Chapter 1137

Riley looked at her and, for a fleeting moment, was transported back ten years—back to when Hazel had been a round-faced little girl who followed him around with sticky hands and wide eyes. Without thinking, his calloused palm reached out and ruffled her hair, the corners of his stern face softening with rare tenderness. "Don’t worry," he said, his voice gruff but comforting. "Rocco and Tyson are already on their way. Fatty should be showing up any second now. And Gerardo, Lester, and Philip—they all know where we are. If things get messy, we won’t be outnumbered." Hazel nodded, her gaze drifting instinctively toward the window. “Brother should be arriving soon,” she murmured. “Or maybe he’s already slipped in without me noticing.” Riley’s expression shifted. Though he didn’t say much, his usually stoic eyes grew gentle. “Hazel,” he said, using her name in a tone that was unusually soft, “your job is to take good care of the young master. Let me and the others handle everything else.”