Mason probably had no idea how much his support meant to her. “So his nose is safe?”
“For now. But I’ll be watching the guy like a hawk in case he ever steps out of line.”
Quinn was pretty confident that wasn’t going to happen. She had a feeling Mason knew it too.
“How are you doing, Mason? With Project Arma and everything.”
Mason had always been very loyal to the system. He was loyal to his government and diligent in doing the right thing for his country. Being betrayed would have seriously rocked his belief system.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s been hard. Especially because my commander—Hylar, the man who set everything in motion—is still out there. Running the damn project. Having my team by my side has made it easier. The real game changer is Sage. When she’s around, the anger dims. All I see is her.”
Oh gosh. That was beautiful. If anyone was deserving of peace, it was Mason. “Tell me about her.”
“You’ll love her. She’s smart as hell and has a heart like no one else. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
Neither could Quinn. Any woman who could put that look on her brother’s face was family. “When will I meet her?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Whenever you want. But no third degree. None of your journalist interrogation stuff.”
Quinn leaned back, feigning offense. “Me? Interrogate someone?”
Mason raised a brow.
“I won’t. Only because I love you and you love her. Now, tell me about your trip to Lockhart.”
Mason began talking about Sage and her brother, Jason. Quinn listened to every word, unable to draw her eyes away. He told her about Sage and Jason’s past. About the drama that had unfurled and almost caused Mason to lose her.
It was like something you’d hear in one of those Hollywood action movies.
Before Quinn knew it, her brother had been talking for close to an hour.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mason asked, when they both finally stood and headed to the door. “After yesterday?”
Quinn stopped and folded her arms. “A little bruised and battered—both physically and emotionally. But I think I’ll be okay.”
Mason scanned her face. He looked every bit the deadly soldier in that moment. But then, there was rarely a time he didn’t.
“Before you go, I do have a question. How did you know I was safe all these years? Couldn’t Project Arma have used me to get to you?”
Mason’s face hardened. “When we first got out, we all visited our families. Spent some time with them.”
Quinn remembered that. And it made her feel guilty for not seeing the pain he was in. For being too consumed with her own life. “I remember.”
“Do you remember how I put high-security locks on your door and windows? I also put an alarm in.”
“You didn’t put a camera up, did you?”
“No. But I hired security companies to send someone to check on you regularly.”
If Mason had told her that before she knew about Project Arma, she probably would have been mad. She probably also would have thought the man was crazy.
Now she knew how dangerous the organization was.
“Thank you. For looking out for me.”
He nodded. “Always.”
Mason was turning when Quinn put a hand on his shoulder. “It was you who saved me yesterday, you know.”
Her brother stopped, his brows pulling together. “How?”
“All that self-defense you forced me to practice years ago. It saved me.”
Reaching out, he squeezed her shoulder. “Thank God for that.”
Yep. Thank God for family.
“Now get back to your woman so I can get back to baking.”
Mason laughed. “It’s going to take me a while to get used to that.”
“Hey! Mrs. Potter says I’m a natural.”
“Q, I know you can achieve anything you put your mind to.” A serious look came over Mason’s face. “When I’m not around, make sure you stick close to Wyatt. Darren may be dead, but the people behind Arma aren’t. It would be better to err on the side of caution for a while.”
Quinn agreed. Darren was a small fish compared to genetically altered criminals roaming the streets. No way did she want to get mixed up in that.
“Fortunately, staying close to Wyatt is my preference.”
Leaning down, Mason pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Stay safe, sis. I’ll call you.”
Watching her brother head down the hall, Quinn felt overwhelming gratitude. Gratitude that her brother was back, that she had Wyatt, and that she was safe.
Chapter 23
Wyatt pushed his body to run faster.
The wind brushed against his face, his feet pounded the pavement. God, he loved running. Always had. It made him feel alive.
He needed to make more time for it. If for nothing other than his mental health.
He used to be able to wear his body out. Run until his lungs burned and legs threatened to cave beneath him. That was just about impossible now. His body no longer had an off switch. It never seemed to run out of steam.
One day, he would test whether his body had a limit. He would run faster. Harder. Farther. Find out just how far he could push himself. Surely, at some point, his body would need to stop.
He used to run every day, even if it was just for half an hour. Lately he’d been distracted. Today, he needed to get out. Get the images of Quinn’s battered face out of his head.
There was a running track that could be accessed from behind Marble Protection. It led to a local park. That’s where Wyatt was running today.
The park was always busy. People from all walks of life went there, from families to men in suits. All out and about, living their normal lives.
Being around people made Wyatt feel normal. A feeling that was often out of reach. Especially when he spent such huge chunks of his days searching for Hylar.
A week had passed since Quinn had been attacked. Since Darren had been killed. Hylar hadn’t shown his face. No one from Project Arma had. Wyatt almost wanted them to attack, just so he had a location for the guy.
As Wyatt drew closer to Marble Protection, he saw Mason stepping outside. The other man stilled by the door, his arms crossed over his chest as he waited.
Coming to a stop in front of his friend, Wyatt tried to read Mason’s body language. It was impossible.
“Hey. You waiting for me?”
Mason nodded. “I wanted to talk about Quinn.”
Wyatt ran his hands through his hair, not surprised that after an hour of running, he hadn’t cracked a sweat. “Sure. What’s up?”
The blank mask fell from Mason’s face, and frustration took its place. For a moment, Wyatt wondered if he’d changed his mind about being okay with him dating his sister. If that’s what he was about to say, Wyatt had no idea how he would respond.
“A week has passed since the Darren situation. I know today is Quinn’s first day back at the bakery. I just wanted to check that we’re sure she’s protected.”
“We can never be completely sure there are no threats. You know that.” He wished he did have a way to ensure her safety. Apart from keeping her by his side twenty-four seven, which had basically been the case for the last week, he didn’t think that was possible forever. “She took a week off work, she hung out here, nothing happened. She wanted to go back. I don’t like it any more than you do, but we can’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do.”
Wyatt had already tried.
Mason shook his head. “It kills me that Ax didn’t catch the guy behind the motel. We’re assuming it was the person who killed Darren, but he might have been after Quinn too.”
Wyatt pushed down the fury at the fact he couldn’t question Darren or the man from behind the motel.
Mason scrubbed his hands over his face. “I just worry.”
Wyatt understood worry. It had become a constant companion. Stepping forward, he pla
ced a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I do too. Every minute of every day that Hylar is alive, that his organization is running, I’m worried. And I hate that Quinn got hurt. That I wasn’t able to locate Darren earlier. Quinn wouldn’t have had to fight for her life if I had.”
The guilt would probably never fade.
Mason frowned. “The guy paid for his room at the motel with cash and used a fake name. It would have been impossible for anyone to know it was him.”
True. Didn’t stop his brain from telling him otherwise.
“I just wish we knew all the facts though,” Mason continued. “Like why the hell would Hylar send a man like Darren, when his men are so much more powerful and efficient?”
Wyatt would love the answer to that question. Unfortunately, all he could do was hypothesize. “It’s likely Darren was sent to Marble Falls because of his ability to get close to Quinn without suspicion. Also, Hylar knows we pose a threat to his men. He was hit hard by the raids, by all the men he lost. He may not have wanted to risk sending them here.” Wyatt lifted a shoulder. “That doesn’t tell us how Darren became involved with Arma, though.”
“Soon. We’ll get our answers. And our redemption.”
Hell yes, they would.
“In the meantime, someone will be constantly watching Quinn. Not in their car from the street. In the bakery. Eyes on her. Always. There won’t be a moment she’s unprotected.”
Mason chuckled. “She’s gonna hate that…I love it.”
“I know. I think she understands the importance of it. But I’m still gonna tell her it was your idea.”
“Go ahead. She’d believe it. My sister knows I’m an overbearing big brother.”
Wyatt had heard that many times from Quinn, but always with affection. The woman secretly loved her brother’s protective nature. He hoped she felt the same way about Wyatt’s. It wasn’t something that would be changing.
The humor dropped from Mason’s face. “I still hate that the asshole hurt her.”
Wyatt’s body tensed at the memory. Her bruises were fading, but they would be etched in his mind for a very long time. “I’m damn glad you taught her how to protect herself.”
“Yep. Basic self-defense. Something everyone should have knowledge in. Especially women. I’ve been teaching Sage, too. It makes me nervous as hell that she knew nothing before.”
“Maybe we should run some free ‘come and try’ classes for the community?”
“Great idea.” Mason looked like he was going to turn around when he stopped. “She seems happy. So do you. In case I haven’t said it yet, I’m going to say it now—you’re a good man. And I’m glad you found each other.”
That sure beat the broken nose Wyatt had been expecting from his friend.
“Thank you, brother. I plan to stay with her for as long as she’ll have me and make her happy every single one of those days.”
“Not a decision you’ll regret.” Mason gave Wyatt a nod before heading back inside.
Wyatt had no doubt it was a decision he’d never regret. Only last weekend, Luca had proposed to Evie, and she’d said yes. Wyatt knew it was too early for him to do the same, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t be too far in the future.
The feel of his phone vibrating in his pocket caught his attention. When Wyatt pulled it out, he couldn’t help but smile at Quinn’s text message.
She missed him. Which was exactly how Wyatt felt every moment he was separated from her. Guess she didn’t hate the bodyguard situation too much.
When he glanced at the time, he noticed there was only an hour left of her shift. An hour until he got to pull her into his arms and hold her for as long as he wanted.
Well, not quite as long as he wanted. In that case, he’d never let her go.
“So how did you get stuck with babysitting duties?”
Kye glanced at Quinn as they neared the entrance of Marble Protection. He was just as big as the other men.
He had dark eyes. So dark, they were just about black. It went perfectly with his black hair. Plus, the man always looked serious. He had a small scar above his right eyebrow that did nothing to detract from his features. If anything, it added an element of danger.
The guy was good-looking. But then, so were all the men. Woman probably swooned over the lot of them.
None of them made her heart race like Wyatt, though.
“The man asked, I said yes. It’s pretty standard amongst our team.”
“And by ‘the man,’ you mean…?”
One corner of Kye’s mouth pulled up. “I think that’s something for you to find out.”
Dammit. She’d thought he would confirm her guess. “I’m almost ninety percent certain it was Wyatt who decided you were necessary. Only because Mason’s got a girlfriend to focus on now.”
“Whereas Wyatt has you.”
Correct. She studied the man’s face, but still he gave nothing away.
Quinn released a sigh. “It doesn’t actually matter who it was. I’m lucky I have people who care about me. It just peeves me that he didn’t tell me.”
“Peeves you?”
“Yeah. Annoys me. Pisses me off. Makes anger rise in my belly.”
Kye chuckled. “Would you have argued with him?”
“Not so much argued, more negotiated.”
She wouldn’t have been able to help it. She felt sorry for the guys, having to sit at a table all day.
When she walked into the bakery this morning, Asher had been sitting at a table beside the window. He’d continued to sit there for three hours.
Yes, he’d had a laptop and seemed to be doing work, but she still felt guilty. The man had a baby. Surely he’d rather be with family than watching her.
Then, to Quinn’s surprise, Kye had walked in.
Previously, the men had been watching from their cars. Apparently, that wasn’t the case anymore.
They had to be bored. Or at least tired of sitting.
“Ah, so he probably knew you were capable of talking him into giving you more space. That’s a compliment, considering the training he’s had.”
She lifted a shoulder. “Well, I grew up with Mason. I had to learn how to be a good negotiator. The man’s stubborn and overprotective.”
She’d secretly loved it. Not that those words would ever leave her mouth.
When they reached the entrance of Marble Protection, Kye held the door open for her. “I’m the same with my sisters. They didn’t get much breathing space growing up.”
Quinn stepped inside. “How many sisters do you have?”
“Two. So I like to think I understand women.”
They both stopped at the front counter. “No one understands women. Not even women.”
“You’re probably right.”
Quinn was definitely right. Women were complex creatures; she had yet to work out how she’d come to most of her own life decisions.
Glancing around the big space near the front desk, she searched for Wyatt. Luca and Eden were running a self-defense class, but there was no sign of her man.
“He’s probably in the office,” Kye said, walking around the desk.
“Thanks for watching me today. It was a hoot.”
He laughed again. “Watching a beautiful woman is always a hoot.” He gave her a wink before turning around.
God, why hadn’t all these men been locked down yet? Looks and a good personality should have meant they went off the market years ago.
Heading to the office, Quinn spared Luca and Eden a glance. They were demonstrating a particular self-defense move. It was one Mason had taught her years ago. They made it look easy. Quinn probably looked like a baby giraffe while doing it.
Stepping into the office, she spotted Wyatt leaning back in his seat, looking straight at her.
“Do I need to go have a word with Cage?” Even though his face was hard, his voice was light.
Quinn moved forward and sat sideways on his lap, loving the feel of his arm sliding around her waist.
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“You don’t think I’m beautiful?” she joked.
“I think you’re the most beautiful woman on the planet. I just don’t know how I feel about other men telling you that.”
She wrapped an arm around her neck. “Would it make you feel better to know that it means the most coming from you?”
He lowered his head so that his lips were stalled just above hers. “Yes.”
Then he was kissing her. Melting her to the spot. Her free hand immediately went to his chest, sliding across the hard ridges. The man was all muscle.
Just as she started to deepen the kiss, a ringing phone sounded. Her phone.
Damn technology.
Reluctantly, Quinn pulled her lips from his and took her cell from her pocket. When she looked at the screen, she was almost tempted to let it go to voicemail. Which surely made her a horrible person. Because it was Tanya.
Tanya, who had just lost her husband and needed friends to talk to.
She’d spoken to the woman numerous times over the last week. As far as her friend knew, Darren had been arrested after attacking a woman. But she hadn’t been told that woman was Quinn.
And Quinn didn’t plan to share that information.
Taking a quick breath, she put the phone to her ear. “Hi, Tan. How are you doing today?”
“Okay. Well, as okay as I can be.”
The woman was grieving the loss of her husband. She wasn’t okay. Which was expected. “Do you have family with you?”
“My mom’s here. It’s almost annoying, though. She just hovers. I get a new cup of tea every hour.”
At least she wasn’t alone. “I’m glad she’s taking good care of you.”
There was a sniffle through the line. “I just wanted to call to double check you’re coming to the funeral tomorrow. I mentioned that it was on, but you haven’t said when your flight gets in.”
Crap. She’d been avoiding this.
Hanging her head, she immediately felt Wyatt’s soothing circular strokes on her back. It helped. But guilt still ate at her inside.
Wyatt: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 5) Page 17