Singe (Guardian Protection #1)

“So he had someone do it for him. He hates me, Jude.”

He hooked an arm under the back of my legs and dragged me onto his lap. Holding me close, he asked, “Why?”

“I don’t know,” I choked. “I mean, I guess I do.”

“Then tell me,” he implored.

“You’re going to laugh…but I’ve always felt like he was destined to hate me. See, my mom was a novice astronumerologist. She swore she could read the stars and all that crap. When I was born, she named me after the constellation Orion. For reasons known only to my mother and JR Ward, she added an h.”

“JR who?” he asked.

“She’s an author.” I waved him off. “Anyway…according to lore, Orion was in love with Artemis, much to her brother Apollo’s dismay. Eventually, Apollo tricked Artemis into killing Orion.”

“Uh huh.” He blinked at me for several seconds. “And do you have any reasons to believe your brother hates you that don’t involve mythology?”

“Maybe.”

“Could I get those?”

I let out a resigned sigh. “Fine. My father was no saint. He had a temper and was known to be cutthroat in the boardroom. But he was good dad—at least to me. He and Apollo…” I trailed off, shaking my head. “They were oil and water. Apollo lied about everything, and it drove Dad crazy. They used to fight nonstop. Dad shipped him off to this posh boarding school when he was in sixth grade. He got kicked out the first week. After that, Dad sent him to a not-so-posh military school. Apollo was miserable. He wrote letters and begged to come home, but Dad refused. When he came home for Christmas that year, he started acting aggressive toward me. He shoved me down the stairs, broke my arm. I swore to my father that it was an accident. It wasn’t. He’s just so damn angry.

“The following year, he tied me to a chair and cut all of my hair off the day before my big Christmas performance at school. I had our maid sneak me to the salon before my father saw. I was scared of Apollo, but I was terrified for him if Dad ever found out all the shit he did to me. It got to the point where I’d make up excuses to leave town any time he was going to be home. I rarely saw him after that, but I missed him. We were close as kids. We were young when Mom died, and Dad traveled a lot, but we had each other. When he went to jail, I hated the idea of him being alone, so I went to visit him. And the strangest thing happened: He opened up. He apologized, Jude. For everything. He was a mess, so filled with regret. He may have been in an orange jumpsuit and behind bars, but I laughed with my brother for the first time in almost a decade. Every week for a year, I went to visit him, two hours each way. And I felt like I’d finally gotten my family back. And then Dad died.” My throat became thick with emotion, rendering me unable to speak.

“He left you everything,” Jude filled in when my words failed me. “And your brother lost his mind. And then, six weeks later…the fire.”

I nodded.

“And then, two years ago, he got out of jail?”

“He attacked me at a charity event. Spouting lies about my entire family then told me he set the fire to teach me a lesson…” The words died on my tongue.

“And then he started following you, so you figured it was easier to hide than deal with him.”

My breathing shuddered as I tried to get my scrambled emotions under control. There was something distinctly freeing about telling someone, especially Jude, about the world that kept me locked in my ivory tower.

“It wasn’t just Apollo though. People came out of the woodwork after I inherited everything. All of Dad’s ex-wives, their kids, long-lost cousins. Even my best friends had their hands held open. People would show up to hang out with me while I was recovering from the fire, spend a couple of hours, and then, hours later, hit me up for money. Everything just felt so premeditated and insincere. I’d never felt so alone. So I decided I didn’t want it anymore. I signed over control of my father’s estate to his old business partner, Peter Higgins.”

His face turned to stone as he whispered ominously, “Peter Higgins.”

Embarrassed at the memory of when Jude punched him at the hospital, I attempted to look away, but Jude didn’t allow it.

Catching my chin, he forced my gaze back to his. “You gave him all of it?”

“Technically, it’s still mine, but he controls it now.” I laughed sadly. “See? I told you it’s a lot crazy.”

“Jesus Christ, Rhion. Stop saying that. In the span of two years, you lost your father, nearly lost your own life in a fire that has never been solved, and had the brother who’d mentally and physically abused you get out of jail only to start stalking you, all while having to deflect people who tried to leech money off you. Personally, I don’t think hiring a security firm and keeping to yourself is all that extreme.”

“Oh God.” My shoulders shook as a tear fell from my eyes.

He understood.

Jude tucked a stray hair behind my ear and grinned, “Look at you talking in paragraphs and actually saying something at the same time.”

I half laughed, half sobbed as he kissed me. He kept his mouth closed, but it was deep and lingering.

Promising.

When he finally leaned away, he held my gaze and said, “Leo assigned me as your new bodyguard.”

I laughed. “Yeah, right.”

“He liked the fact that you trusted me enough to go back to my place. So they sat me down this morning and laid it out. I needed to be fully informed if we’re out and we run into Apollo.”

“Yes, okay. Fully informed, fine. But what about Johnson?”

He frowned.

“Not that I don’t think you couldn’t do it or anything,” I rushed out. “It’s just… I’ve known Johnson for a long time and he gets me.”

His already hard face became harder, so I kept talking.

“I mean, I know you get me too. It’s different with him though.”

Jude’s eyes narrowed.

So I blurted, “I’m not having sex with him!”

Smooth, Rhion.

Thankfully, Jude’s lips twitched, and he sifted his fingers into my hair, leaving his palm resting over my cheek. “I’m gonna take this as good news, considering I’m having sex with you.”

I pressed into his hand and whispered, “I don’t want you guarding me, Jude. Sometimes, I get a little freaked out when Apollo shows up. I don’t want you to see me like that.”

“Baby, have a little faith in me.”

“I do have faith in you. Swear to God I do. But, Jude, this is different. I’d like to have a talk with Leo about this. I don’t feel comfortable—”

“Johnson and I will be splitting duty,” he stated as fact. “But, considering me and you now have a personal and professional relationship. I’m betting the majority of this is going to fall on my shoulders.”

I bit my lip. “Fall on your shoulders. Just what every girl wants to hear.”

“Rhion, look at me.”