Made in Vengeance

“Wait for me to open your door. That’s a rule, got it? Whenever we go out, you don’t leave the safety of the car until either Mikhail, Nikolay, or I come for you. Understand?”

I mutely nodded.

He made a small approving noise at the back of his throat before he looked around his surroundings and climbed out. Leo followed him. I stayed in the car.

I didn’t think there had ever been anyone who had been so overprotective with me—besides my mom and Roberto.

But Roberto didn’t have any pull in the world, not working as a butler for a mob boss, and my mom—

She was like me. She was just a woman in this world.

We were essentially powerless.

But she protected me as best as she could. And when I was little, before I witnessed her murder, I had truly believed she was capable of holding back all the monsters.

Now there wasn’t just one but three men to protect me.

Three powerful men.

I should be happy.

Instead, all I saw was them in my mom’s last place. Bleeding on the ground, their shocked eyes wide open as death came for them.

I shivered and jumped when the door opened. Damien bent down and looked at me, frowning a little.

He didn’t ask why I was so jumpy. He reached in, unbuckled my seatbelt, and helped me out of the car.

I clung to him tightly.

I didn’t want to see him die.

I didn’t think I could handle it if anything were to happen to any of them.

He cupped the back of my head, shooting me a questioning look.

I pretended not to notice, looking away from him and out at the busy street.

I saw a cute little bistro with outdoor seating. I had seen something similar in the TV shows I used to watch when there was nothing to do, but this was the first time I had ever seen one in real life.

I tugged on Damien’s arm in excitement, and he let me lead him there.

I didn’t even care that Leo was following us not so inconspicuously.

Damien was a big man. I had him pegged at either six-foot-four or six-foot-five in height, which meant he drew attention wherever he went.

But Damien, with another giant of a man following close behind us, caused a lot of heads to turn our way.

Damien pulled me closer to him. Then, leaning down, he said in my ear, “Don’t stray too far from me, pet.”

I nodded absently as we made it inside the bistro.

The inside was just how I imagined it. Dark and intimate. The aroma of coffee had me salivating. It wasn’t too busy, which was perfect, and there was even a hostess about my age at the front to greet us.

Her eyes widened a bit as she took in Damien, then brought her gaze to me before shifting them behind me at Leo.

She quickly composed her expression and plastered on a nervous smile. “Welcome, folks. Table for three?”

I looked at Damien as he answered her. “For two.”