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THIRTY-ONE
SEBASTIAN
“I’m also going to need you or Sergio to accompany us next week.” I had left that part out when I called Beck to help.
Faith had left us to go work on her latest creation saying that she didn’t want to waste anymore daylight. She might think this was overkill, but I didn’t care. I’d seen how she flinched when Gary asked for that photo. Faith wasn’t immune to feeling scared or worried and if a little extra muscle added an extra layer of protection, then I would move heaven and Earth to make that happen. Spend every single dollar I had.
Beck chuckled, crossing his tattooed arms from where he stood by the large bay window in my office. Poised to strike if a threat appeared.
While I was an introvert who preferred to be behind a computer screen, Beck preferred to be on the go. Always on the move. He’d never survive at a desk job and barely had the patience to sit. Like now, for instance.
Becoming a father hadn’t changed this about him. If anything, his seven-year-old made him even more dedicated to keeping others safe. The man might be a jokester, but he took his job very seriously, which was exactly what I needed from him.
Beck eyeballed me. “You failed to mention a trip.”
I held out my hands. “Did I?”
“Don’t play dumb. Where are we going and when? I’m going to need you to send all the details so I can make the appropriate arrangements. Protecting someone on their own property is one thing; protecting someone on the road is another.”
I rattled off the details I knew about Harrison Barnes. Once again, the man had changed the plan on me. Rather than his place in England, we’d meet him at a fancy wellness resort in Arizona. With a few clicks on my laptop, I sent Beck all the details.
The man grumbled, shaking his head as he scrolled through his phone. “Fucking Arizona?”
I hummed.
“I love that you failed to mention this when you rang earlier. Good thing I’m so good at my job that I can make this work. In fact, I might accompany you personally to needle you about Faith.” The man had a shit-eating smirk on his face. “So what exactly is the deal with you two anyway?”
I crossed my leg at the knee. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You bust my balls to get me to the country with no notice. You owe me an explanation and when this assignment is over, you owe me a beer.”
The man loved to bust my chops. It was so unlike my relationship with Dominic, who always pushed me to be the best version of myself whereas Beck treated me like a friend I’d known forever.
“Does Dominic know you’re fucking his little sister?”
I stood so fast I almost sent the chair careening backward. “Careful what you say about her.” I barely recognized my voice.
His eyes lit up. “You like her?”
Big fucking understatement. “Of course, I like her.”
Beck tilted his head. “It’s more than that.”
I clamped my mouth shut.
Beck slid his hands in his pockets and paced the room. “You have a woman in your house.”
“An astute observation.” And still I clenched my jaw a little tighter.
“You have Dominic’s sister in your house, and she looks at you like you hung the moon.”
Was that true?
My friend assessed me. “From that look on your face I can tell you’re skeptical, but trust me, I read people for a living and that woman is into you. As much as you’re into her.”
My throat went dry. I certainly hadn’t meant for things to go this way with Faith. Had wanted to prevent it. After keeping my distance for so long.
Her being here, in my home, felt so right. Like the space was meant for both of us. I enjoyed seeing her in the atrium, the light streaming onto her face as she painted. I loved watching her love Willow as much as I did. Even sneaking my dog out for more walks when she thought she needed to leave the house to call her friends.
