Page 116 of Only Fools Rush

“I’ll tell them, I promise. You see how he gets, though, right? How protective he is?”

“It’s because he loves you,” Ciel said. He opened his mouth but closed it, frowned, and seemingly changed his mind before he said something else. “None of us want to put you at risk.”

I pursed my lips. “I know. I’ll tell him. I don’t think it makes sense to try to assassinate Max at that meeting, but I’m also afraid that if they get within feet of each other, they’ll try to kill each other.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think it does, either. Focus on the board. That meeting isn’t about Max. It’s about you and your father’s company. Max will only try to distract you from that.”

Ciel was right. Showing up at that meeting was about claiming my place, taking control over my father’s empire so we could use it to our own ends. Making Max’s life more difficult was a side goal, not the real reason why being there was important.

I couldn’t lose sight. This was aboutourempire. Taking Max out was only a piece of it. Our future was the endgame.

I picked up one of the pens and spun it in my hand. “What if he tries to kill me?”

Ciel frowned. “That is a possibility, but that’s why I’ll be right there. Maybe we can convince Obi to come, too. He can keep a level-head.”

I sighed. Obi still had barely spoken to me since that night at Kofler’s house, despite how I caught him staring at me on multiple occasions since then. He’d promised to mentor me; he had never wanted to do anything but protect me, but he’d made it clear he didn’t want more than that.

“I’ll ask him.”

Ciel nodded, then outstretched his hand. “Come here.”

I grabbed it, and he pulled me back into his lap. His thighs felt muscular and strong beneath me. Solid and dependable. Just like him.

“Sleep with me tonight,” he murmured, his lips brushing my cheeks. “Stay here again.”

“Okay, I will,” I said, running my hands through his hair. “Your bed is the comfiest, anyway.”

He sealed his lips to mine.

34

RYUJI

Iwaltzed into the gym earlier than normal, flipping a knife in my hand. I’d just gotten off the mostannoyingphone call with Alec. Someone had re-opened the investigation into what happened at Club Thunder, but our contact in the police force couldn’t tell us by whom or why.

It had to be the feds.

They were breathing down my neck, just waiting for someone to fuck up.

I knew it. I knew that explosion was going to blow back on me somehow.

I was only hoping that Alec could handle this without me needing to get more involved and that whoever had re-opened our file was either open to bribes or was bad at their job and would eventually stop caring.

I was fucking pissed, and I needed some alone time with the target range.

But of course, the universe was out to conspire against me, because the bodyguard was also in the gym.

My shoulders went tense as my eyes narrowed and my hand gripped the knife tighter.

Sweat covered the expanse of his shirt, making it stick to his back. He was watching those videos on his phone, following Willow’s physical therapy exercises for his knee. A few times before I’d walked in here to find the same, only to turn right around to come back later. Something about Leona’s bodyguard just made my hackles rise.

I looked over my shoulder at the private elevator. Leona was busy upstairs, working in Ciel’s room. I’d just seen them both hunched over his desk, pointing up at his screens before shuffling through piles of photos and papers.

I flipped my knife in my hand again, watching my face reflected across the surface.

That little demon that lived on my shoulder wanted to cause havoc. The angel on the other side had long since disappeared, so I had no one to try to convince menotto piss him off.

Today seemed like a good day to pick a fight.