Chapter 60: Reaper’s Forces [III]

Marcus’s expression flattened instantly, and Leo couldn’t help the sigh that escaped him.

Ever since Tractor and his men had taken over the base, the man had not once called Marcus by his actual name. It was always "Leo’s baby boy." Marcus wasn’t entirely sure whether the giant man was doing it deliberately to annoy him or whether he genuinely found it amusing, but the result was always the same, and he had long since given up trying to correct him.

"You wanted to see me?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah," Tractor said, waving a massive hand as he moved toward his desk. He lowered himself into his chair and gestured for Leo to take the seat opposite him. "I really need your help with something. We need you at the hospital today."

Leo exchanged a brief, puzzled glance with Marcus. "Me? I thought it was usually your guys handling the security operations around Prince Darius."

That much had been true since the Reaper’s Forces had taken control. Every major operation surrounding the unconscious prince had been handled exclusively by Tractor and his men, and not once had they involved anyone from the Wild Hounds. Leo completely understood why.

The Wild Hounds had only aligned themselves with Prince Darius a day before the hit, and the takeover paperwork still hadn’t even been finalized. It made complete sense that the Wild Hounds hadn’t earned their trust yet, but suddenly being asked to take over part of the prince’s security detail now had caught him entirely off guard.

Tractor nodded, his expression settling into something more serious. "Mm, I get why you’d think that," he said, nodding his massive head. "It’s not that we don’t trust your Hounds. We just hadn’t found a job suitable for you and your people yet." He pointed directly at Leo. "But we found one."

Tractor leaned forward, his demeanor shifting from casual to deadly serious. "You’re going to the hospital today as the Prince’s friend who has just returned from a trip and only just found out about the accident."

Leo raised an eyebrow, clearly still caught off guard by the sudden assignment.

"I heard one of his personal guards already knows you. That’ll make things easier. You’re not leaving Prince Darius’s side until tomorrow. Watch him closely, and keep an eye on the visitors he receives. We have intel that whoever was behind the attack will be coming tonight to finish the job."

Leo’s expression tightened.

The Reaper’s forces clearly believed the hit-and-run had been far more than a random incident. It was a targeted assassination, backed by someone with enough power and influence to make such an attack possible. If Tractor was right, whoever ordered the hit intended to finish what they started tonight. Leo didn’t even need to ask how they obtained the intelligence. Having watched these men work since they arrived, one thing was clear: the Reaper’s forces had eyes and ears everywhere.

​"Our people at the hospital will be doing everything they can to help when needed, but their positions aren’t suitable for staying by the prince’s side throughout the night. That’s where you come in. You’re going to stay with him."

Before Leo could respond, the landline on Tractor’s desk rang. Tractor reached for it, lifting the receiver to his ear. His expression changed almost instantly. Whatever he heard on the other end wiped away any remaining lightheartedness, leaving behind a hard, focused glare.

​"You and your men have done well. Bring him in," he said into the phone before slamming the receiver down.

Tractor pushed himself to his feet, his massive frame towering over the desk. "Start getting ready, Leo. You can take your baby boy along," he said, shooting Marcus a knowing look. "You might actually need him."

With that, he strode out of the office with an urgency that immediately made Leo’s attention sharpen. Marcus watched the door swing shut behind him, then slowly turned toward Leo, his eyebrows drawing together. "Who do you think they’re bringing in that has him looking like that?"

Leo shrugged, turning his gaze toward the doorway Tractor had just exited through. "I have no idea, but if it was enough to wipe the amusement from a man like Tractor’s face, it must be someone extremely important to this case." He pushed himself up from the chair, straightening his jacket. "Come on. Let’s go get ready for the hospital."

He had barely taken two steps when Marcus stepped directly into his path. "What about the promise?" he asked, his voice dropping as he looked at Leo with sad puppy-dog eyes. The expression looked almost comical on a man who stood over six feet tall and could break a man’s collarbone without breaking a sweat.

Leo blinked at him. "What promise?"

"I can’t believe you’ve actually forgotten about it," Marcus grumbled, dragging a hand through his hair. "You promised to let me do it with you tonight, Leo," he continued, his tone laced with genuine frustration. "Now we’re being shipped off to the hospital to stand guard all night. Can’t we just do it before we go?"

Leo stared at him for a moment, letting out a breath of pure disbelief. "I can’t believe you’re thinking about that right now, given our current situation."

"Why wouldn’t I be thinking about it?" Marcus countered, looking genuinely offended. He stepped closer, closing the distance between them. "It’s been almost a month, Leo. You haven’t let me touch you once. Do you even have any idea how long that is? Ever since these Reaper guys rolled in and took over the base, you’ve been running around nonstop. I’m missing you badly. My body is literally aching for you, man. Please, just give me, let’s say, twenty minutes before we leave."

Leo looked at Marcus’s earnest, desperate expression and immediately knew he wasn’t going to let this go. Letting out a long, defeated sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck and muttered, "Fine."

Marcus immediately brightened. "Really?"

Leo rolled his eyes before stepping around him and heading toward the door. "Just follow me before I change my mind."