Page 145 of Guarded Knight

“So it’s on then? You two?” he asks, still looking at Gabriel.

Gabriel nods once. No elaboration needed. Xander has already heard his intentions.

Whatever passes between them in that second, it’s old. Deep. Brotherhood.

Xander’s never intimidated men into keeping distance from me out of pride. He’s kept them away because my life is precious and he’s never trusted anyone else not to waste it.

But Gabriel meets Xander’s stare head-on, steady, unwavering, like he’s saying without words: I’m here. I’m not leaving.

And in that quiet, I see my brother yield, not in defeat, but in trust. His shoulders loosen, his jaw unclenches, and everything about them softens.

It feels like more than permission. It feels like trust. Like Xander is finally setting me down in the one place he believes I’ll be safe.

The blessing settles something deep in me, steadies ground I didn’t know I was shaking on.

“So…” I lean back, throat still raspy. “You’ve seen Anton? Did he say anything about Kevin?”

Just because my stalker turned out to be Trent doesn’t mean that bastard is forgotten.

Xander’s expression tightens. “Just saw Anton in the parking lot, and he said the Feds are going in tonight.”

Gabriel shifts as though it’s news to him, too.

Xander notices and nods. “Anton’s coming up to tell you. Kevin’s at the hotel sipping champagne on donor dollars. That ends tonight.”

Thank God. “And Freya?”

Gabriel already reassured me she’s safe. It’s the first thing I asked when I finally started to recover. But I still have to ask how she looked when Xander saw her.

That must have been awful for her. I disappeared. Anton and Gabriel, gone in an instant. And she had to stay behind with a man she thought was both a financial criminal and capable of stalking her best friend.

“She’s okay.” Xander hides a smile. “Anton’s been making sure of that.”

His words pull a soft smile to my lips. I don’t know what’s happening there, but I hope it’s something. Something real. Anton seems like an amazing guy with a savior complex, a bit like the guy I’ve chosen.

Freya deserves a man who puts others first.

“I’m glad she has him,” I murmur.

Xander leans forward again and takes my hand. We haven’t held hands since I was a kid, afraid of monsters in the closet. It feels foreign and welcome at the same time.

“When are you breaking out of this place?” he asks.

“The doctors want me overnight just to make sure whatever Trent gave me doesn’t mix badly with my meds. Plus, the IV antibiotics.” I lift my hand with tubes stuck in it. “Morning, if all goes well.”

He gives a slow nod and squeezes my hand. “Good. I’m not going anywhere till you’re home.”

I know he has work, but those words are music to my ears.

“Does this mean the girls are here?” I ask, hopeful they’ll be in Echo Valley when I’m discharged.

His smile finally cracks, warm and worn at the edges. “Much to Theo’s dismay, I left them watching Spanish cartoons.”

I laugh, even though it hurts. “God help him.”

Gabriel’s armis looped behind my shoulders, his body curved around mine just enough to keep me upright without making it a thing. I must’ve drifted—five minutes, maybe less. Long enough for the ache to settle. Long enough for the burn in my chest to ease into something that feels survivable.

The door creaks open.