AN OLDER woman came bustling into the kitchen just as Gray was sliding an omelet onto Seb’s plate. She paused in shock, and Seb grinned. “Morning, Mom.” Gray watched as her face lit up. This must be Ella Pickering, the housekeeper who had worked for the family for over twenty years. She was a divorcée, no children, and obviously meant a great deal to Seb, judging from the kiss he placed on her cheek as she bent down to smooth his hair.
“You’re eating,” she said in approval and looked at Gray expectantly. Gray put the pan back on the hob and held out his hand.
“Gray Darling, ma’am. I’m Seb’s new protection detail.” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she took his offered hand. Gray sighed silently. Why did everyone react this way when he said he was here to keep Seb safe? You would think they would be pleased.
“Do you work for Andrew?” she asked immediately.
Ahh, so that’s maybe why. Maybe Derwent wasn’t popular with her either. Gray let go of her hand and shook his head. “No, ma’am. I work for Rawlings Security, and I am in charge of Seb’s safety, not Derwent.”
She glanced back at Seb, who must have decided the omelet smelled really good and was shoveling it in. Gray felt a moment of satisfaction. Fresh air and exercise were good for the appetite. Seb nodded at her inquiring look.
Gray turned to the stove and poured the rest of the omelet mixture into the pan. “Would you like an omelet?” he asked and gestured to the pan. “I’ll be out of your way in a few minutes.”
She stepped closer and waved to the chair next to Seb. “Sit down,” she said and took the spatula from Gray’s hand and proceeded to add the ingredients he had put out. She turned with a cautious smile. “A little cheese or a lot?”
“I should have a little, but….”
She chuckled and added extra cheese, then folded it and let it cook for a few moments. She watched in approval as Seb ate his omelet and then slid Gray’s onto a plate and set it down in front of him. “Do either of you want any toast?”
Seb shook his head as his mouth was full, then swallowed and batted his eyes. “Coffee?”
She rolled her eyes, then went to work the coffee maker. Gray stayed silent, completely charmed at the interaction between the two. Mrs. Pickering poured some juice and some coffee, and came and sat down next to them. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
Seb leaned back and sipped his juice. “Not bad. A little tired, but no dizziness.” Gray watched, pleased. Seb looked more relaxed than he had been yesterday, and there was still a flush of pink on his cheeks from the cold outside.
“So, Mr. Darling, how are you going to keep my boy safe?”
Gray swallowed his last mouthful. “I am having some technicians come this morning to install video cameras to the outside, and we are reviewing security for the house as a whole.” She stayed quiet as if waiting for something. Whatever he had said so far didn’t seem to have impressed her. “And I stay with him at all times,” Gray added and watched her take a settling breath. Her blue eyes roved over him.
“Good.” She nodded in apparent satisfaction. Gray got up from the table and rinsed his plate, watching Seb glance down at his own in surprise. He was willing to bet Seb was shocked he had finished it. He blinked just as Gray whipped the plate away and rinsed it.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Gray’s eyes fell to Seb’s hand that was patting his belly. He didn’t need to worry about any extra weight. Despite him not seeming to do any exercise—which Gray was changing—Seb’s body was firm and toned. Discomfort slid over Gray. He had no business noticing Seb’s body. Seb was a client, to say nothing of the twenty years between them. Okay—he qualified to himself—not quite twenty, but his own nearly thirty-eight years were a lot more than Seb’s twenty, and some days he felt every one of them.
“Now, shoo, both of you. I have bread to make.” Mrs. Pickering stood up and smiled at them, then turned to Gray. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Anyone who can get my boy to eat is welcome in my kitchen.” She gestured to the corner where the coffee machine stood. “I keep a pot on all the time. There’s cookies in the tin underneath.”
Seb touched Gray’s arm to get him to look at him as they walked out and headed back to his room. “She likes you,” he said.
“How do you know?” Gray looked at the closed kitchen door.
Seb laughed, and Gray watched in fascination. The sound bubbled out of him, and Gray desperately wished Seb could hear himself. “She told you where the cookies are.” Gray’s eyes lingered on Seb’s a fraction too long, and he looked away quickly.
UNFORTUNATELY THE rest of the day wasn’t going to be as simple as getting Seb to relax and eat something. Derwent was a prize dick, and Gray had no idea why Armitage employed the guy. Gray had spoken to Fielding and sent her to get some sleep, and long-term he knew Armitage would have to change things. There were a lot of tech options available, and he was surprised with what Armitage manufactured himself, the house wasn’t full of it. Innes was a complete waste of time. Had never worked in security. His weapons experience was going hunting with his father. He didn’t even have any sort of combat training, and when Gray finished his shower and came down to see Derwent, he caught Innes with his earbuds in, which caused Gray to lose his temper and go straight to Armitage.
Armitage was in his study with Keswick. Gray had fifteen minutes before Danny and the team showed, and he needed some answers. They both looked up as he knocked and then entered. “Mr. Darling,” Armitage greeted him.
“Sir,” Gray acknowledged respectfully and quickly ran through the changes he wanted to implement this morning and expressed his doubts on Innes.
“You really think it’s necessary to have toughened glass?”
Gray noted he had avoided the question on their personnel. “My only concern is the two floor-length windows in Seb’s bedroom. They have no reinforcement whatsoever. I realize bulletproof is expensive and there are all sorts of grades of bullet-resistant.”
“Why do you think it’s necessary?” Keswick asked.
“Because you brought us in,” Gray replied immediately. “If you didn’t think there was a threat, you wouldn’t have bothered. Rawlings will have explained to you that a risk assessment and a home evaluation is our first priority.”
Armitage leaned back, and gazed at Gray. “You’re right of course, but I would be happier if the police had something more substantial on Monsieur Dubois’s attack.”
“The detectives want to visit this afternoon and reinterview Sebastian,” Keswick added.
Gray just bet they did. “The most important factor apart from the windows is video surveillance. If we can establish that, the need for manpower is reduced long-term. There are alarms you can install to warn of intruders.”
“The property is alarmed,” Armitage pointed out.
“But not the grounds,” Gray countered. “Again, there are different financial options—”
Armitage waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t care. I will not put a price on keeping Sebastian safe.”
Gray took a breath. “He intends to go to Arron Smith’s funeral, sir.”
Armitage slammed his pen down. “For goodness’ sake, doesn’t he realize how inappropriate that would be?”
Gray kept silent. He had a feeling it was a rhetorical question. Armitage looked at Keswick. “I don’t want my son associating with this. If the press find out—”
Gray frowned. “Does the press even have this on their radar, sir?” It wasn’t like Armitage owned Amazon or something. He wasn’t a celebrity, and he wasn’t recognizable. Just one more business millionaire among many.
Keswick shook his head. “I doubt it. I doubt many even know of Seb’s existence, even though there is an enhanced law enforcement team in Florida making the headlines at the moment.” He turned to Armitage. “The funeral isn’t until next week at the earliest. The police may have more news by then.” Gray nodded. He meant Seb’s enhanced status might draw attention to him; Gray had meant his wealth.
“I don’t want anything upsetting him,” Armitage spat out. “We have barely eleven days to the next surgery.”
Gray stilled. Surgery? He glanced at Keswick, who noticed his inquiring gaze. “Sebastian is due to be fitted with new implants in eleven days.”
Armitage rubbed his hands. “And we are expecting a complete success.”
Gray didn’t react. What the father and son chose to do wasn’t any of his business, he told himself. He didn’t even know if he would still be here then. Rawlings didn’t do long-term protection. He’d found a niche in the market either setting clients up with suitable systems and guards, or providing short-term or emergency cover. All of that had always suited Gray. He didn’t want to spend a long time with one client. He’d seen long-term bodyguards reduced to “buddyguards”—running errands and standing in shopping malls holding a dozen bags like some clothes horse—and neither he nor Rawlings were going to let that happen.
“With your permission, I’ll bring in some more of our team to accompany us to the funeral if it happens.”
Armitage gave a put-upon sigh and waved his hand. “Let’s not rush to a decision. Sebastian changes his mind an awful lot.”
Armitage intimated it was a character trait, but to be fair, Seb was only twenty. Most kids that age didn’t know their own mind.
He’s not a kid. Gray clamped down the thought, wondering why it had occurred to him. Seb’s age made no difference at all.
“DANNY,” GRAY nodded a greeting as Rawlings’s tech “machine” stepped through the door. He immediately bent down to greet Sadie, Danny’s Labrador-cross-fucking-space-alien, for all they knew.
“You’re not supposed to do that when she’s working.” Danny rolled his eyes.
“Bite me,” Gray countered.
“Not on the first date,” Danny shot back.
Gray belatedly remembered Seb was behind him and stood, gesturing. “Seb, meet Danny and Sadie.”
Gray knew Seb wouldn’t have missed the red vest or the therapy dog tag that Sadie wore. He belatedly wondered if he should have mentioned it, but Seb surprised them both.
“Oh,” he said, the excitement evident in his voice. “Am I allowed to pet her?”
“Absolutely,” Danny said, making sure he looked at Seb as he answered. Gray gave his friend a silent thank-you.
“She’s gorgeous,” Seb declared as he sank to his knees and suddenly had his arms full of excited dog.
Danny arched an eyebrow at Gray. Sadie was known to be picky when meeting new humans and very defensive where Danny was concerned. She hadn’t come the normal route as a therapy dog. To be honest she shouldn’t even be one at all, but when Gray and Danny had found her half-starved and injured on the streets of Kabul and she had limped valiantly after them, it had been a foregone conclusion that their team would adopt her. The only way Danny had been able to keep her was with the efforts of the charity No Dog Gets Left Behind. It was a simple decision but an incredibly expensive one.
And Gray wasn’t ever going to even admit how much it had personally cost him to ensure Sadie and Danny stayed together. Danny was one of his. Making sure he kept Sadie was the least he could do. He owed Danny that. Fuck, he owed him more than that.
Gray shoved the memories aside and focused on the dog, which was currently trying to sit on Seb’s lap.
“I’m surprised he doesn’t have one of his own,” Danny murmured.
Gray paid immediate attention. “What do you mean?”
“Look at him,” Danny said quietly. “Sadie is my rock, but that’s what she does. There are plenty of service dogs trained to ‘hear.’”
Gray followed Danny’s gaze. Both Sadie and Seb were in raptures. He wondered why, when Armitage had many resources at his disposal, something so simple couldn’t have been worked out.
Gray sighed. There was so much he didn’t know.
Seb eventually and very reluctantly got to his feet. Sadie instantly returned to Danny, and he stroked a hand over her head. “I understand I have equipment you need installing?”
Seb spent the next few hours stuck to Gray’s side like glue. The glaziers arrived and did the windows in Seb’s room. Gray was impressed to find out from Derwent that all of Seb’s suite was to be done. It would seem, after all, that Armitage did take his son’s safety seriously, and Gray felt like a bit of an ass for doubting him. Danny easily instructed the contractors to install video surveillance on the grounds and showed Derwent and his team how it should be monitored.
MRS. PICKERING made them all sandwiches at lunchtime, but the house was like a zoo. The contractors were finishing up the video installation, but Gray didn’t need to check it, as he’d used the same system multiple times and Danny was there. He took one look at Seb aimlessly pushing his uneaten sandwich around his plate and got to his feet. “Can we get these later?” he asked as Mrs. Pickering stacked the dishwasher. She glanced at Seb and made the shooing motion with her hand. Gray touched Seb’s arm. “Come on.”
It was an indication of how tired Seb was when he barely glanced at her and obediently walked after Gray.
“Sebastian,” his father called from his office. Gray touched Seb’s arm again to direct his attention, and Seb looked at his dad. “I’ve just heard from Detective Carter. He’ll be here at three.”
“Okay,” Seb whispered, and Gray walked behind him as he slowly climbed the stairs. Gray was getting a little worried. Seb had gone from exuberant and eager about everything to pale and disinterested. Gray had seen him pop a pill about thirty minutes ago and had wanted to ask if it was regular medication or a painkiller, but they hadn’t been alone.
Gray followed him into his suite, and Seb yawned and quickly covered his mouth. Gray touched his arm. “You have time for a nap.” They’d been up half the night. Gray was used to it, but he had to remember Seb needed a little more care. Seb glanced reluctantly at his bedroom door, then back to the couch.
“What are you going to do?”
Gray absorbed the question, trying to work out what Seb actually wanted him to do. He gestured to the couch. “I thought I’d sit here?”
Seb glanced at the couch again. “You don’t need to be downstairs?”
Gray shook his head. “But I also don’t need the couch either. I can wait outside.” It wouldn’t be the first time.
Seb looked horrified. “No, I mean—” He flushed.
Gray studied his face. He’d had to lace his combat boots with more instruction than this. “Seb?” Gray touched his arm, even though Seb was looking at him. “You’re gonna have to spell it out for me. Do you want me to stay in here or not? I’m not gonna be upset either way.”
Seb watched Gray’s lips while he spoke. It had been a little disconcerting when he had first noticed Seb doing it. He didn’t quite look him in the eye all the time, especially when Gray needed to give more than one-word answers or was answering a question. Seb looked up at him and bit his lip. “Stay, please, while everyone’s here.” He waved to the TV. “The Falcons are playing.” Gray nodded and sat down on the couch while Seb fiddled with the TV. He didn’t push for him to actually lie down, even though he thought he needed to.
In another ten minutes, it was a moot point anyway. Seb’s eyes had been closing just after the game started, and he didn’t make it to the end of the first quarter. Gray glanced at him, frowning. He looked as uncomfortable as hell. His head kept dropping forward, and he made a pained noise in the back of his throat when it happened, like it was hurting him. Gray stood and gently swung Seb’s legs onto the couch and at the same time eased his head onto the cushions so he was lying flat. Seb gave a little satisfied murmur and immediately relaxed and stretched out. Gray tossed a couple of cushions on the floor and sat on them with his back to the base of the sofa, near Seb’s feet, where he could keep an eye on him.
Gray didn’t like the shadows under Seb’s eyes or the way his skin seemed to stretch too thin over his cheekbones. He thought Seb was naturally slim, but any less weight and the word would be gaunt. He wondered if Seb ever had something as simple as a protein shake. Gray could easily make them for Seb starting tomorrow, and they would expand the exercise routine. He’d seen the eight grams of sugar masking as a protein bar that Seb tried to eat earlier, and that was simply no good. He needed calories, yes, but the right ones.
Gray abandoned watching the game and leaned his head back. Ray Samms. That had been the name of the nutritionist who helped Gray put his body back together afterward, when regular food made him sick to his stomach after a year of having little or none. He didn’t want to go there. Memory lane was still littered with IEDs, but he had the guy’s number. Maybe Ray would know how to manage Seb’s nausea a little better? It wouldn’t hurt to ask. Gray grabbed his phone from his pocket, scrolled through his contacts until he found Ray’s, and sent a text.
Just as he sent it, a message from Danny appeared saying they were all done. Gray replied that he was upstairs with Seb, as he was wiped out, and he would let Rawlings know how the police interview went.
Danny sent him a poop emoji, and Gray chuckled. Then Danny sent him a picture of Sadie and a link. Interested, Gray opened it. It took him straight to a website on hearing dogs, or service dogs for deaf people. “Jesus,” Gray muttered when he got to the part where the training costs for each dog was over $40,000, but then he watched a few YouTube videos demonstrating what they could do, and realized they were worth it. There were programs especially for veterans, charitable donation links, and he spent an hour reading through the application process, so he could talk to Seb about it.
He was supposed to be watching the game, but he turned it off after another few minutes, far more interested in the thought of Seb getting a dog. When it got to only thirty minutes before Carter was due to arrive, Gray leaned over and gently shook Seb’s arm. He would have liked to have given him longer, but he didn’t know how long Seb needed to come around. As soon as Seb was settled this evening, Gray was going to hit the net and do some research. Diet would definitely help, and he was convinced the tai chi would too, but he wanted to explore other options if there were any.
Especially if Seb was going to have surgery again in eleven days. Gray plastered on a smile as Seb blinked and opened his eyes. Seb’s eyes widened as he took in where Gray sat. “You didn’t have to sit on the floor. The couch is big enough,” he mumbled and yawned.
“It’s no problem. I woke you because the detective will be here by three.” Seb glanced at the clock on the TV and nodded. Gray got up and handed Seb a water bottle. It wasn’t very cold, but it would do.
Seb wrinkled his nose.
“You need to drink it.” Gray looked around the room. “Why don’t you get a mini-fridge in here?”
“My dad wouldn’t let me. He said he’d never see me if I didn’t even come down for dinner.”
Gray nodded. “I’ll talk to him. You don’t drink nearly enough water.” Seb shrugged. “No,” Gray touched Seb’s arm. “This is important. Dehydration can accentuate vertigo, and you were sick yesterday.”
Seb smiled ruefully. “I forget.”
“Good job I’m here to remind you, then.”