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Chapter 258
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Chapter 258
men’s deaths. By the time I finally turned off the water, my skin was pink and raw, but I felt marginally more human.
I toweled off and slipped into Arya’s borrowed clothes. The pants were a bit short on me, but otherwise everything fit well enough. 1 combed through my wet hair with my fingers and steeled myself to face whatever came next.
When I opened the bathroom door, my heart nearly stopped.
Brandon stood in the middle of the guest room, still in his suit from the party though it was now rumpled and–was that blood on his sleeve?
“Brandon,” I whispered, hardly daring to believe he was really there,
“Hey,” he replied softly, his eyes drinking me in like a man dying of thirst.
I didn’t think–just launched myself across the room and into his arms. He caught me easily, his strong arms wrapping around me so tightly I could barely breathe. I didn’t care. I buried my face in his neck, inhaling his familiar scent, my hands frantically exploring his back, his shoulders, his face–making sure he was really whole, really unharmed.
“Brandon,” I breathed against his lips before crushing my mouth to his.
“Mmm,” he hummed in agreement, kissing me back with equal desperation.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, I couldn’t help myself–I punched his chest.
“You idiot!” I choked out, tears threatening again. “Do you have any idea how worried I was? How could you just ditch me like that? What if something had happened to you? What would I do then? You can’t just… you can’t just handle everything by yourself!”
Brandon’s expression softened. He cupped my face in his hands, thumbs gently wiping away the tears that had escaped.
“I’m fine,” he murmured. “Look at me–not a scratch. I knew I could handle it, that’s why I sent you to safety first.”
“But what if you couldn’t?” I insisted, clutching the front of his shirt. “I can’t lose you, Brandon. I can’t. Don’t you get that? I don’t want to be protected if it means you putting yourself in danger.”
“Shh,” he soothed, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry. I promise I won’t leave you behind again, okay?”
“You better not,” I sniffled, my anger already fading in the face of the overwhelming relief that he was alive, he was here, he was safe.
Brandon guided me to the bed, sitting down and pulling me onto his lap. I curled against him, my head tucked under his chin, his heartbeat strong and steady beneath my ear.
“It’s over now,” he said, his hand stroking my damp hair. “Ethan did what he had to do to protect you. Those men weren’t American citizens–they entered the country illegally. And they were killers, Summer. Professional hitmen wanted internationally.”
I shuddered, remembering their cold eyes. “Hitmen? Ethan said the same thing when he saved me. But why? Why would anyone want to kill you? Or me?”
Brandon’s arms tightened around me. “Don’t worry about that right now. I’ll handle it.”
“How can I not won I pulled back to look at him incredulously. “Someone literally sent assassins to kill you, Brandon! What if they try again?”
“They won’t,” he said with quiet confidence. “Not right away, at least I’ll talk to Ethan and the others, make sure we have a plan. Are you tired?”
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Chapter 258
The question seemed absurd given everything that had happened, but as soon as he mentioned it, exhaustion crashed over me like a wave. It was well past 3 AM, and the emotional rollercoaster of the night had drained what little energy I had left.
“Yeah, I admitted. “Really tired
“Then sleep, Brandon murmured, shifting us both to lie down properly. He kept his arms around me, one hand gently stroking my back in soothing circles. “I’ll be right here.”
“Don’t leave,” I mumbled, already feeling sleep pulling at me.
“I won’t,” he promised, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
I drifted off to the steady rhythm of his breathing, the solid warmth of his body next to mine the only security I needed.
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