Ruler (Wolves of Royal Paynes #2) - Kiki Burrelli Page 0,33

me the impression he cared about me, only about the danger I brought.

I stepped back into Faust's warmth. "He can't make me go back with him, though, right?"

"No." Faust's reply shook through me. "He can't."

"Legally?? Huntley scratched the back of his head. He spun the laptop on the table in front of him around for us to see.

The screen was too small and far for me to read any of it, but Faust's reaction was enough for me to know it wasn't good.

"When did he file?"

File? "What is it?"

We walked close enough for me to make out the heading: Petition for Guardianship. "What is this?"

"A pile of bullshit," Diesel growled. His directness was comforting but not informative.

"David Grouse is attempting to gain guardianship over you even though you are no longer a minor. He's claiming you are unfit to govern your own choices."

"That's not true." I immediately felt stupid after pointing out the obvious.

"We know that, Storri. He won't succeed." Jazz reached for my free hand and squeezed it.

"He's been trying to get the paperwork approved for more than a year." Huntley turned the laptop back around. "Each request has been denied because he was unable to provide statements from doctors declaring you unfit."

"It's only a matter of time before he finds a doctor willing to take a bribe. I'm surprised he hasn't already."

"He thinks he's justified." I spoke without thinking. "He believes I am dangerous. He believes keeping me in that tower was the right thing. I bet he's approached every doctor within one hundred miles of Yamitt asking for their recommendations."

"Just because he's a zealot doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a curb-stomping." Jagger growled, abruptly getting to his feet. "He listed his address. I say we head down there and take care of the problem."

Huntley stood as well, along with Diesel and Knox. I shivered. The four of them were menacing enough without adding Faust to their ranks. For the first time in my life, I felt sorry for Mr. Grouse if he ever found himself in a room with these men.

Hallie waved her hands in front of her in a settling, soothing motion. "As much as we all want to get rid of this monster, it should be Storri's choice what happens to the man. Either we can let the law take care of it and hope for the best, or you guys can take care of it. I'm not against either option. But I also don't think this is a choice that Storri should be making right now." Her warm gaze landed on me, and my shoulders relaxed a fraction. "At the moment, he is here. No one knows he's here, and even if they did, no one is getting past you to him."

My throat pounded with my heartbeat. I knew what Mr. Grouse had done was wrong, and at times I had hated him, but it wasn't an emotion I could sustain, particularly after being out of his grasp. I'd hated him when I'd been so cold at night in the tower that I'd shook myself to sleep. I hated him when I had to conserve my water so much I had to choose between being clean or hydrated.

I was fed now. Rested. Had as much water as I needed. And, thanks to Hallie, I wouldn't have to be making any huge life decisions. At least not for a little while longer.

The men listened to Hallie, but they looked to Knox. He scowled, the expression having lost some of its punch simply because it was so prevalent. "Hallie's right. We're chomping at the bit to take care of this guy, but if we have time to be smart, we should be smart. By the time Huntley and Jagger return, we'll know more."

I didn't know where they were going, and it must've shown on my face because Jazz clarified. "There is a satellite Portal Ventures office up in Seattle. The twins are going to just check it out and see what we can learn from their day-to-day activity. But they are only going to observe. That's it." I didn't think the emphasis was for me, but the twins. Jazz must've been worried they'd do something dangerous.

Though I'd learned something today that would've otherwise crippled me with terror, I wasn't more scared. In fact, for the first time in a long time, the feeling I felt wasn't fear.

From the first moment, these people had been telling me I was safe with them, but I was only just