Page 11

WOLF

“We need to call her brother in about this,” Viper remarks, stepping away from the electrical box. “It’s gonna take a few days to get this mess in order. Whoever did it, made a mess of the wires.”

“That’s my thought.”

Though I didn’t think we should call in her brother just yet.

He’d probably demand she move to his place, and after that kiss this morning, there’s no way in hell I was gonna let her be moved from me.

She’s safer where I can keep an eye on her.

We don’t know who decided to come after her last night, and I’m not going to take the chance of her being unguarded.

I’m sure Cordova would have a man on her at all times, but if I’ve learned one thing about Jacqueline since meeting her, it’s that she’s surely one independent woman.

She will stand her ground with her brother to keep it.

I’m betting she’d even stand up against me if it means keeping that independence.

I think that’s one of the things that I found myself drawn to most about her. That and the way she moves while dancing.

Right now, she is in the studio. Kale is in there with her.

I carried his pack ‘n play over and set it up.

Jacqueline had gotten him situated, and as far as I know, the two were good for a while.

The woman grabbed his diaper bag, making sure it was stocked with anything Kale would need while the two of them were in her studio.

I have to admit I like the idea of the two of them together.

Seeing her feeding him this morning had my gut clenching and my chest tightening.

I know I claimed her, but I didn’t think anything more about it.

I’ve changed my mind on that though. I want to know everything I can about her.

I want her in my bed, and I’m gonna make that happen sooner rather than later.

After having her mouth this morning, I need more than the taste I got.

“You gonna call her brother, or am I?” Viper asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I look at Viper and shake my head. I might not want to call Cordova, but regardless, he needs to be told.

Whatever threat that’s against her is also against him.

He needs to know what’s coming at him. Especially now that we know he’s also aligned himself with Mateo.

The last thing any of us needs is for something to happen to Noelle’s cousin. She’d be heartbroken.

“You call him,” I tell him. “I’ve got to get a start on this mess. Make sure to tell him he’s not taking her away from my protection.”

Viper cocks a brow. “You think he’s gonna take her from you?”

“He’s gonna try.” During dinner, I saw the man loves his sister. He is protective of her, and he’ll do anything to keep her safe.

“He knows your intentions. He’s not gonna stand in the way of that,” Viper remarks, reminding me that I claimed her in front of Cordova.

“Call him and see what happens.” I shrug and look at the fucked up ripped-out wires.

It wasn’t just the wiring that they tore out, the breaker box had also been destroyed. If we didn’t know how to handle something like this, we’d have to call in a company to fix the whole damn thing for us.

To make things worse, whoever did all this had also gone through her things.

Viper moves away, pulling the phone from his pocket. While he makes the call, I glance over to the studio and decide to go and check on my son. I didn’t think Jacqueline would have any issues with him. For the most part, he’s a good kid. Doesn’t matter he’s not even two months old yet.

I probably shouldn’t be okay with him being alone with a woman I barely know, but my gut tells me it’s the right thing. I’ve been around my brothers both here and at the Originals Charter along with Franklin Charter, to see just how quickly my brothers were to go after their women.

Crossing the yard to the studio, I open the door without knocking. I find Kale instantly sleeping in his pack ‘n play. Soft music is playing, not the rock I’ve heard her play before. Scanning the room, I find Jacqueline sitting on a stool, a paintbrush in her hand.

“What are you painting?” I ask, stepping deeper into the studio. I leave the door open ‘cause I’m just checking on them before heading back out to finish fixing the wiring.

Jacqueline’s head jerks slightly, and her eyes slowly come to mine. A pretty blush coats her cheeks. Now, isn’t that interesting?

“Um, nothing,” she says and quickly drapes a cloth over it.

I cock a brow and move toward her as she hops off her stool. “Doesn’t seem like nothing if you’re covering it up.”

“I don’t like to share when a piece isn’t finished.” Jacqueline doesn’t meet my gaze as she stands in front of me.

Reaching for her waist, I tug her the rest of the way to me with one hand going to her chin and drawing her eyes to mine. “That a piece for the gallery?”

“Ugh, no,” she whispers and clears her throat. “I get things in my head that make me want to create, so . . . this one is for me.”

“And I can’t see it yet?” I ask.

Jacqueline immediately starts shaking her head, eyes going wide.

Interesting. Whatever she’s working on must be something good.

“Will I get to see it when you’re done?”

Jacqueline takes a moment before finally nodding with her answer. “When it’s finished.”

“Works for me,” I tell her and dip my head down to claim her mouth for a brief kiss that’s interrupted by Viper clearing his throat. Lifting my head, I look towards my Prez. “What’d he say?”

“He’s on his way here to speak to Jacqueline himself.”

“Who’s on the way?” Jacqueline asks while still in my arms. Her body tensing slightly.

“We had to call your brother.” I watch her expression as I tell her this.

“Why?” she demands and goes to pull away.

Too bad for her, I don’t let her get away from me. I tug her more firmly into my body and keep her there.

“What are you doing?” Her voice starts to rise before she glances over her shoulder to where my son is sleeping. Before returning her eyes to me and whispering, “I’m an adult. I don’t need my big brother to handle all of my problems for me.”

“And if those problems are because of him?” I ask, cocking a brow and watching her closely.

“You think my brother has something to do with my house being broken into?” Jacqueline’s eyes narrow, and she gets this inexpressible look about her. Like she couldn’t believe her brother could be responsible for anything happening to her.

Does she not realize what her brother does for a living?

I’m guessing Cordova shields his sister from his life and what he does. It’s the only explanation. She’s in the dark and doesn’t have a clue about the dangers surrounding him.

“Jacqueline, you need to understand, your brother hired our security operation to take care of your safety. Here and at the gallery,” Viper says, getting to an explanation before I decide to say something that would end up causing shit to go down.

“I don’t need security.” Jacqueline huffs.

“You’re joking,” I growl, getting close to losing my temper with her. To keep it together, I step back and glare down at her. “Your home was broken into. The wiring is fucked up in the control panel. Whoever did that shit, they didn’t just do that, they’d gone through your room. Trashed it.”

I don’t allow myself to be affected by the way her face pales at what I tell her.

She needs to get with the program and understand the threat against her.

More than that, she needs to realize the world ain’t full of fucking hearts and rainbows.

Shit is real for her, and she’s not safe because of her brother.