He wasn’t carrying a rifle. That was good. If Wrath had any notion that the dickhead was going to stand up here and try to murder Tegan as soon as she appeared after her class, he would have been forced to act. As it was, he could not reach his weapon because it was smashed between his back and the stone tower.
It was really too bad, in Wrath’s opinion. He could have ended this whole thing now. The man was standing there smoking one of his menthols. Of course it would have been a little premature. Nash frowned on the notion of killing first and asking questions later. Wrath could speculate all he wanted that he was looking at a sniper. Who else would be up here? But the guy had no weapon and was showing no intent to do anything other than observe a bunch of college kids.
Finally. Finally. The guy seemed like he was ready to go. He ground the cigarette butt beneath his heel, cleared his throat, and spit over the edge of the tower. Nice. Even Wrath thought that was kind of a dick move. Then the man turned around and headed back out the way he had come. He never once looked up. If he had, the whole day might have turned out a lot differently.
*
“What do you think of this Econ class so far?”
Tegan looked up from rummaging in her bag to see that Judson Politte had gotten quite uncomfortably close to her in the hallway. She let go of her bag and took a deliberate step back to put some distance between them. “I think the class seems very useful and the professor is knowledgeable,” she offered. “I’m enjoying it.”
“Of course you don’t really need the degree,” Judson said with a smirk. “Neither do I, when it comes down to it.”
Tegan narrowed her gaze on the snobby young man with a silver spoon stuck up his ass. Judson’s father owned a Fortune 500 company right here in Boston. He had never had to work for much of anything. And, truthfully, Judson was smart, savvy, and would probably make a very successful executive. He also thought he was God’s gift to women and business, in that order.
“I want my degree so that I can earn my way and not just have a career because my father owns the company,” Tegan informed Judson. She felt like they’d had this conversation several times before.
Tegan started to walk out of the lecture hall. Wrath would be waiting for her. And if his promptness earlier that morning was anything to go by, the man wouldn’t exactly be happy to be kept waiting.
She was annoyed when Judson hurried to keep up with her. He trailed her out of the lecture hall jabbering about the supposed success he assumed that he would have just as soon as he started work at his father’s company. To hear Judson tell it, he was going to take the already successful company to global stardom in a matter of weeks. Tegan struggled not to roll her eyes.
“People just don’t understand me the way you do, Tegan” Judson assured her.
That got a sideways glance out of Tegan. She could not imagine what he was babbling about. “How is it that you think I understand you?” She could not resist asking him.
“Because you get what it’s like to be here at school when you don’t have to be. You get what it means to be part of the elite here in Boston. And you understand how important it is to preserve that certain something that we all have.” He gave her a conspiratorial sort of smile as though they were in on a big secret together. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how important it is to keep all of those resources and privilege in the family—so to speak.”
Tegan turned to stare at him and nearly took a headfirst trip down the stairs when her toe caught on the edge of the tile. What was he talking about? “I’m sorry, but I just don’t understand what you’re driving at. Being born into a family that has a company or a trade or anything doesn’t mean that you’re automatically entitled to the same benefits or anything that your parents had or have. We all still have to work for it.”
Judson only snorted. He pushed his fingers through his hair and tossed his head as though he was about to take a selfie. “That might be what people tell themselves, but you and I both know the truth.”
Okay. Talking to Judson was pointless. It occurred to Tegan as she carefully started down the wide stairs inside the building’s atrium that she might actually sound as supercilious as Judson when she spoke of her upcoming opportunity to work at her father’s company. That was actually a rather horrifying thought. How horrible to have Hailey and Jennifer think that she was a total snob who had never had to work for anything in her life.
She pushed her way out the front door of the building and was almost relieved to see Wrath standing off to the right side of the stairs beneath a copse of leafy trees. He was almost unnaturally still. It was a bit like watching a National Geographic special about a predator stalking his prey. The way Wrath was eyeing the other students milling about suggested that he considered them sheep to his wolf.
Tegan had a feeling that it wasn’t an inaccurate comparison. She was just entertaining the mental image of the wolf snapping up a few sheep to eat when Judson grabbed her arm. She turned to see why he would presume to touch her and found him staring down at her with big cow eyes. What. The. Hell?
“Tegan,” Judson began in a fairly loud voice that garnered more attention than Tegan was comfortable with. “You and I have known each other for years and years. Our families are close”—he had to be joking, but the horror continued—“and I know that my parents have long harbored a desire to call you daughter.”
Oh hell no! Tegan pulled her arm away. “Judson,” she said through gritted teeth. She was so aware of the twenty or so other business students that were milling around on the stairs watching this scene play out. “This is not going to end well.”
“Tegan Hyde-Pierson.” Did he actually just stress her last name as though he were showing off? “Would you marry me?”
“Judson, we’ve never even been out on a date,” Tegan said irritably. “No. I’m not going to marry you. Whatever gave you the idea that I would entertain that thought?”
Judson was just standing there as if he were waiting for her to say that she was kidding. Tegan didn’t know what to say. Fortunately for her, Wrath appeared at her side. He nudged his way between her and Judson and took her arm. She gratefully rested her fingers on his forearm as he put his arm around her and escorted her away from the scene of what was quickly in her mind becoming a major crime.
Chapter Six
“No!” Hailey squealed. “He did not propose to you out of the blue in the middle of the quad!”
Tegan was enjoying that belated dinner with her friends at the Foursquare. The bar was hopping. The restaurant was warm and cozy. Tegan just couldn’t seem to stop thinking about the man sitting in the far corner of the restaurant’s dining room, nursing a glass of water and a basket of fries. Was it her imagination or was every single woman in the room staring at him?
Jennifer gave a sarcastic snort and flicked a few drops of the icy residue on her margarita glass at Tegan. “Well, I heard that Judson proposed but that Tegan’s new boyfriend whisked her off before she could even give an answer. And let me tell you, the descriptions of that yummy male specimen sitting in that far corner are pretty damned exaggerated.”
“And yet oddly accurate.” Hailey threw a glance in Wrath’s direction. “Seriously, Tegan. Where can I get one? That man is hawt! You should hit that.”
“Excuse me?” Tegan nearly fell off her barstool. “I can’t hit that, as you so rudely put it! The man works for my father. That would be so wrong on so many levels. Just put the thought out of your mind.”
Jennifer made a face and took a long draw from her frozen drink. “Tell me again why you have some beefcake following you around?”
“My father is in some kind of trouble with the mob.” It felt sort of exciting to say that, in a weird way.
“Nuh uh,” Hailey shot back. She leaned against the wall to her right and affected a dramatic pose. “That’s way too cool for your father. That’s like the equivalent of an accountant starring in a Mission Impossible movie or something.”
“It coul
d happen,” Tegan said with a careless shrug. “Besides, I think it’s all bull crap. I think my father is just worried about nothing. It’s a misunderstanding.” Or at least that was what she was telling herself. Not that it made any sense why a bum would shoot a gun at her yesterday, but whatever, right?
“So, if someone came in here right now and started shit,” Hailey said slowly. “That big hunk of male goodness would get up and go to work?”
“Kicking ass and taking names,” Jennifer joked. “That would be so awesome. I almost wish someone does come in here to make trouble.”
Tegan was busy laughing and joking about that remote possibility when she happened to glance over at the door just in time to see Judson Politte swagger in with three friends.
“Shit,” Tegan muttered.
Hailey followed her gaze. “Oh, this is bound to be awkward.”
“Not necessarily,” Jennifer hypothesized. “He’s not going to want to lose anymore cred, you know? He’ll probably see you and take off. He won’t want to chance talking to you and getting brushed off and embarrassed for a second time in one day.”
Hailey groaned. “You would think so, right?”
They didn’t have to say any more. Tegan could plainly see Judson and his cronies coming her way. She braced herself for impact and hoped that things didn’t get out of hand.
“Hello, ladies.” Judson’s voice had more than a little hint of exuberance that suggested he had already had a few too many drinks. “Jennifer and Hailey, you look smashing this evening.”
“Thank you?” Hailey said with obvious confusion. She kept throwing glances over to Tegan. “Can we help you with something? Because we were sort of having a private conversation here.”
“You know, Hailey.” Judson put an arm around Tegan’s friend. “You’re the prettiest one of this bunch.”
“Hey!” Jennifer protested. “We all know you got dissed earlier. You don’t have to be a jackass about it!”
“Dissed.” He made a scoffing noise and then laughed too loudly. His buddies parroted his boisterous laughter even though it made them sound idiotic.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Wrath stand up at his table. Some woman had been attempting to start a conversation with him. He pushed past her without even a glance. His object was obvious. He was heading right for Tegan.
“Uh oh,” Jennifer murmured to Tegan. “He doesn’t look happy.”
“Judson!” Tegan burst out. “I really think you should leave. Right now.”
“Oh, is that right?” Judson glanced at his buddies for courage. “Why? Are you so upset because you turned down the only offer you’re ever going to get?”
Now Jennifer looked straight up pissed. “Look here, you little shit,” Jennifer spat. “Just because she told you no doesn’t mean that nobody else will be interested in her. In fact, the boyfriend is coming right this way, and he looks pretty pissed. So, if you don’t want to break that pretty face of yours, I say get the hell out of here!”
Tegan sucked in a gasp of horror. Wrath was not her boyfriend! She had no right to presume anything like that about him. Jennifer’s ploy had put poor Wrath in a super awkward position. Of course there was also the fact that Tegan felt like a total loser into the bargain.
By then, Wrath was standing just behind Tegan. She could feel his larger-than-life presence. It was like a security blanket thrown over her shoulders. Something about this man promised her that nothing could ever happen to her while he was around. That was probably why she did something totally stupid and ill-advised the very next second.
Turning around, she put her hand on Wrath’s arm. She felt him stiffen in what was probably confusion. “Hey, baby, we were wondering where you’d gotten to. Did you want a drink?”
His eyebrows went up, but he didn’t give anything else away. He simply glanced at Judson and his pals and then gave Tegan a little shake of his head. “No drink. I’m driving tonight, remember? I just wanted to check on you ladies and see if you needed anything.”
WRATH COULD TELL that his participation in this weird little charade had surprised the hell out of Tegan. That made two of them. He could not believe he hadn’t shut all of that down the minute she called him baby. Baby? Really? And yet he didn’t hate it. It actually felt kind of—nice.
The idiot who had pushed himself on her earlier that day was still glowering at Wrath. He could feel the young man’s animosity in the heat of his gaze. It didn’t faze Wrath. He could take these idiots with one hand tucked into his pocket. He just shouldn’t even want to.
In fact, why did he want to wipe the floor with these clowns? What did he care about Tegan’s love life? Perhaps she had encouraged the guy. He had to have gotten some encouragement to jump into a marriage proposal, right?
Then the man named Judson got right in Wrath’s face. “Step off,” he blustered. “You don’t belong here, loser.”
Wrath could not be certain what bugged him more. The fact that the guy thought that Wrath wasn’t good enough for this bar, or the fact that he obviously thought Wrath wasn’t good enough for Tegan.
Whatever the cause, Wrath did not “step off.” In fact, he leaned forward. He pushed his personal space so far into Judson’s that the guy fell back a step or two. This made him physically trip over his buddies. And that, in turn, poked at his pride.
What happened next could have been avoided, but Wrath really didn’t care. Judson threw a punch. Wrath batted it out of the way as though he were defending himself against an errant toddler. Judson threw another punch and then did a weird hip swing thing like he was going to try a roundhouse kick.
Wrath managed not to laugh at the man’s attempt at kickboxing moves. He’d obviously learned them in a cardio class with no opponent, because all Wrath had to do was grab the guy’s calf, and Judson toppled over and hit the ground hard.
“You asshole!” one of his friends shouted.
Those three came en masse to try and get a piece of Wrath. He heard the women’s distinctive gasps. The remembrance that he didn’t entirely have the space all to himself was important. Wrath stepped away from the table to keep the carnage from accidentally hitting the ladies.
Just in time too, because guy number three attempted to smash Wrath over the head with a pitcher half full of beer while guy number two was throwing punches at Wrath’s gut. Wrath simply grabbed hold of guy two and used him as a beer shield. The pitcher bounced harmlessly onto the floor and sprayed yeasty, foamy beer all over Judson, who was still on the floor.
By this time they had garnered the attention of the bartender. “Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Tegan knelt on her barstool and started waving. “Those guys came in here and started it!” she told the bartender. “Can you get the bouncer to throw them out? They’re horribly rude!”
Wrath admired her spunk, but Judson and his buddies weren’t done just yet. They needed to get some street cred back. At least that’s the reason he figured they rushed him one more time. This time, Wrath took no prisoners. He grabbed hands, twisted wrists, smashed noses, put his fist in someone’s ribs and heard them crack, and finally had all four young men in a pile on the floor. At that point, he actually wiped his beer-soaked hands on the thighs of his jeans and stepped over the mess to speak with the bartender.
Behind him, Wrath heard the women reassuring each other that there was nothing they could have done to help the situation any. Wrath sighed. Women were so weird that way.
“That was kind of one-sided,” the bartended observed.
It didn’t take much for Wrath to read a few things about the bartender himself. “What branch of service?” he asked quietly.
“Army.” The man gave a nod. “Marine, I would surmise.”
“We do sort of have a stamp on our foreheads,” Wrath agreed. “Listen, man, I’m actually on a job. I’m assigned to protect Ms. Hyde-Pierson there.” Then Wrath gestured to the mess of bodies on the floor. “At least one of those douchebags has been a pa
in in my ass all day. But I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention me or Ms. Hyde-Pierson to the police.”
“Not calling the police.” The bartender stuck out his hand. “Mac. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Wrath.” Wrath returned the handshake. “And I owe you one.”
“I’ll keep my eye out,” Mac assured Wrath. “Was that bullshit out on the street yesterday part of your protection problem?”
“You’re observant.”
Mac winked. “I’m a fucking bartender. In a college bar, no less. I know what’s normal and what’s not.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Wrath could think of a lot of uses for a guy like Mac. He was right. He was uniquely situated to help. Wrath needed to remember to mention this asset to Nash.
“Why don’t you guys go out the back?” Mac suggested. “The alley should be clear. There’s good light, but there is a blind spot behind the dumpster to the left of the door.”
“Ranger.” Wrath guessed further based on Mac’s age. “Am I right?”
Mac didn’t speak, but he nodded. “Did six tours of duty overseas before I bought this place and retired. Tired as hell. I can tell you that. But this bar comes with its own set of problems.” Mac jerked his chin toward the pile of college boys. “I see little shits like them all day long and wonder how they can fit their entitlement complexes through my door.”
Wrath stuck out his hand and shook with Mac one more time. “Thanks, man. I’ll be in touch.”
“I’ll count on it.” Mac was grinning like a Cheshire cat. “I don’t like to be bored.”
Chapter Seven
Tegan didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or ashamed or…well, or what. She said her goodbyes to Hailey and Jennifer in the alley out in back of the Foursquare. Hailey grabbed Tegan hard and squeezed her tight.
“You take care of yourself,” Hailey whispered. “Call or text. And you’d better tell us what’s going on. You understand?”
Nash Security Solutions Page 4
