to keep their hands to themselves.”

“Right, boss. The ones who wear the dragonfly are protected.”

And Savannah doesn’t have it yet.

“I know. But, luckily, she doesn’t need my mark on her to be safe. You know why?”

The way Vin rubs the top of his buzz cut tells me that he has a pretty good idea. “Don’t tell me you want me back on guard duty. I… I mean, I can’t be the only one who hasn’t forgot she tried to kill you.”

He’s not. But considering he’s spent nearly his whole life in crime, I’m surprised it still bothers him. I mean, if I got over it… “She stopped,” I say helpfully.

Vin snorts.

I smile. “Doesn’t matter anyway since you’re right. You’re my most trusted enforcer, Vincent. My family. I want you watching her when I can’t.”

All I keep thinking about is how easy it was to get to Ava Crewes. I don’t think Lincoln would pay me back by going for Savannah; if I did, I never would’ve handed him her birth name to check out. But we still have Jimmy Winter trying to muscle his way onto our turf, and though that nobody is the hardest push we’ve had to deal with in a while, he’s not the only upstart who thinks he can take a slice of the Springfield pie.

“The Family knows she’s mine now. How much longer before my other enemies do?”

Vin sighs. “Yeah. Of course. You know I’ll do anything for you, boss.”

I knew he’d say that.

“Good.” Rising up from my desk, I grab my suit jacket from the back of my chair. Even if I’m going to get my dick worked on, I’m going in style. “Because I’m going to be out of commission for most of today.”

He takes a few steps back, obviously stunned. “What? A day off and you’re not spending it with her? What’s going on? Where are you going?”

“I actually have a doctor’s appointment.”

“Going to visit Dr. Lizzie? You sure I can’t come? I can come. One of the other guys can watch your wife.”

Poor guy. Can he make it anymore obvious?

It’s a shame, too. Elizabeth Harper is married to her job. After escaping her junkie ex, she basically swore off cock to the disappointment of more than one of my guys. Half of the Dragonflies who stop in at the clinic could be patched up with a little iodine and a gauze pad, but they go to Liz because they’re sure, this time, she might bandage them up, then go home with them.

It hasn’t happened in the seven years I’ve known the woman. I’ve even had to step in a time or two when one of the soldiers got a little handsy with our doc. She’s happy to do her job and go home to an empty bed, just like I was before I had Savannah in it.

Vin, on the other hand, would be more than happy to fill Elizabeth’s.

My cousin’s last fling ended around Halloween. I didn’t think he even had Liz on his radar, but since the fateful night Vin, Savannah, and I went to the clinic together, he’s been circling around the doc.

With that puppy-dog eager expression suddenly on his face, you’d be hard-pressed to recognize him as a thirty-eight-year-old bruiser with eleven leaves on the back of his bicep. He’s got a crush, and I only hope it doesn’t end up crushing him.

“Sorry, Vin. I’m not going to see Elizabeth. But you know what?” Savannah is safe for now. It might only illustrate just how obsessed with my wife I am, but I check her location constantly. Same with my cousin. Gen, on the other hand… my sister warned me that, if I ever put a tracker in her, she’d jump in front of a train—and my highly emotional sister doesn’t bluff. She’d do it, too, so that’s the one element of protection I never insisted on… yet.

Like she constantly throws in my face, Genevieve rarely leaves the house. She’s home; most likely rehearsing for her next performance. Savannah’s dot puts her firmly at the manor.

And since she doesn’t need someone watching her back right now, maybe I should take Vin with me to watch mine.

I nod at him. “My pre-surgery check-in is in about half an hour. You want to come with?”

“Of course, Dame. Yeah.” Suddenly, he stops, then blink. “Wait. Your what?”

Who would have thought that, between a vasectomy, the reversal, or being stabbed with my own knife, the reversal would be the one that hurt the fucking most.

What goes on with my cock is my business. I made sure Christopher knew that I was unreachable for the day, that if it’s an emergency he could either handle it on his own or rely on some of my most loyal lieutenants, like Bruiser, Sly, or Cameron; more brains than the muscle my enforcers are, they have proven themselves over the last decade to act in the best interests of the Family.

Vin was with me.

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