Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 111086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
“Don’t do this, Vincent,” Shaw said.
Vincent ignored him and went to the trunk of his car. He placed a large black duffel bag in it before slamming it closed. I could hear Shaw’s muffled voice as he seemed to be pleading with Vincent. But it wasn’t until Vincent turned and began striding toward me that I stiffened. I hadn’t removed my firearm, so I was fully expecting the man to go to battle with me over it. But his eyes only briefly strayed to my gun where it was resting in a holster under my jacket.
“I need you to watch them both while I’m gone,” Vincent said. It wasn’t a request. The man’s jaw was tight.
“Them?” I asked.
“I’ve asked Everett to hang around for a bit. Nathan is still asleep.”
A sudden awareness went through me when Vincent said Nathan’s name. There was a slight tick in his jaw, but it was his eyes that gave him away.
They softened just the littlest bit.
God, were he and Nathan…?
“If I’m not back by tonight, take Nathan with you back to Everett’s house. Don’t let him leave. Under any circumstances.”
I should have bristled at the way the man was ordering me around, but I was caught up in the edge of fear I heard in his voice.
Yeah, he definitely had feelings for Nathan.
Was scared for him.
An unexpected shard of pity for Vincent went through me and I found myself nodding before I could think better of it.
Vincent turned to walk away, then paused and said, “You can go inside. Keep your gun with you.”
He didn’t wait for me to respond. He just hurried back to his car and climbed into it, barely sparing Shaw a glance. The engine roared to life and then the car was tearing out of the driveway. Shaw’s worried eyes met mine, but he remained silent. I wanted to ask what the hell was going on, but had the sense not to.
The agent in me didn’t want to know.
Once inside, Shaw got to work making breakfast after finding a black apron in a drawer near the stove. I stationed myself in the hallway between the kitchen and the front door. Less than thirty minutes later, I heard footsteps on the staircase. A mussed-looking Nathan appeared in the door.
No, not mussed.
Well-loved.
I knew I was likely reaching, but my suspicions that there was something going on between Vincent and Nathan were confirmed when I saw Nathan’s face fall at the sight of Shaw. He managed to recover long enough to exchange pleasantries with Shaw, but it abruptly ended when he spied the two place settings on the table.
“Where is he?” Nathan asked.
Shaw’s gaze connected with Nathan’s. “He had some things to do this morning and asked me to stop by and keep you company.” His eyes landed on me and then Nathan’s gaze did the same.
Well, not on me, exactly.
But my gun, which was visible beneath my jacket.
“Where is he?” Nathan repeated, his voice going a tad higher.
“I don’t know,” Shaw said tiredly, then he was turning off the stove and getting the coffee pot.
Because my eyes were on Nathan, I only half-listened as Shaw explained that Nathan would be coming with us if Vincent didn’t return by nightfall. I couldn’t see his face, but I didn’t really need to, since the tension in his body gave him away.
He was fucking terrified.
For Vincent.
I tried not to feel sorry for the man, because I could have told him that no good came of tying yourself to one person the way he’d so clearly tied himself to the mysterious Vincent, but I couldn’t deny the pity that I felt.
Or the little spark of envy that went along with it.
I shoved the errant emotion aside and trained my eyes on the small set of monitors along the wall that gave me a picture of what was happening outside. But when I heard a crunching sound, I turned and watched in disbelief as Nathan used a mug to destroy the watch he’d been wearing.
Vincent had explained the importance of the watch that was exactly like the one Shaw wore. It was no ordinary wristwatch. No, it was its own tracking device, and destroying it was so much more than Nathan letting out his rage.
Predictably, Shaw’s phone started ringing about two minutes later, but instead of answering it, he turned it off. I watched in shock as Nathan and Shaw casually chatted as they sat down at the table, plates of food in hand.
“Nash?”
I jerked to attention at Nathan’s voice. “What?” I asked stupidly. I could hear Shaw’s phone vibrating, but he didn’t answer it.
“Would you like to join us?” He motioned to the table.
“No, thank you,” I said as I took in Shaw’s expression as Nathan extended the offer. I knew for a fact that Grady had often shared a meal with Shaw, but it wasn’t an invitation the man had ever extended to me.