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Hayden
My head pounded. I loved my work as a bodyguard, but there were days when the less fun parts of it got to me.
Funny enough, most people would think I meant the part where I had to put myself in danger for someone else. They figured the worst part of the job was taking a bullet or blade meant for a client.
That wasn’t it, though. I was fine with those, wore the scars I’d collected with pride.
Instead, it was the administrative crap I loathed. The way to break a man wasn’t through torture or pain, but through tax forms and bureaucracy. To that end, I’d spent most of the day dealing with such problems.
I’d handed over the majority of the work to a business manager, Laurie, but given the delicate nature of our work, some things still fell to me. We had clients who required strict nondisclosures, who refused to deal with anyone except me. We had clients we’d worked with for years who hated change, who felt as if I were their personal beck-and-call boy for any little problem they had. The business manager did his job well, but I’d built this company from nothing, so some things only I really understood.
“Administrative day?” Vance handed me a large can of sweet tea.
“How can you tell?” I nodded in thanks and pulled the tab to open the drink.
“About once every two months or so you get that same look on your face. It’s your ‘I had to kiss ass and do paperwork’ face.”
“And here I thought I hid it so well.” I tipped the can back and took three large swigs of the drink. I avoided sugar best I could—I knew it wasn’t good for me—but days like this called for an exception.
“Not really. You’re a lot easier to read than you think.”
“Really?” I huffed, annoyed at the idea of me being so bad at anything. “Most people say that when I’m on the job, they can’t read me at all.”
“Sure, when you’re in bodyguard mode, but the rest of the time? Nope. You might as well scream out whatever is on your mind.” Vance turned his gaze toward the house, then smirked. “Especially when it comes toher.”
I wanted to smack my palm against the back of his head like a parent scolding a child pushing their luck too far, but I had a feeling doing that would only prove his point.
So instead, I took another drink of the tea.
“I really hate the administrative stuff,” I admitted, “but I keep thinking about how this might be the last time I do it.”
He didn’t respond by telling me I was wrong—he knew better than that.
We’d gone into this knowing it would be the end. No one could touch a man like Lorien and expect to come out the other side unscathed. Instead, we were all prepared to throw away our futures to make our past right.
“Do you know what my last painting was?” Vance’s voice was soft, and he didn’t wait for my answer. “Two days before I went to that hotel, I painted this large picture of wildflowers. There were so many of them and my hand ached so bad by the end of the night after sketching them all. I’d worked for hours, my back sore, my neck tight, and even still, I’d only gotten maybe a third of them colored in. I remember so clearly outlining each one, picking the color, seeing the canvas come alive. I was thinking yesterday about how it’ll never get finished. That’s the last piece of work to my name and it’ll always be half done like that.”
I stared up at the sky, wishing that instead of the tea we had a couple beers. It seemed that sort of night, when alcohol could loosen tongues and the tightness in a man’s chest from things they couldn’t control.
“I have to go home tomorrow,” Vance said.
“That time already?” I fought the desire to laugh at Vance’s voice, as though he were getting sent to the gallows rather than a family dinner at the sort of home called an estate.
“No, normally I’d get another few months, but it seems my parents saw the interview.”
“You had to know that might happen.”
“Sure, but I’d hoped this would be over before I had to pay the piper.” He flashed me a smile that reminded me of just how young he actually was. Hell, there were times I realized they wereallso much younger than me. Sometimes I felt more like a babysitter than a colleague.
“You can’t put it off just a bit longer?”
“I would if I could, but I’ve learned my lesson. I can get away with refusing exactly three invites before my parents start getting antsy. When that happens, well, Taylor shows up.”
“Taylor.” Even I shuddered as I recalled the last time the Moore family guard dog had shown up to escort the ‘young master’back after Vance had ignored too many calls. The last thing I wanted was him in our space ever again. He was too smart, too shrewd. “Yeah, I’d appreciate it if you could keep him from stopping by again. I don’t think Kenz would be thrilled with his questions, either.”
I thought about Kenz facing off against Taylor, but the moment I did, I couldn’t stop my chuckle. Kenz would have to look up and into the tall, stern man’s face, but I had a feeling she wouldn’t wilt at all. The more time I spent with her, the more I understood just how special she really was. She’d have easily faced off against him without any fear.
