The husky guard shifted on his feet, skin paling with the warning. “Understood, sir. It won’t happen again.”
“I would hope not. This,” Sebastian said leaning back in his seat and gesturing beside him, “is my fiancée, Taylor. Safeguarding her and securing the house in my absence is your main priority. Nothing else matters. Consider yourself her personal bodyguard. It’s your ass on the line if any harm comes to her. That means as much as a single hair on her head. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir. Crystal. It’s nice to meet you, Ma’am,” he said, flashing a courteous smile.
“I will brief you and the rest of the team on my expectations later.”
“We’re looking forward to it, sir.”
Sebastian scoffed beneath his breath. “We will see.”
“One last thing, Agent Baas. A man and woman arrived earlier and are waiting inside, a Mr. Josh Reevers and Ms. Monique Dupree. Mr. Reevers is the one who hired me.”
He forced a tight nod. “That would be my partner and my sister.”
“I hope that’s okay, sir.”
“It’s fine, Rupert. Thank you.”
After rolling the window up, Sebastian turned to Taylor with a slight roll of his eyes and hit the button for the garage door. “He’s a talkative one.”
She turned in her seat, worry clouding her face and darkening her studious gaze. “What happened to Henderson?”
Sebastian stiffened. He had known that one was coming. Sighing, he guided the car in the garage, killed the motor, and shut the door. He took her hand and kissed the tip of her fingers, his eyes searching hers in the darkened space.
“Henderson didn’t make it, baby. I’m sorry. We only have so many people on our medical staff. The doctors were busy tending to you and the surgical team was scrambling to keep Dominic from bleeding out.”
A sob welled in her chest. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to cry. It’s just…he saved my life.”
He expelled a dry huff. “No, Taylor. He almost cost you your life. If security had done their job properly, none of this would have happened. At the very least, headquarters or the police would have been called and they could have a put a stop to things. That kind of lax performance is not something that will happen again. I promise you that much.”
“You don’t know what it was like,” she whispered. “You have no idea what they went through.”
His jaw tightened at the accusation, but she was right. He didn’t know. Letting his head fall back, he stared at the seam where the windshield joined the roof and fought to keep his temper under control. The faint smell of gasoline and motor oil hung in the air.
“No, Taylor,” he said softly. “I wasn’t there. I have no way of knowing what really happened that night, but even if he had given it his all, there was no way SKALS was going to waste their resources to save a man who meant nothing to them. Their hands were full enough as it was. He died a hero and for a worthy cause, Taylor. Leave it at that.”
“I mean nothing to them either.”
He shook his head and kissed the top of her hand. “Maybe not, but you mean everything to me. They owed me, Taylor, and after everything that happened, they owed us. The fact that you are still alive is the only reason Marx is still breathing, and he knows it. I don’t know what I would do if I ever lost you, baby. That was the worst night of my life. I was crazed and out of my mind with grief. You need to know I only said those things to Laychee to keep you alive and buy us more time, Taylor. You have no idea how much it killed me to say those things and pretend I didn’t care. I love you so damn much. I would have done anything to make them stop, but if I would have given them those passwords, we’d both be dead. Us and who knows how many innocent people. Even if they hadn’t offed us, if we told them those passwords, Marx would have. I was protecting you and our country. You have to believe that.”
She hung her head and nodded. Her quiet sniffle filled the car. “I know. It just hurt to hear it, and it killed me when I thought I would never get to see you again.”
He swallowed against the thick knot wedged in his throat. Reaching up, he threaded his fingers through her hair and gently rubbed the back of her scalp. “I know, baby,” he murmured, drawing her close and resting his forehead against hers. “I know.”
Remembering Josh and his sister were waiting inside, he fought to rein his emotions in and get them back under control. Whatever happened, whatever sights he saw, he had to stay strong. Not just for his sake, but for Taylor’s. Tipping her chin up, he ran his thumb over the soft swell of her lips and pressed a light kiss against them.
“We will finish this conversation later,” he whispered with a begrudging sigh. “Let’s just get this over with. One hurdle at a time, darling.”
She leaned into his touch. “I’m too tired to run a race, let alone leap over anything.”
Sebastian forced a smile and unhooked her seat belt. “That’s what you have me for, baby. Just say the word and I’ll carry you. Regardless, we are going to get through this together. I promise.”
His mind spun as he got out and walked around the front of the car to open Taylor’s door. They’d been through so much lately. There had been more downs than ups. That truth flooded him with shame. It certainly wasn’t the life he’d envisioned giving her, nor the life he had promised. Laychee was no longer a threat, but as much as he wanted to, Sebastian wasn’t foolish enough to believe it was the last storm they would weather. Clouds and trouble always brewed on the horizon.
He steeled his jaw and clung to determination. This time, he would be waiting, and he would cut that trouble off at the pass. Compassion was no longer an option.
Kissing Taylor’s temple, he pulled her close and led her inside. A pleasant heat engulfed them the moment they stepped through the doors, rather than the brisk early spring chill he’d been expecting. When they wandered into the kitchen, he could see why.
Someone had replaced the sliding glass doors and windows that had been blown out in the fray. In fact, as far as he could see, the house was spotless. No broken glass or dishes littered the floor. There were no signs of blood or struggle anywhere. The only things out of place in the familiar surroundings were the huge Welcome Home banner draped across the fireplace wall and the hesitant faces of his partner and sister as they stood poised side-by-side in the great room.
Taylor sagged against his side. Squeezing her tighter, he released a slow exhale and allowed the first twinge of relief to sweep through his veins. It was a brief, momentary victory.
“Welcome home,” Monique said. Stepping out of the protective circle of Josh’s arm, his sister smoothed her light green sweater dress and walked across the room to join them. She greeted him with a gentle hug before turning to bestow the same on Taylor. Pity darkened her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and forced a tremulous smile. “I’m so glad you’re back,” she murmured. “Both of you. How are you feeling?”
“Tired,” Sebastian admitted.
His bewildered stare roamed past her to take in his surroundings one more time. Worry lined her face as Monique searched his, trying to gauge his reaction.
“I figured you might be, so I whipped up a week’s worth of food and stuck it in the freezer. It’s nothing special, just some casseroles, lasagna, and stir-fries. That way, if you want, all you have to do is heat and eat.”
Sebastian nodded and reached up to tuck a lock of honeyed hair behind her ear. “Thank you,” he said softly. “You didn’t have to do that. We would have managed.”
“I know you could have, but that’s not the point. You’re not a fan of eating out, and it’s no big deal. I wanted to help you guys out and make your transition as easy as possible. I was worried about you,” she admitted. “Both of you.”
“Quit fawning and let them breathe already, Mo,” Josh teased. He approached and offered Sebastian a nod before dropping a quick wink in Taylor’s direction. “All sappy shit aside, it really is good to have the two of you back. I hope you don’t mind th
e ambush.”
“I can’t believe you guys did all of this,” Taylor murmured, glancing around. “Thank you so much.”
Josh brushed her off with a dismissive wave of his hand. “It was nothing, kiddo.”
“No.” Sebastian shook his head. “This was a lot more than nothing, Josh.”
“Don’t go getting all sentimental on me, Baas.”
Taylor’s sniffle drew Sebastian’s attention. Some of his worry faded as he watched her hug his sister. The quiet words she spoke were lost on him. Frowning, his gaze darted to Josh. His partner offered a noncommittal shrug and thrust his hands into his front pockets.