Flashback ( PDFDrive )

where she is or who she’s with. But since neither of those are possible
at the moment, she deserves a bodyguard who’s fearless and loyal,
someone she trusts with her life. And that’s you.”
“See?” Sophie said. “No one’s blaming you for what happened.”
“You should be!”
“But we’re not,” Sophie insisted. “So please don’t blame yourself.
And please don’t leave. You can make any other changes you want to
my security. Just . . . not that. I promise, I’ll follow any rules you want
me to. I’ll even promise I won’t sneak off without you.”
Alden huffed a small laugh. “You should take that deal, Sandor. It’s
the bargain of the century.”
“Seriously,” Grady agreed. “Can I get in on that?”
Sophie shook her head. “It’s just for Sandor—and it doesn’t apply to
any replacement bodyguards. In fact, I’ll go out of my way to make
their job impossible.”
“No, you won’t,” Sandor told her. “You’re much too smart to resort
to such reckless behavior.”
Sophie’s eyebrows shot up. “You sure about that? You’ve seen how
much time I spend with Keefe.”
“I’ll give her some pointers, too,” Tam volunteered. “I picked up lots
of tricks at Exillium.”
“And I have lots of prank elixirs,” Dex added.
“How many weeks do you think the new guard would last before
they’d run screaming back to Gildingham?” Tam wondered.
“I doubt they’d last days,” Sophie told him. “Especially if Keefe and
Ro join in the torment.”
Sandor’s sigh had a definite snarl. “I’m trying to help—can’t you see
that? You need someone with a fresh approach to your security—