trainers for those offsite. We didn’t just have guards in our organization; we had
soldiers, a necessary requirement for a member of the Triguard. We didn’t fuck
around with anything. Everyone was armed and trained, no matter who they were.
Even my household staff had training.
When Scott and I finished in the gym, we had contracts to review for a new
business proposition in Chicago. An associate wanted to overtake a failing hotel on
the main strip so he could better launder his drug trafficking finances through it.
He wanted me to go in on it because he knew I had the connections to legitimize it.
And I did. I could actually use my own hotel down there instead of the apartment I
rarely used. At least this way, I’d make money by having a residence there.
When we were finished, I handed Scott the completed paperwork to send off and
stood up to stretch.
“Make sure the guns are ready. I’m going for a shower,” I said before heading for
the door.
“Half hour,” Scott said with a nod.
I bypassed him and went straight to my room. Jaden should be up by now. I was
letting her sleep in for the holidays to give her another reason to appreciate them,
but when I got back to my room, all I heard was yelling.
“I just want to take her outside for a fucking second so she can go to the
bathroom!”
“And I told you, you’ll have to wait!”
“Listen here, you stupid motherfu—”
“Hey!” I shouted entering the room, cutting Jaden off midsentence. She was red
in the face as she stood between Romero and Alex, her arms crossed over her chest.
“The fuck is going on?” I was looking directly at Jaden, so she’d know my question
was directed at her.
Jaden took a big breath and released it as she tried to calm herself. “I just want
to take Camaro out on the balcony for a quick second so she can go to the
bathroom. But apparently, I can’t step foot out of this room without your
permission! I’m sick of this!”
I looked over at Romero and Alex, who also seemed a little frustrated by the
situation. “Out,” I ordered, nodding toward the door.
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison and left, closing the door behind them. Jaden
immediately huffed in irritation and walked over to the window, turning her back
to me. I looked over at Camaro who was sitting in her bed, chewing on a rope toy.
“Feisty this morning, aren’t we?” I said as I stalked toward her.
“Don’t undermine me, Darren. I effing hate that.”
At least she was substituting her cuss words, but I wouldn’t tolerate that kind of
behavior.
“You know better than to argue with them like that.” My chest was almost
pressing into her shoulders as she continued to brood. It was cute, but that didn’t
mean she was getting a free pass.
“Was my request really so out of line? I was just going to go out on the damn
balcony.”
Sighing deeply, I placed my hands on her hips and pulled her to me, keeping her
back tight against my pecs. “Their job is to watch over you, and your job is to let
them. They will not compromise my orders to make you happy. It’s for your own
good.”
“I don’t see why it matters. You have a tracker on my collar. There’s no point in
running again, so why the constant shadows?”
“That collar obviously didn’t stop you last time. I told you things were going to
get worse. You have no one to blame for this but yourself.”
She was quiet for a moment before releasing a long, slow breath. She knew this
was the consequence for escaping me, and she needed to accept that.
“For how long?”
I couldn’t help but tighten my grip on her. “For as long as I see fit,” I said,
bending down to kiss her neck. She smelled so damn good.
I could feel her getting angrier by the second, the heat rising from her skin as
she continued to brood like it would do her any good. I roughly turned her in my
arms to face me, holding onto her upper arms to keep her in place. The glare she
sported only made me smile. “Now, if you want to go outside, you’ll have to ask me
nicely. I may have treated you a lot this week, but that doesn’t mean my rules are
suddenly forgotten.”
She huffed again, releasing the breath through her nose while her mouth
formed a tight little line. “Can I please take Camaro outside again?” she asked,
trying to sound as nice as she possibly could.
Leaning down, I kissed her on the side of her head, satisfied with her plea.
“After lunch, when you’ve calmed down. You’ll stay here until then, understand?”
I could see the strain in her jaw from my response. She was biting her
