“Maybe not. But I am.” I started to turn back to Ransom’s sister, sparing him one final glance. “Consider her my plus-one. Interrupt me again, you won’t walk out of here under your own steam.”
He swallowed, clearly detecting the sincerity of my threat. I didn’t bother waiting for him to walk away before I turned my attention where it belonged.
“What’s your name?” I asked, ensuring my frustration didn’t bleed into the words.
“Braelyn,” she whispered, still looking up at me. “Braelyn Bishop.”
“I’m Talon.”
As though she’d heard my name before, her eyes flared slightly before settling. Considering my friendship with Ransom, it didn’t surprise me that he had talked about me at some point. Question was, what information had he relayed to her?
I took one step back, giving her room to breathe, but I kept her shielded in the corner.
“Why don’t you try calling him again,” I suggested.
As Braelyn reached for her phone, someone called my name from behind me.
The familiar voice had me turning to see TJ Arlington strolling my way.
A foreign need to defend had me standing taller, broadening my stance as I turned my back on Braelyn. Didn’t matter that I knew TJ wasn’t a threat, I was still prepared to protect her.
“Relax, big guy,” TJ murmured. “I just wanted to let you know you’ve got access to anyplace in my home.” He motioned down the hall. “There’s a library and an office that way. Guest rooms upstairs. I’ve informed my boys to keep clear.”
“You should teach your boys respect,” I stated flatly, glancing past him at the two jerk-offs I’d had the displeasure of dealing with.
TJ’s gaze skimmed my face. It was obvious he wasn’t sure how to respond to that remark, but I knew him. Well, in fact. He would take my request to heart, deal with them appropriately. TJ was not a man who wanted to come across as lacking in any manner.
“Consider it done,” he said, his tone somewhat clipped.
I offered a nod of thanks.
Without waiting for more, TJ turned and walked off, greeting another guest.
“Perhaps we should check out the library,” I told Braelyn when I turned back, gesturing for her to head down the hallway.
She smiled, obviously hearing the mirth in my tone. While I did have a library in several of my residences, including my main estate on Sapphire Island, I still considered home libraries to be pretentious. As for my reasons for having a room dedicated solely to books … well, to put it simply, it was par for the course. Considering what I did for a living, people expected certain things from me. And though I couldn’t care less what others thought, my ridiculous wealth, which far surpassed anyone at this party, afforded me plenty.
When we stepped into TJ’s ostentatious library, I waited while Braelyn tried to call her brother, the phone to her ear.
After a few seconds, she shook her head, frowning. “He’s still not answering.”
Retrieving my own phone, I pulled up Ransom’s contact info and dialed his number. A few seconds later, I was leaving a voicemail.
“Does he usually avoid your calls?” Braelyn asked, sagging against the wall, arms crossed over her chest.
“No. Never.”
“Shit,” she muttered, then she was on the move, pacing back and forth.
I followed her movements briefly before scanning the room. The ceiling was roughly twenty feet high, some awkward mural of what could’ve passed for Greek mythology painted across it. The walls were lined with dark wood shelving, all filled to overflowing with books. The bulk of which I was almost certain cost more than a small country. One entire bookshelf was dedicated to TJ Arlington and his plethora of BDSM-related publications.
I doubted Braelyn would’ve been able to tell me the color of the shelves much less a single book title since she seemed to be studying the overpriced gold rug covering a majority of the floor as she blazed a trail back and forth over it.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on,” I suggested. “Perhaps I can help.”
When she stopped her midnight marathon, Braelyn turned to look at me. This time, when those beautiful eyes met mine, they were flooded with tears. It was clear she was making an attempt to hold them back but failed when one glistening drop rolled over her smooth cheek.
Later, when I was alone, I would ponder my reasons for wanting to pull her into my arms, shield her from whatever torment plagued her, protect her from all the evils of the world. That