“It’s too dangerous—”

“You saved me and Dante and Magnus when it was just you, James. No one will be able to touch me with you and your family watching out for me,” I said.

Vaughn sighed and dropped his forehead to mine. “I don’t want you to do this,” he whispered. “I just want you to be safe. But I want Gio back so fucking bad.”

I put my hand to his cheek and he immediately pressed into it. “You’re going to have both, James.”

“Promise me,” he demanded. “Promise me I won’t lose you.”

But he didn’t let me answer.

Maybe because he knew it was a promise I couldn’t make.

He kissed me instead and I let him because it was easier.

And for once, I wasn’t ashamed for taking the easier path.

Chapter 15

Vaughn

“I will, Dante, I promise,” Aleks said softly into the phone. “Tell Magnus I love him. Matty too. And Leo and Jamie and Connor and Miss Savannah…” Aleks fell silent and then smiled and nodded. Whatever Dante had said to him in response to the long list seemed to lift some of the sadness from his expression.

I’d somehow managed to release him after what had to be the most incredible kiss… or series of kisses, rather… that I’d ever known. I’d held onto him for a long time and neither of us had seemed eager to speak. When I’d finally pulled back, he’d asked me if he could call his brother to reassure him he was okay.

That had been a few minutes ago. Aleks hadn’t put the phone on speaker and I hadn’t asked him to. I hadn’t really needed him to, either. Aleks was like an open book when talking to his brother, and it hadn’t been hard to figure out that the first minute of the call had been Dante trying to convince his little brother to tell him where he was.

But Aleks had held firm and he’d also kept it together surprisingly well.

There was no doubt he was scared shitless about what was happening, but he wasn’t regretting his decision. I also knew if he’d been given the choice to do what he’d done over again, he would have in a heartbeat.

Including leaving me without telling me.

It’d been a smart move on his part, because there was no way in hell I would have let him make that choice.

At least he didn’t hold that fact against me.

I was all for Aleks making his own decisions, but if there was one I would have fought him on, it was this one.

As it was, I was trying to figure out if I should still try and talk him out of it. But a little part of me was so fucking grateful for this chance to find Gio that it was keeping me from voicing all the objections in my head. It helped to know that Aleks seemed so certain. Because if there was anything that would have made him second-guess himself, it would have been his brother.

“I love you too, meu melhor,” Aleks said softly, waited a beat and then hung up the phone.

Thank fuck Dante hadn’t wanted to talk to me. I might have been tempted to tell him where we were so he’d come get Aleks and we’d be forced to give up on this insane plan to use him to draw Stylianos out.

Aleks wiped at his eyes, but he managed not to cry. “They’re safe,” he said. “They took Matty to a house that belongs to some friends… lots of the family is there so they’re all keeping an eye out for each other.”

“That’s good,” I said as I reached for his hand. I linked our fingers and then Aleks leaned into me.

“He’s still upset,” he said quietly.

“Not at you,” I reminded him.

“He doesn’t understand why I don’t just come home so he can watch out for me.”

Aleks hadn’t told Dante anything about what we were planning and he’d never brought up Luca or Gio, so as far as Dante knew, Aleks was choosing to stay with me until the danger had passed. If the man found out how close Aleks would actually be to those who were hunting him, Dante would lose his shit for sure. Not to mention Luca’s role in Aleks’s abduction…

“He does, Aleks. He knows you’re trying to protect your family.”

“He also knows I’m not strong enough for this… I’m too broken.”

I’d been in the process of rubbing my thumb over his skin in the hopes of soothing him but stopped at his words.

I shifted so I could look at him. “Aleks, do you really believe that?” I asked gently. “That you’re broken?”

He looked at me like I’d grown two heads. Then his face fell. “Please don’t play with me,” he said, then he dropped my hand and stood. He stepped away from me and toward the window, bypassing the one that he’d shattered to break up the fight between me and my brother.

Tags: Sloane Kennedy The Protectors M-M Romance
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