by T K Eldridge
I was inordinately grateful that Cutter was so intimidating. Just having him stand behind the chairs the ladies sat in was a huge deterrent. Anyone that ignored his bulk and tried to approach Peyton and Sarah then had to go through me. It surprised me how many people thought Sarah could actually get her father to listen to her about any of their ideas, plans, or prospects. She was, what? Seventeen? By the time the night was over, I would have exchanged the constant politicking for a week in the sandbox in a heartbeat. These vultures were more vicious than any jihadis I’d ever come into contact with.
We escorted Sarah and Peyton back upstairs and I stood in an alcove of the hallway with them while Cutter went in to make sure the Secret Service agents were there and the room was still clear. We wished them both a good evening and told them we’d be by in the morning to escort them to breakfast, and left them with the agents.
On the ride down to our floor, Cutter was silent. Once in the room though, he turned to me. “Get her out of your head. She’s beautiful, intelligent, and seems to really like you. She doesn’t know what we are. Let it go, my friend.”
I nodded to his words and went into the bathroom to do my business and brush my teeth so he could have his time in the tub. When I came out, he was in his room, so I went into mine and shut the door. I took some fruit and a cup of tea over to the bedside table, then got undressed. Egyptian cotton sheets and a real mattress were rare treats. Fresh fruit and good tea, an hour or so of mindless television and I was asleep before Cutter got out of the tub.
My dreams were all of Peyton.
The next morning we showered and had coffee before we packed up and took our bags out to the SUV in the garage. Check out time would be while we were with the ladies, so this was easier. I made sure to score some chocolate and fruit to share with the team once we got back.
The breakfast event was some scholarship awards thing for five students from Maryland, Virginia, and DC that the Vice President had set up. We escorted Sarah and Peyton to the banquet hall in the hotel, and I believe Peyton looked as gorgeous in black jeans, ankle boots and a green sweater as she did in the silk gown. Sarah wore blue jeans and a Georgetown University sweatshirt with high-top sneakers. Cutter and I were in jeans and sweaters that were bulky enough to hide our weapons. What surprised me most, however, was when the four of us walked into the hall, Vice President Wilson was there in jeans and a Harvard sweatshirt and short hiking boots.
Sarah saw her father and squealed, racing over to give him a hug.
Peyton smiled as she saw the girl embrace her father, but she stayed well out of VP Wilson’s reach. Her body language around him made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I swallowed a growl when he reached for her and she twisted sideways to edge around to put me between her and him. I met his gaze and refused to look away, a tight smile on my face. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before his politician’s smile was back in place and his hand was reaching for mine. I folded my hands in front of myself and inclined my head in greeting. “Sir,” I said. “I don’t shake hands when I’m working.”
“Ah, right. The extra protection team. And you are?” Wilson said.
“Agent Dante and that’s Agent Martin,” I replied, giving a nod towards Cutter.
“Well, thank you for your service to my ladies,” he said.
But the way he hesitated over ‘service’ and the sly smile he shared made me realize he thought I might have done more than just watched over them. In fact, when he added his farewell to Peyton, I knew for sure he assumed I had had sex with her.
“She’s worth watching over,” Wilson said and nodded to Peyton before he turned to greet another admirer.
I felt Peyton shudder against my back before I reached a hand to my side to touch her hand where it pressed against my sweater. “He’s moved on. I won’t let him touch you,” I said.
“Thank you,” she whispered and took a step back. “He just creeps me out so much. If it wasn’t for Sassy, I would have been long gone. It’s just, since her mother died, I’m really all she’s got. He’s never around and I’ve been with her since she was eight, when her Mom got sick. Samantha was a lovely woman,” Peyton said.
“Were you twelve when you started as her governess?” I asked. “You barely look older than her, to have been doing this for nine years.”
Peyton laughed and I caught my breath. “That’s very kind of you to say, Agent Dante, but I’m probably older than you are.”
“Are you over forty?” I asked.
“No, you’re not forty. Maybe thirty-three?” Peyton said.
“Thirty-eight in a couple of months,” I replied.
“You certainly don’t look it. I’ll be thirty-five in a couple of weeks. Sassy insists on celebrating. Perhaps you could join us? It’s just going to be dinner at my favorite Japanese steak house.”
And here’s where I had a moment of absolute hate for my life situation. “The invitation is really nice of you,” I said. “But I won’t be able to go. Work is pretty crazy.”
Peyton slid a curl of paper into my hand and smiled up at me. “Well, here’s my number. Call me if you get a day off.” Then she blushed and looked down. “I don’t do this, you know. Give my number out to men I have barely met. But you make me feel safe and you don’t look at Sassy as anything other than a wonderful young lady. That’s pretty rare in my world.”
I tucked the paper into my pocket and smiled. “I think that young lady is trying to get your attention.” Sarah was waving at us and Peyton sighed before she waved back. “Shall we?”
I escorted her over to where Sarah and Cutter stood near one of the round tables. As we approached, the girl dropped into a seat next to a woman that looked old enough to be her grandmother. Peyton took the empty seat on Sarah’s other side and smiled at her table companions. Cutter and I stepped back and folded our hands in front of us and watched. The room swirled with people as they took their seats, servers pouring coffee and juice, and Secret Service agents across the hall, closer to the VP’s table. I listened to the conversations around the room. Sarah, for all that she was a teenager, had excellent poise and conversational skills. She discussed the sights to be seen in London with her elderly companion on one side and the latest video dropped by some K-pop band with a girl a few seats down. Peyton had trained the girl well. For her part, Peyton was polite and quiet. She shared pleasantries with the woman seated next to her, but her attention stayed on Sarah and those she spoke with and what they discussed.
I don’t know how I knew it, but Peyton was very aware of where we stood. She never looked back at us, but when the meal was over, she rose from her seat, tapped Sarah’s shoulder, and turned right to where we stood.
“We’re already packed up and our luggage is with the concierge,” Peyton said.
“I’m ready to get outta here,” Sarah added and looped her hands around Peyton’s arm.
“You should say goodbye to your father, first,” Peyton reminded her.
Sarah groaned and pressed her forehead against Peyton’s shoulder. “I don’t want to get caught up in another discussion about colleges and what I’m gonna be when I grow up.”
“Just do a drive by. Give him a kiss on the cheek and tell him you’re leaving, then go. Don’t give him time to pull you into the conversation,” Peyton said.
“I’ll be right there with you, so I can help keep it short,” Cutter said, and gave Sarah a smile.
“Bear? All you gotta do is look at him and not smile. He’ll shit himself and I’ll get to leave,” Sarah said to Cutter.
“Language, missy,” Peyton chided Sarah who rolled her eyes.
“Let’s do this, Bear,” Sarah said and headed towards her father with Cutter close behind.
“Bear?” I asked.
“Sarah said he reminded her of an over-sized brown teddy she used to have. So now he’s Bear,” Peyton said.
“Yeah, he’s never going to live that one down,” I said as I laughed. “Let’s head for the door.”<
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Peyton headed towards the door and I moved behind her. It took some serious control to not watch her hips sway and keep my eyes on the potential threats around us, but I managed it. That’s why I saw the man who had stood with Wilson reach out and grab her left breast as she walked towards the door and he was coming into the room. Peyton cried out and flinched away.
I moved and grabbed the hand that had touched her while I asked Peyton to please stay against my back. She did, and I smiled at the pervert in front of me. “You touched the lady without her permission. Say you’re sorry.”
“Do you know who I am? Get your hands off of me,” the man spluttered and I barely squeezed. Pain flared on his face and he tried to pull away.
“I said, say you’re sorry to the lady.”
“She’s Wilson’s whore. He shares.”
A faint smile curled my lips as I squeezed again and heard a crack. The man screamed as I released him and pulled his now-broken hand to his chest.
“I’ll sue you for everything you’ve got,” he yelled as he stumbled away from me.
Once I saw he was out of range, I turned to Peyton. She was shaking and pale, yet still gave me a soft smile and a ‘thank you’.
“Come on, darlin’. Let’s get you out of here,” I said and kept an arm around her so she was shielded.
I stopped a few feet from the door when I heard Sarah call Peyton’s name and turned to see the girl and Cutter moving towards us.
Sarah hugged Peyton and the two clung to each other as Cutter and I got them into the elevator.
“I’ll get them into the car, you get the luggage?” I asked Cutter and he nodded, then stepped back to let the elevator doors close.
“That was Senator Hansen,” Sarah said. “Or, as any female that’s spent more than two minutes around him, calls him, Senator Hands-on.”
“Has he touched you?” I asked Sarah.
“Yep. I have had bruises on my butt where he’s grabbed me. My father just laughs and keeps inviting him over. He thinks I’m overly dramatic and too sensitive.”
“That’s because he thinks I’ve made an impression on you about how evil men are to women,” Peyton said, voice soft.
“That’s because he’s evil to women and didn’t like it when you told him to fuck off,” Sarah said.
“Sarah Samantha Wilson, language,” Peyton hissed.
“Sounds like she’s calling it straight, Ms. Adams,” I said.
Sarah laughed, and Peyton sighed.
The elevator dinged and I held my hand up to keep them in the elevator while I held the doors open and looked out to scan the area. The SUV was one slot away from the elevator, so I could see that it seemed clear. “Ladies, stay right behind me.”
They each put a hand on my shoulder as we moved around the front of the car between the elevator and our SUV. I clicked the key fob and the car unlocked. I had them wait and clicked it again to start it. The engine turned over and I hurried the two ladies into the back seat and locked the doors, then slid into the driver’s seat and pulled out of the spot to stop right in front of the elevator doors. A moment later, Cutter pushed a luggage cart out of the elevator with at least eight pieces of luggage on it. I snorted a laugh and unlocked the back so he could load them in.
“You want to drive, Cutter?” I asked.
“Nope. You got it. But if you don’t stop and get us food, I’ll eat the dashboard of this car.”
“Ooh, please?” Sarah said from the back seat.
“Please, what?” Peyton asked, her attention pulled from the window to Sarah. “What are you asking for now?”
“Bear wants Jericho to stop for food. Since we’re just going home, maybe we could stop at the Shanty and have lunch?” Sarah asked.
“What’s the Shanty?” Cutter asked.
“Only the best seafood on the Maryland shore. You guys like seafood?” Sarah asked.
“I think Bear likes anything remotely edible,” I teased Cutter.
“Yeah, we like seafood. We don’t get it much, so if that’s where you want to stop for lunch, we can. If Ms. Adams says it’s okay,” Cutter replied.
“Yeah, it’s okay, if you two don’t mind? The food is pretty amazing there,” Peyton said.
“Yay,” Sarah crowed and did a little dance in the seat that had Cutter chuckling.
I was pretty happy she’d said yes, too. A chance to spend more time with Peyton meant my day just got a whole lot better. It was going to suck when I was back at the Facility with just the memory of her, but the more time, the more memories I could store up.
“So, where do you guys live?” Sarah asked.
“Virginia. Near Fort Belvoir,” Cutter said.
“Cool. Maybe Peyton and I can come visit sometime,” Sarah said.
“Yeah, they don’t allow visitors where we live. It’s all top secret stuff,” Cutter told her.
“But what about your families?” Sarah asked.
My jaw clenched. I hated having to lie to people about this shit. Peyton must’ve picked up something because she said, “Sarah, they’re military. It’s different. You shouldn’t be asking so many personal questions.”
“I’m sorry,” Sarah murmured, voice low. “I like you two and just wanted to get to know you better.”
“It’s fine, Sarah,” I said. “We don’t like having to be so secretive all the time either, but it’s part of the job. I appreciate that you like us enough to ask the questions. Most people, they see us as tools, not as people. It’s nice that you care.”
Peyton looked into the rear view mirror and met my gaze. Her expression was soft and she mouthed a silent “thank you” before her attention went to the scenery that passed outside the window.
I felt like she’d just given me the most precious gift. She’d really seen me, not just looked past me, and she had appreciated what I had tried to do for Sarah. Something so simple, but so rare in my world.
Sarah and Cutter captured most of the conversation the rest of the ride to the seafood shack as they discussed music and books. Sarah was impressively well read for a teenager, and I knew that was Peyton’s doing. Which made me happier to know that Peyton was that well read, too. The one thing I enjoyed, even in this environment, were books. I read everything and anything, then shared them with whoever else wanted the escape. I think reading had been the one thing that kept me sane the past few years.
We pulled up to the shack, and it really was a shack. A small shed building with a big window in the side and a bunch of picnic tables scattered around it. We were a little early for lunch, so the crowd was small, and we could park close to a table and keep an eye on things. Sarah and Cutter went up to order for us while Peyton and I got drinks, utensils, and condiments from the stand to the side. By the time they came back with the food, we had the table set up.
“You’re in for a real treat,” Peyton said. “This place has the best crab cakes and fried platter. They even do a seasoned rice that I would eat by the bucketful if I could.”
I gave her a smile, as I visualized her with a spoon and a bucket of rice, and she rolled her eyes at me. “A whole bucket?” I teased.
“Not really a whole bucket, but it’s that good.”
“I am pretty hungry, so I’m glad you approved the stop.” I sat on the end of the bench with my feet to the side, my attention on the people that came and went. I still jumped when she put her hand on my arm.
“Jericho, thank you for everything today,” Peyton said, voice low. “From what you did with Hansen to how you handled Sarah’s questions in the car. You’re a good man, and I want you to know I really appreciate you.”
My throat tightened and I couldn’t look at her yet. She started to take her hand away and I rested my other hand on top of hers. “You are most welcome,” I finally choked out. “You deserve to be treated well, Peyton Adams.”
“I know this is very forward of me, but if you ever get some free time, please call me. I’d like to see you again.”
Then I tu
rned to look at her and she bit her lower lip. My gaze went from that lip to her eyes, then to Cutter and Sarah as they gathered up the huge order of food. Cutter could hear us, I knew, so I appreciated him taking a little extra time with Sarah.
I looked back down at Peyton and leaned in to lightly brush my lips against her forehead. “Someday, I would like that too,” I said, voice whispered against her skin. “But while I’m on duty, protecting you, it is not a good idea. Just know that if I were free, I’d take you up on that in a heartbeat.”
She leaned in to the kiss, then slid back a bit to put some room between us. “Someday soon, then,” she whispered.
It felt like a cord had woven between Peyton and I. While we ate, while we cleaned up, while I drove them closer to home, I was attuned to everything about her. When we dropped them off and unloaded the luggage in the foyer, I kept my mood light but I felt the loss of her presence before we’d even left. As we drove away from the huge brick colonial mansion that sat on a small island off the coast, with it’s own private bridge access, it might as well have been on a separate planet.
I had her number, but I didn’t own a phone I could use to call her. I couldn’t text her, message her, stalk her on social media or even keep a photo of her.
Cutter was silent until we’d been on the road for over an hour. “This sucks,” he said.
“It does. We need to get the fuck out of this. I think she’s the one,” I said.
“I think she’s your one, too. Your whole presence changed around her.”
“And she’s not in a safe space, either. Not with Wilson and his pervs trying to get in her pants all the time.”
“You think Wilson would touch Sassy?”
“I wouldn’t think so, but he’s a bastard, so who knows?”
“Yeah, who knows.”
