“Shh. You’ll figure it out. I’ll help you. We all will.”
“We?”
“My family. My brothers. Everyone. Everything will be okay.”
She shook her head. “How can it be? I give up. I can’t win.”
Austin had once believed it would’ve been best for Jessie to leave Wilde and go back to DC. Not anymore. Whoever was behind these attacks wouldn’t be satisfied with her exit. They clearly wanted her completely erased. He needed to get through to her to stay in Wilde.
He stroked her soft auburn hair. “Not if we don’t try. Sure it’ll be hard, pet. Very hard. But isn’t achieving the impossible worth trying?”
Austin saw she didn’t look convinced. There was no way he would let her leave town, even if he had to throw her over his shoulder and drag her back to his house.
He gently pulled on her hair. She tipped her head up to face him. “We got knocked down, lost our touch.” Austin challenged her. “So what? Are you too much of a city girl to get back up on the saddle?”
Austin spotted a little spark of anger in her eyes. Good.
Then the spark faded, and she closed her eyes tight. “Rich is just a kid. He’s in a coma because of me, Austin.”
“He’s no child.”
“Maybe not. Still, I rushed my investigation. I missed something critical that would’ve shed some light on this. It’s my fault.”
Austin put both hands on her shoulders and made her face him. “That’s enough, sub.”
She bit her lip.
“No one would’ve seen that coming. We all thought Paul King was behind everything.”
“There’s still someone out there that wants me dead.” Her entire body started to quake.
Austin kissed Jessie, savoring her sweet, trembling lips. He felt her body relax against his touch. “You are safe with me, sweetheart. I won’t ever let anything like that happen to you again. Understand?”
“Yes, Master.” She looked at him, and the love he felt for her nearly knocked him over. A loud crash sent Austin into protective mode. He jumped up between Jessie and the entrance to his room before spotting the mess on the floor. The tray of food that had been on the other side of the bed had fallen.
The door opened, and Denver rushed in. “Everything okay?” His eyes narrowed.
“We’re fine,” Austin answered. “Give us a minute.”
Denver didn’t leave, which pissed him off.
Austin was about to walk over to his brother and say so, when he heard Jessie’s sweet voice. “Please, Sir. Do as he says. It was only his food tray.”
Denver shook his head. The look on his face said he wasn’t happy with the situation. “Okay, Jessie. I’m just outside if you need me.” He left, closing the door behind him.
“Lucky for my brother you convinced him to leave.” Austin sat back down on the bed. “You’re too much. I’ve never seen any woman have such an impact on him.”
“I hope that’s a good thing, Master.”
“It is.”
“I’m going to let you rest now.”
“The hell you are. You’re not leaving me until we catch the fucker who’s trying to kill you. Understand?”
“Austin, stop. You’re in no condition to play bodyguard now. Besides, your brothers are overprotective of me now, lock, stock, and barrel. Please, let them take over until you’re on your feet. By tomorrow, you’ll be back to normal.”
His gut clenched with the guilt of his misstep. She could have died because he failed to keep her safe. “Okay. I trust my brothers completely.”