Page 29 of Their Property
She finally hurried away, giving me just a fraction more breathing room. I still had my three hulking shadows to deal with.
I headed for the nearest exit, which led out to a beautiful courtyard with a fountain, walking paths, and lots of trees. Heavy footsteps followed me dutifully, but I needed a fucking moment and didn’t want to break down in front of them.
“I’d like to be alone, please,” I said without turning around.
“No can do, little lady.” T-Bone’s voice floated over me like a caress, the sound somehow both comforting and invasive.
“Then just…stand further away. I need a little bit of fucking privacy.” My voice wobbled, and I clenched my fists.
“Kyrie.” Dyno sounded closer, his footsteps crunching over the gravel path. “We have to stay near you to protect you.”
“I just—fuck.” A tear escaped my eye and I hurried to wipe it away, but then another one came. And when I inhaled, my nose sniffled. God fucking damn it. How was I supposed to be taken seriously when I ran out of a meeting and started crying like a baby? In front of my three hot bodyguards, no less.
“Hey.” A gentle touch came to my shoulder, and I turned to find Dyno next to me, concern drawn deeply into his face. “It’s okay, Kyrie. That crotchety old man was fucking out of line.” Dyno wiped a tear from my cheekbone with his thumb, the touch trailing down my face a few inches before falling away.
“Fuck, I wanted to throw that wrinkly old ballsack out the window,” T-Bone grumbled. He sat down on the edge of the water fountain a few feet away. “And every one of those dumb shits who were too cowardly to say anything. Politicians can choke on a dick.” He winced, then looked up at me. “No offense.”
I laughed, despite feeling shitty. “None taken.” Sniffling carefully, I wiped the remaining tears from my eyes. “Thank you for saying that, actually. I felt…really alone in there.”
T-Bone surprised me by taking one of my hands, his rough fingers massaging the inside of my palm. “I wish we could speak up for you. Fuck, I was so close to breaking protocol.” He sighed and gave me a sympathetic look. “You’re never alone, Kyrie. Not when you have us.”
On his shoulder, Munin made a soft cawing sound like he was agreeing.
My fingers closed around T-Bone’s hand like I never wanted to let go. His hand was so large I could barely get a grip, but he squeezed back.
“It means a lot to hear you say that, thank you. I just…” A big sigh left my chest as Grudge came around to join the other two, his expression just as concerned. “I was so excited to come here and do something meaningful. Now I just feel…defeated. Like I’m roadblocked at every turn.”
“Mm-mm.” Grudge shook his head, his expression now determined. He pointed at me, then curled that hand into fist before hitting it with his opposite palm.
“He’s right.” Dyno sat next to T-Bone on edge of the fountain and leaned his head on the other man’s shoulder. “You gotta keep going, Kyrie. Meaningful change never happens without a ton of resistance.”
“You’re right,” I sighed. “You all are. It’s an uphill battle, but I can’t stop. Not when there’s people in need.”
“For what it’s worth, we support you.” T-Bone rested his temple on Dyno’s head, the two of them looking relaxed and adorable. “We can’t speak out on your behalf in meetings, but we’ll do what we can.”
“If it was my father in the room, or any male ambassador instead of me, no one would’ve talked to me like that.” I crossed my arms, suddenly feeling homesick. Dad had a fair amount of crotchety old men working for him, but at least they were always respectful to me. Then again, I’d never spoken up against their ideas before. It was easy enough to be pleasant when no one challenged them. As soon as I stopped letting things slide, the claws came out.
“Oh, I have an idea!” T-Bone perked up.
“What?”
“Cut your hair really short, dye it gray, then shave the top so it looks like male pattern baldness—I’m serious, why are you laughing?” His smirk grew into a full-on grin as I fought to keep my giggling contained. “Get creative with some makeup or some shit, I dunno. Walk into that meeting all stooped over like this.” He got up to demonstrate, and I almost started crying again, but from laughing this time.
“She should get a cane,” Dyno added, chuckling.
“No, she needs one of those fucking walker things. With the little tennis balls on the bottom. She’s gotta lookancient.”
Grudge patted Dyno’s hip, then stuck a finger into the waistband of his jeans. Dyno leaned back, cackling so wildly he almost fell into the fountain. While he was incapacitated, T-Bone explained it for me. “Yes, excellent point, Grudge. She needs a whole pack of them adult diapers.”
“Oh my God, stop!” I cried, holding my stomach because I was laughing so hard. These guys accomplished their mission, and I already felt lighter. Notbetternecessarily, but not so alone.
It wasn’t until I recovered and composed myself that I saw Grudge holding a note out to me.That’s better.The world is much brighter when you laugh.
“Oh, Grudge.” My hand flew to my chest, speechless. He looked panicked for a moment, like he might have said the wrong thing. But there simply weren’t any words for how touched I felt. “Can I hug you?”
He blinked and only dipped his head in a nod before I rushed toward him, wrapping my arms around his waist. Grudge was solidly built, but there was a softness about him too. His arms came around my back, pressing me gently into his barreled chest where I just wanted to nestle and hide forever. He was so warm, and I felt safe and supported to the point where a small sigh escaped me. His beard tickled the top of my head and he smelled like fresh, clean sheets.
I was right. He gave great hugs.
