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Colt Jackson was a man who had always taken his job seriously, and due to what had been happening between the two of us, he obviously felt his professional reputation was on the line. And if it came between me and his job, he was going to pick his job, no matter how many pretty words he had whispered in my ear while we’d been in the throes of ecstasy.
There was just no way that Colt and I could have, or should have, been together.
CHAPTER 13
Colt
When my phone had buzzed in the dead of night, my first thought had been, ‘Please don’t let me have jinxed myself.’
I was happy. So happy. Happier than I could remember being in a long time. Natalie was sleeping soundly beside me, so beautiful, her face so peaceful, finally absent from the stress that had been lurking in her eyes for weeks on end.
I’d hurried reached for the phone, not wanting to disturb her.
It was so early in the morning, the sun had just started to rise. I crept out of the bedroom.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Mr. Jackson, this is your handler speaking. Report to the home office immediately. Please pack your bags. Head of security has instructed that you move out of the safehouse with Speaker Finley’s daughter immediately. A new guard is being sent there as we speak to take your place.”
“What? Why?”
“No time for questions. Just do what you’ve been told if you want to keep your job. We will answer any questions you have once you report to our headquarters.”
The phone line went dead, and the happiness I felt plummeted.
I locked myself in the bathroom, thinking.
As the minutes ticked by, I realized I didn’t have the luxury of time to waste. I would just have to report to headquarters to figure out what this was possibly about.
Deciding not to wake or worry Natalie, I quietly and quickly went to the guest bedroom, where I packed up my belongings and then made my way out of the house, waiting for the replacement guard to arrive. He showed up almost the instant I stepped foot out of the house.
“Is this the safehouse for Speaker Finley’s daughter?” he had asked as he pulled into the driveway.
I nodded. “Take care of her until I’m back.”
“Sure thing.”
And then I set off to the security headquarters, without a doubt in my mind that I would be back. Whatever issue had arisen, I would solve it and get back to Natalie before the end of the day, because there was simply no way that I would leave her.
But hours had gone by, and I remained stuck at the headquarters, wondering why on earth I was there in the first place.
“Colt Jackson.”
I’d been restless in the waiting room. I had even tried calling Speaker Finley several times, only for his phone to go straight to voicemail.
I stood, entering the room where I was to meet with my handler. A man who briefed me on any new jobs, we weren’t exactly friends. He gave orders, I followed them. It was pretty simple.
“Good afternoon, Colt,” my handler, Jared, said.
I pursed my lips for an instant, momentarily finding it difficult to return a polite greeting. I knew that the instant I opened my mouth, angry words would come out, demanding an answer for why I was so unceremoniously awoken at such a fucking ungodly hour, only to have to spend hours waiting to see him. But instead, I managed to clear my throat and remain respectful. This was, after all, the guy who gave me assignments. “Good morning,” I said.
“Please, close the door and take a seat.”
I did as I was told, positioning myself in the chair directly across from him. He leaned back in his chair, looking a little too nonchalant for my liking. I folded my hands in my lap and stared pointedly at him, eager to know what this was about. I’d been doing my job, so there was no reason for me to be here, as far as I was concerned.
“So, how’s it going, Colt?” he asked. Jared was a middle-aged man, vibrant and in good shape. He was ex FBI and he always managed to speak in a friendly tone, even during the most trying of times. This had always been a trait I admired about him—until now. I could tell that something unpleasant was on the way, and I didn’t appreciate the false pleasantries he was attempting to show at me. I wanted him to get to the point and stop wasting my time.
“Pretty good,” I said, deciding to keep my answers short and to the point in order to not prolong things.
