Page 10 of Twisted Devotion

Yeah, I bet he did.

“I’ll let you get settled,” she says. “Please let me know if you need anything.”

I could get used to this.I won’t, but I easily could.

I turn to her and offer a smile. “Thank you very much, Gloria.” I have no problem showing her kindness. It’s not her fault I’m stuck here for the next three months.

She nods and leaves the room, closing the door behind her and leaving me to settle in.

An hour later, I’ve brought my things inside, hung my clothes in the walk-in closet, and organized my toiletries in the bathroom crafted for royalty.

I shoot Skylar a text to find out where the hell she is, and she calls me a few minutes later.

“Hey,” I say, sitting cross-legged on the couch.

“Ready to murder him yet?” Amusement laces her tone, and I momentarily hate her for leaving this position to me.

“Just about,” I mutter.

She laughs. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Right. That’s if I don’t kill him first.”

“Right,” she echoes. “I was going to stop by in a bit, but something came up.”

My stomach drops. “Sky,” I groan.

“I know. I’m sorry. Take the afternoon and read Jackson’s file. Everything we have on him is in there, and everything you’ll need to know to protect him.”

“So, I guess I can’t just bundle him up in bubble wrap and shove him in a closet?”

Skylar snorts. “Yeah, unfortunately not.”

I sigh and say, “All right. I’ll take a look.”

“Fair warning, it’s a lot.”

“Great,” I deadpan. “Can’t wait.”

Now it’s her turn to sigh. “I know. We knew making that deal with Jackson was going to come with risks, but it was the only choice we had at the time.”

“No, I know. How much does he know?”

“Just what he needs to. He understands there are risks to the operation he’s running. He knows there are people who don’t agree with him offering fae the chance to transition to human life and want to put a stop to it. He’s heard some threats here and there, but from what I can tell, he isn’t aware of the severity of them.”

“Hmm. Okay.”

Skylar continues, “We have a security team set up around the perimeter of the house. You likely won’t see them—which is the goal. There’s a team stationed at the facility as well.”

“If he’s got security at home and work, why exactly am I here?”

“Because Nikolai is an idiot,” she says. “He wanted a personal detail for Jax. He figures it’s safer that way. On the off chance someone manages to get past the security team, you’re an added level of protection.”

“I’m a babysitter,” I tell her.

“For lack of a better word, yes.”

“This is a lifetime-type job, Sky. As long as he’s running this business, he’ll need protection. I didn’t sign on for an eternity of Jackson Hawthorne.”

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