You weren’t military.
That was the entire point.
You had a normal life, a normal job, normal friends. While Simon disappeared for weeks at a time doing things he never talked about, you stayed home and waited for the ring on your finger to stop feeling so heavy whenever he was gone.
It worked.
For years, it worked.
Until the day it didn’t.
You noticed the first car outside your apartment three days ago. The second appeared yesterday. The third was there again this morning, parked just far enough away to seem innocent. You weren’t paranoid. You knew that because Simon had spent years teaching you the difference.
Trust your instincts.
Trust the feeling.
Trust him.
So when your phone rang at 2:17 in the afternoon, you answered immediately.
“Simon?”
“Where are you?” His voice was sharp enough to make your stomach drop.
“Work… why—”
“Leave.”
No greeting. No explanation. Just one word.
“Simon—”
“Now.”
You had never heard him sound like that before.
The line disconnected.
By the time you reached the parking lot, your pulse was already racing. A man stood beside your car, hands in his pockets, watching. Not someone you recognized, but judging by the way his eyes immediately locked onto the engagement ring on your hand, he recognized you.
And then he smiled.
Every survival instinct Simon had drilled into you over the years started screaming at once.
You turned and ran.
A black SUV slid around the corner seconds later. The passenger door flew open before the vehicle had fully stopped.
“Get in.”
Simon.
You didn’t hesitate.
The second you climbed inside, the SUV accelerated. The stranger disappeared behind them, but the feeling he left behind didn’t.
For several minutes, nobody spoke. The only sounds were the engine and your own heartbeat pounding in your ears. Finally, you turned toward Simon.
“What the hell is happening?”
His jaw tightened beneath the mask.
“Someone put a bounty on you.”
The words didn’t make sense.
“A what?”
“A bounty.”
You stared at him.
“Why?”
His eyes finally met yours.
“Because of me.”
Silence settled heavily between you.
You knew Simon’s job was dangerous. You knew there were enemies. You knew there were things he kept from you because they belonged to a world you were never supposed to be part of.
But this?
This was different. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“You said I was safe.”
His expression twisted. For a moment, he looked genuinely angry, not at you, but at himself.
“I was wrong.”
The admission sounded painful.
Simon Riley never admitted mistakes easily.
“How bad is it?”
His answer came immediately.
“Bad.”
You looked away, trying to process everything. The stranger. The smile. The realization that someone had looked at you and seen a payday instead of a person.
Suddenly Simon’s hand closed around yours.
You looked down before slowly looking back up at him. For the first time since finding you, some of the tension seemed to leave his shoulders.
“They won’t touch you.”
“Simon—”
“They won’t.”
The certainty in his voice was terrifying. Not because he was trying to comfort you, but because he genuinely believed it. Like it was a fact. Like he had already decided exactly what would happen to anyone who tried.
You squeezed his hand.
“You’re scaring me.”
Something softened in his eyes. His thumb brushed across your engagement ring, lingering there for a moment longer than necessary.
He lifted your joined hands and pressed a kiss against your knuckles.
“I’ve got you, luv.”