Absolution (The Protectors 1)

I pulled my car to a stop in the turnabout part of the driveway as I took in the sight of the massive Tudor style house that was just yards from the water. I didn’t know much about Jonas’s friends other than the little bit he’d shared with me about his and Casey’s life after they’d escaped Mateo. I suspected he’d glossed over the hardships they’d faced as two teenagers trying to carve out a life for themselves, but I hadn’t pressed him for anymore because I hadn’t wanted the smile that had been glued to his face all day to disappear. I’d had more fun than I’d had in a really long time and most of that had come from watching Jonas interact with the kids at the various schools we’d stopped at. Although his intent had just been to drop off art supplies, he’d gotten roped into an impromptu art class on more than one occasion after the kids got done unpacking their new supplies. He’d been in his element and I’d been envious.

As I got out of my car, I scanned the grounds and saw Jonas’s car parked near the multi-car garage. A man I didn’t recognize was checking something on Jonas’s car.

“Hi,” I said as I approached him. He was a good looking guy in his late thirties and was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white button down shirt.

“Hi,” he said back as he stood and reached out his hand but then withdrew it when he noticed how greasy it was. “You’re either Cole or Mace.”

“Cole,” I said.

“Devlin Prescott. Good to meet you.”

“Is Jonas still having car trouble?” I asked as I motioned to the car.

“No. He picked up a nail in his tire so I decided I’d change it for him just to be on the safe side.”

I nodded and watched as he began tightening the lug nuts.

“Daddy?”

“Over here, Ryan,” Devlin called.

A young boy in his early teens at best appeared and gave me a quick wave as he circled around me. “Mom says the pilot needs to talk to you about tomorrow.”

“Uh, yeah,” Devlin murmured as he glanced at the tire and then his son.

“Go, I’ll finish up,” I offered.

Devlin hesitated and then said, “You sure?”

“Yeah, absolutely.”

“Thanks,” Devlin said as he handed me the tire iron. I watched him follow his son into the house and then turned my attention to the car. I began tightening one of the lug nuts but as I moved to the next one, I lost my grip on the tire iron and it shifted upwards and hit the inside of the top of the wheel well. Before I could even check for damage, I heard a clicking sound and looked down to see a round, black object fall to the ground beside the tire. I picked it up and turned it over in my hand and then froze when I realized what it was.

I’d seen more than my share of tracking devices but I couldn’t even begin to fathom what the hell it was doing on Jonas’s car. His car was an older model that didn’t come with GPS but it wouldn’t make sense for a civilian to use this type of device as a stand in for a LoJack system.

“Cole?”

Jonas’s voice had me tucking the tracker into my jacket pocket. It was clear that someone was keeping tabs on Jonas but I didn’t want to freak him out until I knew more. I was already making a plan in my head when he appeared.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Jonas asked.

“I offered to finish putting on your tire so Devlin could take a call,” I responded as I tightened the last lug nut.

“I told Devlin not to worry about it,” Jonas said as he glanced at the tire. Then his eyes met mine and he said, “Thank you.” His smile did something to my insides and I had the insane urge to touch him.

“It’s no problem,” I said as I brushed past him, ignoring the way my body responded when my chest came into contact with his arm. I put the tire iron in the back of the car and closed it.

“Thanks for coming,” Jonas said as we began walking towards the house. “I know Casey didn’t really give you a choice.”

I was saved from having to answer by the sound of an engine coming up the driveway and I automatically stiffened as Mace’s van pulled up and parked next to my car. The man had been uncharacteristically quiet yesterday during Casey’s visit to the gallery, but today he looked stiff and unyielding. He reminded me of a solider going into battle. His grim features barely shifted at Jonas’s greeting and I felt the urge to kick his ass when I saw Jonas shrink back.

The house was surprisingly chaotic considering there were only a few people in attendance. Jonas made the introductions and besides Casey, Devlin and their two kids, there were several dogs and cats running around including a huge Mastiff that nearly knocked me to my knees when it came to check me out. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed and not at all what I would have expected for such a well-off family. And watching the way they treated Jonas, I could tell he was definitely a part of the family. While most of Jonas’s time was monopolized by twelve-year-old Ryan and eight-year-old Isabel, Devlin and Casey spent much of their time interacting with me and Mace. Mace managed to hold up his end of the conversation but I didn’t miss how his eyes kept shifting back to Jonas. I knew Mace had an interest in Jonas beyond their professional relationship, but I couldn’t tell if he’d acted on it.