Defiance (The Protectors 9)

“Your son joined the military the year you became president, right?”

Everett nodded.

“Reese was how I met…”

Everett’s voice dropped off briefly. “Reese got hurt in combat. His mother and I flew to Landstuhl to be with him. His commanding officer came to visit him one day…” Everett shook his head. “I couldn’t take my eyes off him…he was just so damn beautiful. And when he shook my hand…”

I nodded in understanding. I knew exactly what he was talking about.

“I think it surprised him, too,” Everett continued. “He’d always known he was gay, but he’d been careful not to be open about it. Not after his younger brother was discharged from the military when it came out that he was gay.”

I stiffened at that and pulled my hand from Everett’s. “No,” I whispered.

Everett’s gaze shifted to the window, but I knew he wasn’t really seeing anything outside of it. I could see Nash walking back and forth across the driveway, his sharp eyes on his surroundings.

“Pierce?” I asked. “You…you were in love with Vincent’s brother?”

“Love,” he whispered. “God, that word doesn’t seem like enough to describe what that man did for me…the things he made me feel.”

I felt like I was going to be sick because I understood everything he was saying. Jesus, was that what was happening to me? Were the feelings I had for Vincent more than just the emotion that came with finding a piece of myself I’d been denying for so long?

My thoughts drifted to the story Vincent had told me about his brother. I felt tears sting the backs of my eyes as I realized what it meant. Vincent had lost his brother, but Everett…he’d lost so much more.

“Everett, I’m sorry,” I croaked.

His sad eyes returned to me. “All those months I’d worried about losing him in combat,” he murmured. He dashed at his eyes. “He’d decided to leave the army so that once my second term was up, we could be together. I was going to come out once I’d left office. I waited too long.”

Everett sucked in a breath and tore his eyes from the window. “Pierce and I got to be together a few times, but it was a lot of work to keep our secret. Eleanor suspected what was going on, but Reese had no idea until he walked in on me and Pierce one day in my private office in the residence. Eleanor had been out of town visiting her mother, and I’d dismissed my Secret Service detail so I could have some time with Pierce. Grady was the only agent who knew about us, and he worked really hard to keep my secret and to help me find a few moments here and there for me and Pierce to be together. We didn’t know Reese was stopping by.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“What didn’t?” Everett said softly. “He blamed Pierce, he blamed me…he didn’t care that I loved Pierce or that his mother and I had been over for a long time. He saw it as a betrayal and that was it. I’ve only seen him once since that night…at his mother’s funeral a few years ago. He left the military and I lost track of him for a while.”

“Do you know where he is now?” I asked.

Everett nodded. “He refused any kind of Secret Service protection. Which meant he pretty much had a target painted on his back. Lots of agencies and individuals that would love nothing more than to get their hands on the son of a former president. A man I met a couple of years after I lost Pierce reached out to me last year to tell me he had intel that Reese was in danger. I knew Reese wouldn’t accept my help, so I asked the man to do what he could for Reese, but to keep my name out of it.”

“And did he?” I asked.

Everett nodded. “Reese is working for him in Seattle. I get regular reports that he’s doing well…seems happy.”

“That’s good,” I said encouragingly, just because Everett looked so damn broken. Before I could say anything else, I heard the rumble of an engine and the squealing of tires. My insides dropped out and my eyes met Everett’s over the table.

“Let the games begin,” Everett said with a smile, and then he was standing. “I’ll…” he began as he looked at the dirty dishes. Raised voices came from outside…well, Nash’s raised voice. Probably throwing me under the bus.

Which was what Everett did when he said, “I’ll just let you take care of this,” as he motioned to the table and then snatched his jacket off the back of his chair.

I climbed to my feet as Everett hurried past me. He stopped long enough to settle his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t be afraid to fight for what you want, son,” he said, and then he was gone. I couldn’t hear what he said a second after the front door slammed open, but the fact that Vincent didn’t respond probably wasn’t a good sign.