said, grabbing me by the arm, pulling me with her. “Do you watch NASCAR, Trey?”
“Not really. I went to the night race at Richmond one time with my dad for a publicity appearance, though.”
“Oh, I love to go to Richmond, but Charlotte is my favorite.”
“Charlotte is her favorite, but she hates super-speedways. Now explain that,” Conrad grumbled.
“So what did you think of Richmond?” she asked, ignoring him and leading me into the living room. She directed me to the chair Rand had vacated, and I sat.
“Um, I thought it was loud,” I said hesitantly. “Truth was, at the time, I thought it was scary. I was a little kid.” I looked over to where we’d been standing, and Roman and Rand were gone. Good. Hopefully, they would get things sorted out.
Chapter 20
Roman
I watched Mom lead Trey into the living room, and I nodded my head at Rand to follow me outside. We walked out onto the deck that overlooked the perfectly manicured backyard.
“We should’ve grabbed a beer,” Rand said, sitting down in one of the Adirondack chairs.
“Can’t,” I said. “I’m on a job.”
“And that’s the point, isn’t it? You’re on a job. At least I waited until the party was over.”
“Rand, this isn’t the same thing.”
“How is it not the same thing? From where I’m sitting, this is worse. At least she wasn’t the client. She wasn’t the one in danger.”
“First of all, you were reckless. You got caught outside with her, for fuck's sake.”
“So what you’re saying is that the problem is not what I did. It’s that I got caught.”
“No,” I insisted. Good lord, he infuriated me. Partially because what he’d done had been so foolhardy, and it frustrated me that he couldn’t see the difference. But mostly, he infuriated me because I also knew he wasn’t completely wrong either. “It isn’t that you got caught, it’s because you took a chance on getting caught and ruining our relationship with one of our most important clients for something that didn’t matter, Rand. That’s what makes this different. You did it just to get your dick wet, and it was impulsive and reckless. That isn’t what this is. He matters.”
He cocked his head to one side and studied me for a minute. “Huh,” he huffed out. “You’re serious, aren’t you? You actually care about him.” I nodded my head. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
I plopped down in the chair beside him, leaning my head against the back. “It’s shit for timing, man.”
“True, it kind of is. But I don’t think we get to choose. You meet that person who is the one for you, and you’re just kind of fucked.”
“Well, aren’t you a romantic,” I said, laughing.
“Nah, all that romance and stuff is for other guys. You know me, I’m all about just getting my dick wet.”
“I’m sorry if that sounded harsh,” I admitted.
“An apology from you, wow, this love shit is making you soft already,” he said, shaking his head.
“Asshole.”
“I was just giving you shit, man. Honestly, if you love the guy, then this really is different. Even I can see that.”
“What do you mean, even you?”
He ignored my question and instead asked the one that really mattered. “So are you okay as his guard? Do you need me to take over that part?”
“No, I’m good. I thought about it, but honestly, we’re good.”
“All right, only you know where your headspace is, but if you change your mind, all you have to do is call. But I’m putting myself back in rotation tomorrow. No more surveillance for me.” I started to speak, but he held up a hand, stopping me. “No more messing around on the job, I got it.”
“Okay, I’ll let Ryan know.”
“Let Ryan know what?” a voice asked from the doorway as Ryan came out to join us. He handed Rand a beer and me a soda, then took a seat in the chair across from us.
“That Rand is coming off surveillance duty.”
“Sounds good to me. Although, I would appreciate it if you would stay there for a few more days since Cass is on vacation till Wednesday.”
“As long as no protection jobs come in, I’m happy to stay there. I’m just not happy to be sent there like a five-year-old told to go sit in the corner. I get that I screwed up, but still…”
“No,” I agreed. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have treated you like an employee. You aren’t. You’re part owner of this company just like we are, believe me, Conrad pointed that out.” I