Page 41 of Dark Knight

Or maybe they were trying to start a clan war but between two groups they weren't actually related to. If we fought the Sidorovs, it would make both parties weaker, which would leave the Leonardi's in a very strong position.

I couldn't imagine that Dante Leonardi, the family head, would sanction something like this, though. It was too underhanded. He'd storm the castle and bring the fight to us if that's what he wanted to do. This manipulation and sleight-of-hand was unlike him.

Hud came strolling into the room a moment later, closing the door behind himself. "Did you tell her?"

I shook my head. "She's scared enough as it is. She'll be safe in my room, we can lock the door, which will keep the stalker away from her for the night. That’s just a stopgap though. We need to figure out a way to lure the threat out though, or at least get some evidence as to what's going on."

He nodded, accepting my decision, even though I could tell from the set of his jaw that he disagreed with it. "She asked for self-defense training. Theo showed her some moves."

"I gathered since that's what she said she was going to go and practice when she left." When he didn't respond, I knew there was something on his mind. "Say whatever it is that's bothering you."

Hud paced a bit, and I gave him time to formulate whatever it was that he wanted to say. A lot of people thought that Hudson was just the muscle, simply my bodyguard and my enforcer. While they were right, they didn't give him enough credit when it came to his intelligence. The man was as smart as a whip, and just as cutthroat as I was when it came to our businesses and the dealings therein.

Finally, Hud said, "We should tell her the plan once we have one, so she knows she's not crazy."

I shook my head. "Whatever the plan is, we're going to need her reactions to be real in order to sell it and actually draw the stalker out. If we tell her, there's no guarantee she'll be able to make her reactions seem real when it comes down to it."

He wasn't a fan of the idea of keeping secrets from Evie, which was interesting. Normally, he didn't even like women being around, but he seemed to have accepted her without issue. Not to mention that when he was with her in front of me, I was surprised that he went as far as he did..

The few times Hud spent time with women, it was always in his room in the basement, always private. He wasn't an exhibitionist. Or maybe that was just when it came to his own personal tastes. The idea that he wanted to be with Evie enough to do it in front of me and do as I’d asked was enough to stir a little jealousy inside me.

He went back to business without another word, accepting my decision but clearly unhappy about it. I wanted to call him on his bullshit, but I didn't want to draw attention to what was a big step for him. If I did, he might withdraw and cut off any feelings he had for Evie. I was fairly sure there was at least a little more than lust there for Evie, which was why he was upset with my decision.

When he didn't speak up again, I went back to work as well, still a little disappointed that Evie hadn't taken me up on my earlier offer. But we’d taken some time off work, and now we were paying the price for it with everything we needed to catch up on.

Before I knew it, dinner had come and gone and there was a tentative knock on my door. "Enter," I called.

Evie appeared before me, a sight for sore eyes in her robe and fuzzy slippers. She was both beautiful and cute, something I hadn't really thought possible but that she pulled it off. Her thick, blonde hair was pulled up into the high ponytail she liked, and her big doe eyes watched me warily. She tilted her head to the side slightly as she said, "I was going to go to bed if that's okay?"

"Let me walk you up. Are you sure you don't mind being locked in? Only three people know the code to open the door, myself and Hud being two of them." I smiled down at her, trying to reassure her and not give away the fact that I was pissed off that there was a traitor in my home.

"That's fine." Her tone was clipped, and I could tell she was still upset that I'd basically told her I didn't believe her.

The truth was that I did believe her. The marks on her mirror were there, and I knew there was someone in my home who was no longer welcome there. The problem arose when I thought about us reacting to the stalker being there in an overt way. What could that trigger? Would they attack her? Try to kidnap her?

My goal was to out the stalker before their behavior got any more intense, but that meant keeping Evie in the dark, at least for a little bit. We walked up the stairs in silence, and I led her down the hallway and into my room. She looked around with curiosity, which I couldn't blame her for.

"The bathroom is through there," I gestured to one of the doors on the side wall. "The other leads to my closet, which you shouldn't need. All the windows are reinforced, so no one can break in that way."

She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself, which made her look small and scared. I reminded myself that she probably was. Still, it tore at something in my chest to see her like that.

"Dylan, I know you don't believe that someone's trying to get to me in the house, but can you at least keep it in the back of your mind?"

I walked over, drawn to her by an invisible thread, and cupped her cheek. "Of course I will, sunshine. I promise." She nuzzled into my hand slightly, and my body reacted with a vicious need. Not just to have her, but to protect her.

"Will you stay until I fall asleep?"

I wanted to say no, to tell her that she'd be safe enough in my room that she didn't need me to stay like that, but she was scared and the need to soothe her rose within me. "If that's your desire."

"And if I have other desires?" She bit her bottom lip on one side, which just about killed me.

"I'd say it's probably best for you to sleep for now and we can tend to any other desires you have tomorrow." The last thing I wanted to do was take advantage of her while she was feeling vulnerable.

"Some desires can't wait until tomorrow," she murmured before pushing up on her tiptoes and kissing me, her lips tender and soft against my own.

The need that rushed through me was so much worse than the last time we fooled around. I wasn't sure I'd be able to hold back from her this time, especially since we were alone, but I wasn't sure she was really ready for this step with me either.

I didn't want Evie to feel pressured into sex with me or like she was repaying her debt with her body. Sex with her shouldn’t feel like a transaction. I wasn’t sure why it bothered me that it did, but the thought was something I couldn’t get out of my mind. In turn, that meant that as much as I wanted her, as much as I’d dreamed about what I wanted to do with her, I couldn’t. Not yet.

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