Defiance (The Protectors #9)(41)

Vincent’s jaw ticked a few times and then he lowered the weapon. “You get five minutes with me while I explain the perimeter’s security, and you can wait out here until Everett is ready to leave. But you will not come armed into my house, and I will not be showing you the interior security.”

Agent Nash held Vincent’s gaze a moment before nodding. Everett was noticeably quiet, and I couldn’t help but think that he seemed lost in thought as his eyes followed Agent Nash as he walked through the gate towards Vincent. I fully expected Vincent to comment on the fact that the man was still armed, since I could see a pistol sticking out from beneath his jacket in some kind of shoulder holster, but Vincent remained silent. I guessed Agent Nash to be a few years older than me. His hair was coal black and his skin had a slightly olive tone to it. Italian heritage maybe. He was almost as tall as Vincent and had a similar build, but whereas Vincent had a certain hardness about him, Agent Nash seemed stiffer. Like he was always on point.

Everett stopped by my side as we watched the men begin walking along the fence line. I noticed that Vincent kept his finger near the trigger of the rifle and while he wasn’t holding it on Agent Nash, it wasn’t exactly in a non-threatening position either.

“What happened to him?” I murmured before looking at Everett. I’d initially thought Vincent’s reaction had been about Agent Nash being a federal agent, but I’d quickly realized the real issue – the only issue – had been that the agent had been unwilling to put his weapons away.

Everett patted my back and said, “Would you believe he’s actually come a long way?” There was no humor in Everett’s voice as he spoke, though, and I knew he too must have been rattled by the encounter. Though he didn’t seem overly surprised by it…at least not by Vincent’s reaction. Now Agent Nash’s reaction…

As I followed Everett back into the house, I had to wonder if Agent Nash would still have a job come tomorrow…assuming he and Vincent even made it back to the house in one piece.





Chapter 14





Vincent





“You sure do know how to throw a dinner party, Vincent St. James.”

I looked up to see Nathan standing above me, two glasses of whiskey in hand. He handed one to me where I was sitting on the steps leading down the porch and into the backyard. Dusk was just starting to fall, so Mickey was chasing fireflies all around the grass while Minnie had taken up residence on a lounger by the patio door. We’d said our good nights to Everett twenty minutes earlier, but when I’d started helping Nathan clean up the kitchen, he’d waved me off with a comment about the cook not being on dish duty. I’d retreated to the patio to nurse the rest of my beer as I’d considered my behavior earlier in the evening.

And the fact that Nathan had been privy to all of it.

I knew my reaction had been over the top when Agent Nash had blatantly refused to follow my rule about not bringing any weapons into my house. I’d gotten used to Grady and Everett’s other long-time agents following the rule without question. But I begrudgingly had to admit, Agent Nash had had a good point. If the roles had been reversed and I’d been charged with protecting Everett, nothing and no one would have gotten between me and that duty. I hadn’t actually told the man that, but I’d allowed him more than the allotted five minutes when he’d asked in-depth questions about the security measures I’d taken to protect my property. Luckily, he hadn’t asked me why I’d gone to such lengths. Once we’d returned to the front of the house, I’d helped him change his tire, though I hadn’t invited him to join us for dinner. I still wasn’t sure enough about the guy to risk having him in my house. And he’d seemed just as content to remain outside.

Everett had been quieter than usual after the encounter. If we’d been alone, I would have tried to figure out why. I’d thought maybe he was just thrown by how bluntly Agent Nash had spoken to him, but he’d seemed more and more distracted as the night wore on…restless, too. Yeah, he’d interacted with Nathan and they’d rambled on about all sorts of political happenings, but I’d tuned out that conversation and had just focused on my friend. There’d been no explanation for the sadness I’d seen lingering in his eyes. Yes, it was something he always carried with him, but he was usually better at hiding it, especially after all these years.

“Yeah,” I murmured.

“Take a walk with me.” His words caught me off guard and I looked up at him. “Come on, I need to walk off dinner. I don’t remember the last time I’ve eaten this well.”

“It’s not safe to leave the grounds after dark,” I automatically said.

“We won’t,” Nathan responded. “You’ve got this gorgeous backyard, Vincent. Come show me around it.”

I nodded and climbed to my feet. I’d left myself a couple of acres on the inside of the fence and had had it professionally landscaped to include a small creek that fed into a larger pond in one corner of the yard. So it didn’t surprise me when Nathan headed in that direction. I fell into step next to him and tried to ignore how damn good he smelled.

“Vincent, I need you to stay calm,” Nathan said in a hushed voice.

“What? Why?” I asked. I immediately began scanning the property for some kind of threat and automatically reached for the gun in my ankle holster.