Page 8 of Cohesion

“Sweeney didn’t know that Errol and Dane were dead. He was working on Mulhall’s orders, so there’s a chance he doesn’t know either,” Jericho said. “There’s no reason for this to notbe his next stop.”

“Find me proof,” Sebastian repeated. He would never go into a courtroom without evidence and information that backed up the case that he’d made. Not unless he wanted to be caught with his pants down. He wasn’t willing to put his entire life on hold without substantiated evidence that he had a reason to worry. And “we think” wasn’t good enough. All the dangers thus far were gone. There was no point in seeing shadows wherethere weren’t any. Not unless they all wanted to go insane from paranoia.

“Until then, can we just…” Sebastian deflated. “I want normal, Quinn. I want to find out what it means for you and I to be together as who we are now. I want to know how it works with all five of us—because that’s a mindfuck and a half even without adding killers to the list—and what making a life with all of you is going to look like. And I can’t…” He ran a hand through his hair, wishing he’d put product or something in it so it didn’t look like he’d been electrocuted. Monica was going to give him a “look,” and he’d have to deal with that for the rest of the day. Good thing he wasn’t heading into court. “I can’t do that when we’re constantly looking over our shoulders, wondering when someone is going to try to hurt one of us again.” There were so many things he needed to tell Quinn, things that they needed to talk about, that would test the new bonds they’d made, and he didn’t need danger dogging their every step while he tried to work out how to do that.

Even just thinking about talking to Quinn about Riley was enough to give him hives.

Quinn softened. “I know,” he said sincerely. “But I need to know that you’re safe, and that’s more important right now than anything else. The rest of it…” He bit his lip, managing to look both stern and gentle at the same time. Sebastian wanted to pull the lip between his teeth and kiss him until they both forgot what they were talking about. “Building a life with you, withus, that will still be there when this is done.”

Sebastian was sick of waiting. After losing Quinn he’d spent years waiting for his heart to put itself back together. It never had. This second chance was a dream. He was ready to move forward. And all of this just made it impossible. “I am safe. I’m right here.”

“You can’t ignore that someone is gunning for you,” Jericho said, leaning one shoulder against the wall. “Cooperate with us. Do as you’re told, for once in your life, so that we can concentrate on putting him down. Once it’s over, then you can find your new normal.”

“Wecan,” Sebastian corrected.

“Sure.”

The tone of Jericho’s voice was a placation, not confirmation. Sebastian couldn’t start that conversation. Not then. He was going to be late for work, and he was pissed off, which was never a good time to start an important, meaningful discussion. Not unless he wanted it to end in misunderstood statements and hurt feelings.

Sebastian swung the front door open and almost ran right into the two people standing on the other side. One had an arm up, fist clenched and ready to knock.

They were roughly the same height, same lean build. That was where the similarities ended. One was wearing a sleek black suit; the other was more casual in jeans and a T-shirt with some kind of cartoon character on the front. One had dark-brown, unruly curls and hazel eyes that could have been a green in the right light; the other had bright, bleached-blond hair and sparkling brown eyes that were laughing at him.

One scowled at him while the other grinned.

“Sorry, didn’t want to interrupt,” the one on the left, the blond wearing the jeans and T-shirt said, dropping his hand.

“Seb, Quinn, this is Spencer and Kendrick,” Jericho said. “Recently returned from Melbourne and here to help out.”

The blond lifted a hand. “Spencer.”

That made the dark curly-haired one with the scowl that could have frozen Hell, Kendrick.

“My escorts,” Sebastian said flatly. Neither of them left him with a feeling of confidence or safety. Not like Jericho did.

Spencer snorted. “I didn’t know we did that kind of thing. I hope we’re charging extra.”

“Keep your hands to yourself,” Jericho said in clear warning.

Kendrick looked speculatively at Jericho. “It’s true, then. I thought G was just, y’know, being his usual charming self.”

“As opposed to your bright and sunny disposition?” Jericho asked.

Sebastian didn’t have time for this. He grabbed his laptop bag from under the side table near the door where he’d left it last night and then shoved through the middle of the two of them, forcing them to move.

He heard Quinn say something along the lines of “good luck” behind him. Just for that, he was going to turn on every tap in the house next time Quinn was having a shower.

He threw his bag in the passenger side of his silver Lexus and then slid into the driver’s side. He started it, shifted gears, and took off down the long driveway without waiting to see if his new bodyguards had gotten into their black SUV.

If they wanted to watch him? He’d make them work for it.

The bullpen was surprisinglyquiet when Quinn slipped into the big room. Henry was standing at one of the spare desks, head bent down, brows drawn together in concentration, with thick stacks of paper in front of him along with a guillotine and a stapler. Sheer determination in every line, the same as it was for every task he was given, big or small. He had the potential to be a good detective, once he learned how to relax.

Grady lounged in his chair, back to the entrance. Gideon stood beside him, leaning against the desk and facing Quinn. He half twisted, pointing at something on Grady’s monitor.

“You can’t just keep pointing at people, hoping that eventually you’ll hit the jackpot,” Grady growled. “We aren’t fucking playing Cluedo.”

“I do think that dad looked a bit like Colonel Mustard.”

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