2
WES’ POV
What is that?I wondered as I cocked my head to one side, examining the painting even more intently. I wasn’t wondering what it was, it was obviously a beautifully painted landscape. No, I was wondering what it was that had me so intrigued by it. All the paintings in this fancy-ass Manhattan home actually; well, all the ones with the same signature. Renee Vaughn. Something about her paintings in particular spoke to me. I wasn’t normally an art guy, but these paintings…there was just something striking about them. The landscapes, the portraits, the abstract nature pictures.
“Fucking hell. That was just…” I almost jumped as Toby and Lucky joined me by the dining room, anger surging between them. A red, burning energy that harshed my buzz and seemed to come from nowhere.
“Well, there is nothing we can do at the moment,” Lucky reminded Toby. “We just have to wait. Mr. Vaughn wants to deal with this himself.”
“I know, but he should have let me get my hands on him…”
I parted my lips, about to ask the guys what the hell was going on, but I decided against it at the last moment. That would be the match that sparked this flame and set the rage alight. Fuck it, whatever it was would come out soon enough. It was probably best that we didn’t have this conversation right here, right now where we could be overheard by our new employer. After all, this was definitely an employer we needed to impress and keep on board for the future of RedEye Security. If I couldn’t work out that this was a rich client from this fancy home, I would know it from the fact that Vince Vaughn had paid enough to have Stark himself work in the security detail. Stark might have worked on the security side of things when he first left the military and started RedEye, but that was a long time ago. He was more behind the desk these days, managing what was going on. I honestly did not think Stark would ever find himself out in the field again, but here he was…because of the paycheck. The big, beefy paycheck coming his way.
So, arguing, debating, and sparking anger would not go well. I didn’t want to give Stark any reason to kick my ass. Toby needed to remember that he didn’t want to get his hands on anyone either because Stark would not like that. We didn’t do that shit. Ever.
If Toby and Lucky wanted to stew in anger and annoyance, pacing up and down the dining room, muttering under their breath, then I was going to leave them to it. I was going to focus on the painting in front of me once more. Study the colors and the complicated brush strokes a little longer. They made me happy and allowed me to get the hell away from the negative energy coming from the other two.
“What the fuck is happening here?” Ah, here he was. Stark, not looking happy. “What was all that racket about?”
I glanced between Toby and Lucky, wondering which one of them was going to crack first.
“We just saw that rich boy behaving like a predator.” No surprise, it was Toby. “I am certain his bride to be didn’t want to be mauled in the library like that. I’ve never seen anyone look so relieved when we put an end to it.”
“We didn’t do anything,” Lucky reassured Stark before our boss could snap. “We just called out to him and put a halt to things before it got out of hand. He did seem a little…”
Stark clucked his tongue with annoyance. “I hope you guys didn’t get in the middle of something you had no idea about. We can’t do anything to alienate these people.”
I narrowed my eyes at Toby, studying him. For some reason, there was a new nervous energy about him. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but the nerves dancing behind his eyes had me on edge. I’d never seen Stark make him anxious before, so what was it? I wanted to ask him, to try to dig deeper into this, but it didn’t feel like the time or place. I’d have to hold on to that and ask him later.
“Fucking asshole.” All our heads whipped around at the same time to see who I could only assume was the predator Toby had described. He had a burning redness in his cheeks and a wildness in his eyes. “Fucking Vaughn. Who does he think…?”
His words trailed off the moment he spotted all four of us staring back at him. Yep, this was a wealthy daddy’s boy for sure. The sort of spoiled brat who hadn’t ever had to do anything for himself. I’d seen plenty of those in my time and I’d never gotten along with any of them. But military discipline meant I didn’t need to feel all of my feelings in a way that the public could see. I could hide my disgust, no problem. This guy didn’t have any of that discipline. Every feeling he experienced crossed his face in a heartbeat. He went through a range of feelings before he finally decided that instead of trying to face us all, he would storm off like a little baby, pausing just long enough to sneer with an obvious “I think I’m better than you” attitude. It was a little bit funny, but if Stark wasn’t laughing, I wouldn’t either.
“That him?” Stark asked Lucky, who nodded in confirmation. “Well, like him or not, it doesn’t matter. We aren’t here to protect him or really have much to do with him. Mr. Vaughn wants us to look out for his daughter, Renee.”
Renee Vaughn!The artist of the paintings which gripped me was the daughter of the man who’d hired us, the woman we were here to protect. That was interesting.
“Stark?” A voice ricocheted through the hallways, stiffening us all. We stood to attention, waiting for the next round of instructions, almost as if we were all military men still. “Can you and your men come here, please?”
Stark shot us all warning looks, including me, even though I hadn’t done a thing. It took every ounce of strength I had not to roll my eyes. Stark wasn’t trying to be an asshole, he was just trying to be formal and get the job done.
We headed into the library, one by one, where finally I laid my eyes on the powerful presence that was the infamous oil tycoon Vince Vaughn, and then his daughter, the painter. Renee Vaughn.
Whoa.She was almost as intriguing as her paintings. Petite, with a heart-shaped face highlighted by her ashy blonde hair scraped back in to a bun. Plump red lips with bright blue innocent looking eyes, and a smile so sweet it made my heart melt. With her hands folded in her lap and her conservative looking clothing, I could see what had Toby so convinced she didn’t want to be mauled by that slimy dirt bag. She looked too sweet and innocent for that, too prim and proper, too shy. Not that I should judge either book by their covers, of course.
“It is nice to meet you all face to face,” Vince began, looking at me, Toby, and Lucky. He had already had many dealings with Stark before we arrived. “I am sure you already know by now that lovely Renee is my youngest child and my only daughter.” He walked behind Renee and rested his hands protectively on her shoulders. “And I want to make sure she is protected. We all have a lot going on at the moment, including Renee, and I want to ensure she is cared for at all times. That is why I have hired you…”
I started to tune Vince out a little because I was so focused on Renee, on her piercing blue eyes that told a brand new story. Much as she was smiling calmly on the surface, I could sense something troubling her within. She didn’t seem like the sort of confident rich New York socialite that we had been hired to protect in the past. The sort of woman who loved to be photographed and seen at every party with any celebrity she could get her hands on. No, Renee Vaughn didn’t seem like that at all. She was endearing to me, and I wanted to know more about her already. Normally, I kept a respectable professional distance, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to here. Even just looking at Renee pulled me closer to her. It was weird and a feeling I had never experienced before.