"Why?" was my profound response.
Her shoulders slumped. "I don't know. She called last night. She needs to leave New York."
My eyes narrowed.Leave New York?Denielle was obsessed with her career. It was her only positive trait—because it kept her far away from me.
"I had Makaila organize a moving company that will pack her things. Joel will pick her up tomorrow once the movers are done."
Makaila was Lilly's assistant. She started working for her a few years back, and after some intensive vetting of her background, she was deemed trustworthy enough to move freely around the McGuires. We'd learned our lesson from the past. George didn't let anyone near Lilly or her family without us knowing their preferred brand of toothpaste.
"O-kay." I forced the two syllables out and focused back on the shelf with the equipment.
"Marcus?" A hand landed on my forearm, and I glanced down at Lilly.
I held her gaze, and she chewed on her upper lip before speaking. "She is my best friend. I need to be there for her. Something isn't right."
My chest constricted as I took in the conflicting emotions flittering across her features. "I understand." I pulled the corner of my mouth up, hoping to give her some assurance.
I must've failed because she amended, "You can stay in the guesthouse. I'm not kicking you out, but I thought that might make it easier."
It would.
"Yes. I appreciate it." I drew her into a hug. "Thanks."
She returned the embrace.
It had been clear to everyone for years that I couldn't stand breathing the same air as her best friend. Despite Lilly and me never having openly discussed the reason, she knew. She took it upon herself to unearth the corpses responsible for the animosity between Denielle and me, and since she was my employer, I understood the necessity. She didn't treat me differently for it, which I appreciated.
When she pulled back, her eyes ping-ponged between mine. "We'll work on your schedule for the foreseeable future. Maybe Ethan can also help out when he's here."
"I'll be fine, Lilly. I've been around her for years. I can separate my job from—"
"That's not the point, Marcus." She switched to her mom voice, and I chuckled. "You are my friend as well, and I care about your feelings. We'll find a solution that works for everyone. She's only here until she finds a job and can move into her own place."
"Yo, Shadow. Sorry, I was—" Rhys halted in his tracks and cocked his head. "What's going on?"
Lilly faced her husband. "D is moving in with us."
I spentthe rest of that day carrying my belongings from my room to the guesthouse. It had two bedrooms, a small open-concept kitchen and living room, and one bathroom. More than I'd need, but the kitchen would make life bearable. I made sure to stock the fridge and pantry so I wouldn't have to track to the main house to scavenge for food much.
Before his shift, Ethan showed up at my door. As usual, he made himself at home before I could greet him. With a protein bar—still in its wrapper—between his teeth and a bottle of water in hand, his ass got comfortable on the couch. He spat his snack out on his lap before eyeing me up and down. "Heard I'm taking over when Keller is around."
Ethan was technically my subordinate, but that had never kept him from speaking his mind.
"Shouldn't be too often. I'll still cover my shifts," I said, sitting down opposite him. I just wouldn't hang out at the main house like I used to.
"Well, I don't mind watching her ass." Crumbs fell out of his mouth while he chewed.
"You were hired to guard the McGuires, not chase pussy. If that's too much, I can replace you," I barked. My fingers curled to fists on top of my thighs, and his eyes widened.
I wouldn't consider us close, but we had spent enough time together to joke around and evensharesome female fun. If his desired object to play"dip the dick"wasn't the one person I blamed for everything, I may have joined in. Did she deserve my wrath for the full extent of what transpired? No. But the original cause had been eliminated. She was merely second best—the one I could get to.
Ethan lifted his hands, palms toward me. "Whoa, B. I know you hate the woman, but I'm not losing my gig over some ass. You just tell me where you want me."
That was better.
I nodded. Pride kept me from admitting that my outburst was unwarranted. Ethan Cambel was a goodsoldier, one of my best. George hired him a couple of years after me. You could say our boss took in the misfits and made sure they found their place—like he did when his tragedy struck.
We put on a game and kicked back until it was Ethan's time to report for duty. All of us rotated through the day and night shifts, three blocks of eight hours. George made it clear that we needed to be able to focus whenever necessary, and that required us to adapt to random sleep schedules.