a few feet away from the men at the van, Erik increased his pace. Kaitlyn felt everything kick into high gear. What was going on? Did Erik sense something she had missed? Not a possibility.
“Kaitlyn,” Harrington said with a trace of amusement. “It’s fine.”
Erik dropped his bag, reached his hand out to shake the other man’s hand and then pulled him into a tight embrace. Kaitlyn tried to make sense of the situation. She turned to Lucas with a questioning gaze, and he shrugged.
After pulling away, Erik turned towards them with a rare smile on his face. “My old teammate, Ace. He saved my ass on more than one occasion.”
It was strange to see Erik show such obvious affection. Kaitlyn was surprised to feel a twinge of jealousy. Erik was her partner.
Ace clapped his hand on Erik’s shoulder, giving him a warm smile. “Erik returned the favor in kind. I believe we’re even now, but who’s counting.”
Kaitlyn took in Erik’s old teammate. Blond hair, blue eyes, chiseled features, six foot three, two hundred and twenty-three pounds. Heart rate a steady sixty-three beats per minute. With his relaxed posture, he no longer came across as a threat on her internal screen. But Kaitlyn wasn’t sure she liked the man.
The other hulk of a man silently slipped around and slid open the side door. Moving with the grace of an athlete, he was almost the same height and weight as Ace. He appeared older. His dark hair was graying at the temples, but he was no less formidable. His posture was ramrod straight, head on a swivel, eyes alert. He was on guard. She wasn’t sure she could say the same about Erik and Ace.
The older stranger’s face did not reveal any thoughts or emotions. His eyes were calm and alert, his manor professional . He did not bother to inform them of his name, which met with Kaitlyn’s approval, as she did not think it was necessary to do so.
“It’s cold as hell. Can we get moving?” Lucas shifted on his feet, and his breath misted in the air.
Kaitlyn gave Lucas a weary look. Cold as hell was one of those sayings that made absolutely no literal sense, but now was not the time to bring up that fact.
They piled into the van, the three of them getting in the back while Harrington and Adams sat in the middle row. Kaitlyn looked at Erik, seeking to understand his sudden transformation. She didn’t care for the way Erik’s face had softened after seeing his old friend. It made her uneasy.
As if hearing her unstated question, Erik spoke. “We go way back. I had no idea Ace had been contracted out for the security detail.”
“Thick as thieves.” Ace turned and grinned.
A quick scan told her thick as thieves meant they were loyal and as close knit as a family. Kaitlyn briefly wondered if there was anyone in her life with whom the saying would apply. Of course there was Lucas. He knew her better than anyone, and perhaps Quess. But maybe not. The saying seemed to indicate something deeper then friendship, but not quite the same thing as love. Language could be very complex.
Harrington glanced over his shoulder at Erik, arching an eyebrow. “He came highly recommended. When I noticed his background was very similar to yours, I did some cross-references. As a trusted teammate of yours, I felt secure in hiring him for this detail. It’s as simple as that.”
Erik seemed to accept the explanation. His relaxed posture was quickly replaced with the serious demeanor Kaitlyn had grown accustomed to. Hopefully, there would be no more lapses once the mission went live. It suddenly occurred to Kaitlyn that she also changed when in Lucas’s company. She would have to be aware of that and not make the same mistake Erik had made. Letting her guard down was not an option. The mission and her job meant too much to her. For the first time, she wondered if it was wise to have Lucas so closely involved.
With a quick glance at his strong profile, she pushed the thought out of
“Kaitlyn,” Harrington said with a trace of amusement. “It’s fine.”
Erik dropped his bag, reached his hand out to shake the other man’s hand and then pulled him into a tight embrace. Kaitlyn tried to make sense of the situation. She turned to Lucas with a questioning gaze, and he shrugged.
After pulling away, Erik turned towards them with a rare smile on his face. “My old teammate, Ace. He saved my ass on more than one occasion.”
It was strange to see Erik show such obvious affection. Kaitlyn was surprised to feel a twinge of jealousy. Erik was her partner.
Ace clapped his hand on Erik’s shoulder, giving him a warm smile. “Erik returned the favor in kind. I believe we’re even now, but who’s counting.”
Kaitlyn took in Erik’s old teammate. Blond hair, blue eyes, chiseled features, six foot three, two hundred and twenty-three pounds. Heart rate a steady sixty-three beats per minute. With his relaxed posture, he no longer came across as a threat on her internal screen. But Kaitlyn wasn’t sure she liked the man.
The other hulk of a man silently slipped around and slid open the side door. Moving with the grace of an athlete, he was almost the same height and weight as Ace. He appeared older. His dark hair was graying at the temples, but he was no less formidable. His posture was ramrod straight, head on a swivel, eyes alert. He was on guard. She wasn’t sure she could say the same about Erik and Ace.
The older stranger’s face did not reveal any thoughts or emotions. His eyes were calm and alert, his manor professional . He did not bother to inform them of his name, which met with Kaitlyn’s approval, as she did not think it was necessary to do so.
“It’s cold as hell. Can we get moving?” Lucas shifted on his feet, and his breath misted in the air.
Kaitlyn gave Lucas a weary look. Cold as hell was one of those sayings that made absolutely no literal sense, but now was not the time to bring up that fact.
They piled into the van, the three of them getting in the back while Harrington and Adams sat in the middle row. Kaitlyn looked at Erik, seeking to understand his sudden transformation. She didn’t care for the way Erik’s face had softened after seeing his old friend. It made her uneasy.
As if hearing her unstated question, Erik spoke. “We go way back. I had no idea Ace had been contracted out for the security detail.”
“Thick as thieves.” Ace turned and grinned.
A quick scan told her thick as thieves meant they were loyal and as close knit as a family. Kaitlyn briefly wondered if there was anyone in her life with whom the saying would apply. Of course there was Lucas. He knew her better than anyone, and perhaps Quess. But maybe not. The saying seemed to indicate something deeper then friendship, but not quite the same thing as love. Language could be very complex.
Harrington glanced over his shoulder at Erik, arching an eyebrow. “He came highly recommended. When I noticed his background was very similar to yours, I did some cross-references. As a trusted teammate of yours, I felt secure in hiring him for this detail. It’s as simple as that.”
Erik seemed to accept the explanation. His relaxed posture was quickly replaced with the serious demeanor Kaitlyn had grown accustomed to. Hopefully, there would be no more lapses once the mission went live. It suddenly occurred to Kaitlyn that she also changed when in Lucas’s company. She would have to be aware of that and not make the same mistake Erik had made. Letting her guard down was not an option. The mission and her job meant too much to her. For the first time, she wondered if it was wise to have Lucas so closely involved.
With a quick glance at his strong profile, she pushed the thought out of
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