Without Fear - Reese Knightley Page 0,5
the restroom off of the bedroom, he brushed his teeth and splashed water on his face before running a brush through his short hair. He studied the strands. Was there more gray than yesterday? He rubbed a hand down his face. He was a gay man over forty and he rarely dated. Sure, he had the occasional hookup, but at forty-five, he figured he was past the expiration date for a relationship. That was why he’d even surprised himself by pursuing Macy. The guy had to be what, twenty-three at the most? But the more time he spent in Macy’s company, the more he’d come to realize something very clearly. He wanted Macy more than he’d ever wanted anything in his entire life.
“What are you doing?” he whispered to his reflection.
“Hey, boss.” Hayden poked his head through the open bathroom door with a grin. “Everyone is here.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Returning to his room, he snapped a security harness around Echo and then lifted his bag from the bed.
Jaxon pushed up from the bed and followed him into his office.
All but Gunner and Brick were assembled in various places. Hayden, as was typical, perched on the corner of his desk. Ryder leaned against a wall, and Felix was sitting behind his desk, turning circles in his office chair. Jaxon sprawled in one of the chairs he reserved for clients.
“Gunner had to feed his dogs and Brick said he had family shit to see to,” Felix told him.
“That’s fine. I’ll be gone for the weekend. We have the Smather job starting on Sunday. Gunner and Brick will handle that. The Carson job starts on Monday, but I’ll be back by then. I’ll call if there are any changes. You can reach me on my cell. Until I return, Jaxon is in charge.”
“Aww, man! He’s always in charge.” Hayden gave both him and Jaxon an exaggerated eye roll.
“That’s because I’m smarter than you,” Jaxon goaded and cracked his knuckles with a smirk.
A snort drew Logan’s gaze to Ryder. The man gave a pained grimace and pulled his cell phone out, ignoring them all.
“Please,” Hayden huffed with what sounded like indignation and dodged Jaxon’s swipe at his head.
Hayden was smoking hot and really, almost too good-looking to be a bodyguard, but the man was absolutely lethal when it came to protecting their clients.
Logan squinted and tossed a look toward Ryder. The man’s fingers flew over the phone’s keyboard. Logan imagined the man was texting his adorable husband. Ryder had met Harrison Trudel on a bodyguard job and had fallen in love. Logan liked to think he was responsible for that since he’d been the one to talk Ryder into taking the job in the first place.
“Ryder?”
“Yes?” The man glanced up from his phone.
“Keep them in line,” he said, and then turned with Echo toward the door.
“Hey! I thought I was in charge,” Jaxon griped.
Felix’s laughter rang out. “You snooze, you lose.”
“What did you say?” Jaxon lunged at Felix, who darted into his bedroom.
“Ryder’s in charge of you,” Felix hooted with laughter.
“Children, children!” Hayden raced to the bedroom doorway to referee.
“Play nice,” Logan yelled on his way out the door.
He knew they’d razz each other for a while, but his team, when it came right down to it, worked like a well-oiled machine.
All of these men were more than employees to him. They fought, laughed, and lived life together.
They were family.
Macy
“Code name: Buttercup.”
“Today’s access code?” a woman responded briskly over the phone.
“Four, three, seven, two, two, seven.”
“What do you need?”
“Give me everything on the Tony Siegel case.”
After several moments with only the sound of tapping on the computer keyboard, the woman replied, “The file states there have been no changes.”
“Please have the ASAC call me.” He recited the burner’s number for dispatch to relay to the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge.
“Message received.”
He ended the call and turned to find his best friend, Justin Cobalt, standing frozen in the doorway to the living room.
“Shit,” he said out loud and froze just as still as Justin had become.
“Code name: Buttercup?”
Justin gazed at him in shock, but his eyes were intense. Before he could respond and make some shit up, Justin continued.
“Why do you need to speak to the FBI?”
“What?”
“I know what ASAC stands for.”
“Um… How did you get in here?” he stalled, but in his gut, he knew he wasn’t going to get away from Justin’s piercing gaze and probing questions. After all, the guy was a senator’s son and familiar with law enforcement.
Justin held up a set of