And there was most certainly something off.
I doubted the average person would notice, but I wasn’t just some person.
I was the man Nathan was in love with.
Jesus, how the hell had this happened?
I hadn’t responded when he’d said those words to me. I hadn’t had any clue how to respond. What did you say when someone literally changed your entire world with three little words?
I’d merely hung onto him, and then I’d led him into the shower where we’d lovingly cleaned each other off. He’d fallen asleep quickly once we’d gotten into bed, but I’d spent most of the night awake, wondering how I’d let all of this happen.
And not just the part about him loving me.
He may have been the only one brave enough to admit his feelings, but he wasn’t the only one feeling them.
I forced myself to focus on the crowd as we worked our way back to my SUV. One of Ronan’s men had stayed with the car to make sure it hadn’t been tampered with. He opened the door for us when we got to the vehicle. A couple of pushy reporters kept yelling questions at Nathan, including ones about whether or not there was a heightened security presence at today’s rally and why, but he steadfastly ignored them. I climbed into the car after him and shut the door. We were moving within a couple of minutes. I pressed the communication device in my ear.
“Anything?” I asked.
One by one, the men reported in that no one was following the SUV.
I was both relieved and disappointed.
So far, Nathan’s assailant hadn’t taken the bait.
When I glanced at Nathan, he looked at me questioningly. I shook my head. He nodded and his eyes fell. I reached over to link my fingers with his.
“We’ll get him,” I murmured.
Nathan squeezed my fingers. “I know.”
I leaned back against the seat and wasn’t surprised when Nathan pressed into my side. I loved how tactile of a person he was. I wondered if it was just because he was with me, or if it was something he was feeling the need for after a lifetime with parents who likely hadn’t shown him and his brother any kind of affection.
Since we had a thirty-minute drive back to Nathan’s house, I began gently massaging the back of his neck in the hopes he’d fall asleep. Despite the fact that he’d been eating well and sleeping through the night while he’d been staying with me, he still seemed overly tired. It probably hadn’t helped that I’d woken him up in the middle of the night to make love to him again.
After just a few minutes, I felt Nathan’s body relax against mine, but it didn’t last because my phone rang. Nathan sat up so I could reach for the phone. I removed the com from my ear when I saw who the caller was.
“Hey, Ronan,” I said as I answered. “We’re all good here,” I said, assuming he’d called me to see how the rally went.
“Are you with Nathan?” Ronan asked.
I stiffened when I heard the tension in his voice.
“Yes,” I said. “What’s wrong?”
At that, Nathan’s hand came to rest on my arm. “What is it?” he asked, his eyes going from relaxed to full-on worried just like that.
“Something’s happened…to Brody,” Ronan said.
I glanced at Nathan, and he must have seen something in my eyes because he began shaking his head. “No,” he whispered.
I grabbed his hand and put the phone on speaker. “Ronan, you’re on speaker. Nathan’s here.”
“Is it Brody?” Nathan asked, his voice thick with emotion.
“He’s alive, Nathan,” was the first thing Ronan said. Nathan’s fingers squeezed mine so hard I was sure they’d break.
“What happened?” I asked.
“There was a fire at the house Brody, Quinn, and Beck are renting. Beck and Quinn had already left for work. The guy I had watching Brody got Brody out, but the house exploded when the fire reached the propane tank.”
“Was Brody hurt?” I asked.
“His injuries from the explosion are minor. But as soon as he and my guy got out of the house, they came under fire.”
“Under…under fire…what does that mean?” Nathan asked.
“Someone started shooting at them,” Ronan said. “Brody was hit while he was helping my guy get to cover.”
“Where was he shot?” I asked.
“Shoulder,” Ronan said. “Nathan, he’s okay, I promise you. The injury isn’t life-threatening.”
Nathan nodded, but that was all he could manage.
“What happened with the shooter?” I asked.
“My guy managed to hold him off until backup arrived. The shooter got away…my guys are looking for him now.”
“I need to be there,” Nathan said to me.
“I’m sending a plane for you. Vincent, I’ll have the pilot call you when he’s ready to submit his flight plan so you’ll need to be able to tell him where you want him to land.”
“Got it,” I answered.