Page 13 of The Veteran

We didn’t talk much as we strolled along the pavement toward the coffee shop. I didn’t want to distract Grant from his surveillance, and he seemed perfectly happy not to break the silence himself. When we arrived at the coffee shop, he ushered me inside and did a visual sweep of the room before guiding me to the counter. As we waited in line, I gazed out the glass door, keeping a wary eye on the people passing by.

The traffic was crawling, and I scanned the faces of the drivers as they passed the coffee shop. A black sedan paused as the stream of cars came to a halt—presumably because of traffic lights up ahead. I studied the driver’s profile and frowned. Something about him was familiar, but it wasn’t until he glanced out the window that I recognized him.

Richard Getty.

Everything inside me froze.

I didn’t want him to see me, but I was scared to turn my back on him in case they noticed me anyway and came in. I reached for Grant’s forearm and squeezed it to get his attention.

“They’re outside,” I said out of the corner of my mouth.

His eyes immediately flicked up and his expression told me he’d seen the same thing I had. He wrapped an arm around my waist and drew me close, burying my face against his chest. I circled my arms around him and leaned against him as though we were an overly affectionate couple.

“Don’t move,” he murmured. “They’re moving on. I don’t think they’ve seen us.”

“What are they doing here?” I whispered, my heart hammering like crazy. It couldn’t be a coincidence that they were outside this coffee shop, could it?

“I don’t know.” He released me. “They’re gone, and we need to get out of here too. Forget the coffee.”

KADE

I paced the length of my office, emotions boiling in my chest. Grant stood at attention near my desk, and Sage sat on a comfortable armchair in the corner.

“How could they possibly have found you there?” I demanded, directing the question at Grant.

“I’m not sure, sir. Perhaps they followed her from the house yesterday and have been tailing her since then.”

I grimaced and rubbed my chin, the rasp of my hand over facial hair unnaturally loud to my ears. “It’s a possibility, but that doesn’t explain how nobody noticed them.”

Surely, they weren’t that good. I’d picked up no hint of a tail yesterday, and I’d been looking.

“It could have been a coincidence,” Grant added. “We were in a public place, and it’s a busy street.”

I scoffed. “I don’t believe in coincidences that big.”

I flopped onto my chair, resisting the urge to kick something. Sage was supposed to be safe. What the hell had they even been doing in that coffee shop? Uneasiness rippled under my skin at the thought of what could have happened if she hadn’t spotted them before they’d seen her.

Damn. I was never going to be able to let her out of my sight after this. If I wanted peace of mind, I’d have to watch out for her myself on top of the guards already assigned to her. They might not appreciate my interference—it was unusual for me to take a personal interest in a case—but it was the only way to ensure her safety. To them, this was just another job, but to me, it was everything. I was the only one who’d do whatever it took to protect her.

I gritted my teeth. I should have known better than to entrust the job to someone else in the first place. Offloading responsibility had never worked well for me in the past, and I shouldn’t have let my reluctance to get close to Sage impact on my decision-making.

“Regardless of how it happened, we need to move to another safe house.” I met Grant’s eyes. “Go home and get some rest. I’ll take it from here.”

Grant paused, indecision on his face, as if he wanted to ask whether I was sure, but he wisely didn’t. A pang of guilt flashed through me. However Getty had found Sage, it was unlikely to be Grant’s fault. I should cut him some slack. But I couldn’t stop imagining what might have happened to Sage if they’d been less aware of their surroundings.

“I’ll see you later,” he said as he left.

“So, what now?” Sage asked.

I sighed. “We need to line up another safe house. In the meantime, we can get you some clothes.”

“Are you sure you have time for this?” She studied me with apprehension. “I don’t want to get in the way of your usual work. I could just head to the new safe house myself. Like I told you, I know how to fire a gun and I’m trained in krav maga.”

I gave her a look that let her know I could tell what she was doing. Seeing Getty earlier must have given her a scare, and now she was renewing her efforts to avoid having a bodyguard. I understood where her fear came from, but she needed to realize this wasn’t going to go the way she wanted it to.

“Not an option. And to answer your question, you’re not getting in the way. Keeping you safe is my number one priority.”

She looked taken aback. “But—”