Chapter Twelve

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Axel

Novella was particularly grouchy this morning. She didn't want to get out of bed, and when I told her I could just leave her at home, and if she wanted, she could come in later, she snapped at me. Normally, I'd have spanked my woman for the attitude, but I knew something was wrong. She was growing increasingly tired with every day that passed, and her moods were all over the place.

I had a feeling she was pregnant, and her body was beginning to change to accommodate the life that would be growing inside of her. It was the only reason I hadn't bent her over my knees and spanked her pretty little ass red for disrespecting me.

"Baby girl," I said gently, stroking my hand over her long, red hair, "why don't you rest?" I asked. She was busy working on my planner for the day. She'd apparently received an email from Max, stating he was suffering from a particularly bad migraine today and would need a little extra help.

Griffin had become increasingly antsy after she dropped that bit of news. I had a feeling he was falling hard for my personal assistant, but he wasn't ready to announce it... or come out yet. Which was fine. He was allowed to take his time with his sexuality.

So long as he didn't hurt my personal assistant, that was. Max was a damn good employee, and I was a little overprotective of him in a brotherly way.

"Max needs the additional—"

Harlan suddenly shoved her to the floorboard, his arm smacking me in the throat as he shoved me back at the same time. A bullet soured through the window. I cursed, already reaching for my own gun. Novella curled into a ball at my feet, her hands covering her head.

"Stay down, baby," I growled. I looked to Harlan. "How many?" I demanded, keeping my head low.

"One vehicle," he told me as Griffin began giving orders to the driver. "If I take one side and you take the other, we should be able to at least get rid of the driver and wound a passenger, if there is one."

I nodded in agreement. "On three," I told him. "One," we began rolling our windows down, "Two," I clicked off the safety on my gun, "Three."

I aimed my gun behind me, shooting the passenger in the forehead, firing another shot to take out the man hanging out the back passenger window, and then I fired one last shot, taking out the tire on the passenger side. I folded back into the car at the same time Harlan did, rolling up my window. Griffin was already on the phone, working on clean up.

"Novella, baby," I rasped, tucking my gun back away before leaning down to help her up from the floor. She was trembling, her eyes wide, her pupils blown. Her face was too damn pale, making me sick to my stomach.

"It's okay," I assured her just as we pulled up in front of the building. Harlan and Griffin both got out, and then they were opening our door. I lifted Novella, making her wrap her legs and arms around me, and then we rushed for the building just in case there were more out to take me or Novella out today. Who they were after was yet to be determined.

Once we were in the office, I settled Novella on top of my desk, watching as Griffin paraded Max in, his much bigger frame easily dwarfing the smaller boy's. Harlan left the room, shutting the door behind him. I looked at Griffin. "What do we know so far?"

Griffin shook his head. "Nothing yet. Team is working on it. I imagine we'll know something within the next few hours."

"Going to be sick," Novella rushed out before stumbling off my desk and dropping to her knees in front of the nearest trashcan. I crouched behind her, holding her hair out of her face as she vomited everything she'd eaten for breakfast this morning. After, I settled on the floor, leaning my back against my desk as I tugged her onto my lap.

She was shaking, her adrenaline beginning to wear off, and she dissolved into tears in my arms. I clutched her to me, wishing I could do more to calm her nerves. I knew she knew I would never let anything happen to her. But living through something like that was traumatizing for someone like her—someone so sweet, so tender.

"Here," Harlan said, stepping into the office just as Griffin's phone went off. He answered the call as Harlan handed me a cup of lavender tea and some cookies. Novella sniffled, her watery, bloodshot eyes looking up at Harlan. "It should calm her," he told me. "And cookies—well, cookies are always good."

She gave a watery laugh, a trembling smile tilting her lips. She adjusted herself on my lap so she could lean her side against my torso, and then she began sipping at the tea and nibbling on the cookies. Griffin said something quietly to Max I didn't catch, but the boy walked over to the couch and settled on it, his eyes shutting. He looked a bit green. His migraine had to be fucking rough.

"Dim the lights," I quietly told Harlan as Griffin ended his call.

"Your parents—"

The door opened, and my mom rushed in. My dad walked in behind her. My mom looked like the typical mobster wife with big hair and expensive clothes and jewelry. She was the epitome of cold class, but the way she dropped to her knees in front of me and Novella was not the woman I was used to.

"Oh, you poor child," she said softly, reaching up to brush some of the remaining tears from Novella's flushed cheeks. "That had to be terrifying, didn't it? Come on. Let's let my son off the floor, and let's sit on the couch. Max looks like he needs some help anyway."

"Mom—"

"Aht," she warned me, shooting me that look all women seemed to master as soon as they had a child. "You have things to take care of. Let me take care of my future daughter-in-law."

I looked at Griffin. "You need to stop gossiping," I told him as my mom helped Novella from the floor before grabbing her small plate of cookies. I watched them walk over to the couch, and Max blushed when my mom pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

Dad held a hand out to me, and I grabbed it, letting him pull me up from the floor. Dad may have been graying, but he was strong and a force to be reckoned with.

"Your mother keeps tabs on you, son," Dad reminded me. "Nothing happens in your life without her knowledge."

I sighed and leaned back against my desk, crossing my arms over my chest. "The security detail for Novella," I said, looking at Harlan. "How close is that to being finished?"

Harlan winced. "To your standards? Not close enough. I'm not comfortable with them guarding her yet."

I clenched my jaw and rolled my neck around. "Her brother," Dad said quietly, glancing at Novella for a moment, who was curled up on the couch, her head resting on Mom's shoulder, "what about him?"

"As a guard?" Griffin asked.

Dad nodded. I shrugged. "I've been trying to pull strings to get him out of prison, but they're reluctant given his mental health and the brutality of his crimes. It's not as easy as it usually is."

Dad hummed. "Do you think he could protect her?"

"Without a fucking doubt," I said immediately.

Dad pulled out his phone. "Let me make some phone calls and pull some strings." He looked at Griffin. "I'm taking over your office." He glanced at his wife, who looked right at home, tending to Novella and Max, though Novella looked like she'd fallen asleep. Max didn't look too far behind. My mom had that effect on people. She was comforting. Loving. She was a hard woman and she could be cold as ice, but when it came to family, she was overprotective and adoring.

I looked at Griffin. "You keep digging." My gaze landed on Harlan. "No one comes into this building without my explicit permission for the rest of the day. Make that known." I rolled my neck around. "I need to work on rescheduling my day. I won't be able to work today."

Griffin glanced at Max and snorted. "Yeah—both of your PAs are out, brother."

I snorted and rounded my desk, sitting in my chair. "That's fine. They're both having bad days. Let them rest."

Mom met my eyes, a small smile on hers. She ran her hand over Novella's red hair, her expression tender.

"She's a good one, son," she told me softly. "I'm happy you've finally made her your woman."

By the time I was done, Novella was going to belong completely to me—every single fucking piece of her. That was a promise. And I wasn't breaking it.