Page 32 of Centurion

“Did that hurt?” She smiled at her husband.

“No. Heisa good man.” They started walking again. “The boys … They’ve always wanted to work for the company. Sooner or later, I see them taking over for the Kings. Probably later, which is all right by me.”

“They’re getting their own teams?”

He nodded. “I gave them the option of working together or separately. Without missing a beat, they both said they want to prove themselves alone without the support of each other.” Those were her sons. They were fiercely independent, but they’d be there for each other until they took their last breath.

They walked along the Westminster Cathedral. She’d researched the Neo-Byzantine architecture. The structure was simply beautiful. Her husband paused while she stared at the exterior of the church, then continued, “They’ll start as team members. I can’t put rookies in charge of a team.”

“That’s understandable. They’re seasoned from the military, but not in this particular aspect.” She sighed and listened to some distant church bell toll. There wasn’t a horde of tourists rushing toward Buckingham Palace because the changing of the Guards was over. When the tourists had scurried on about their tours was the best time to walk the area. She glanced across the street and watched as one of their security detail moved along the route with them. “I told Gabby we’d be here and asked if we could get together for a little bit.”

David nodded. “From the last briefing I had, she’ll have time. But don’t tell her I said that.” He widened his eyes at her. “I don’t want to be accused of trying to run her life … again.”

Anna chuckled. “I won’t.” They walked past the side of the palace, then stopped at the corner. Anna took in Queen Victoria’s monument and the multitude of flowers in the gardensurrounding it. “The history here.” She sighed and gazed at the ancient architecture that melded seamlessly with the grounds and the Mall beyond. She felt her husband tense. “What is it?”

She’d learned not to react but to continue to act normally.

“Across the street, is that Gabby?”

Anna’s head snapped in the direction David suggested. “Where?” She searched for her daughter.

“With the man in the black T-shirt.” They started walking, keeping to their side of the street. Anna finally saw who he was talking about. The man was dancing with a woman. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she wore jeans, trainers, and a pink T-shirt.

“She wouldn’t wear jeans …” Just then, the man twirled the woman, and Gabby’s laughter was unmistakable. Whoever she was with was a big man, not fat, definitely not, but Guardian-sized. She looked up at David. “Itisher.”

“Who’s she with?” He tapped his ear and told his security detail to get a picture of the man without letting them know they were being photographed. He then told them to run the photograph for identification of the man.

“I don’t know, and we probably should go. She’s having fun, David. Let’s not ruin it for her.”

He shook his head. “She won’t know we’re here.” He slowed his walk, and they watched as the man ran forward, spun, and held out his camera. Gabby struck a pose, and they both laughed as she ran toward him. He caught her and swung her around. Gabby jumped on his back and held on as he galloped like a horse. Their laughter rang down the length of the mall. She jumped down, and they held hands as they walked. Their conversation was animated as he pointed to things, walked backward to talk to her, and then spun around again, taking her hand in his.

David stopped and cocked his head. A slight smile spread across his lips. “Roger. Thank you.”

“Who is it?” she asked as they continued to stroll on the other side of the street.

“His name is Conner Solomon.” Her husband looked down at her and smiled. “He works for us, and his mom is Olivia Solomon.”

“Olivia? I thought she only had two boys. Rob and …” Anna tried to think of the other son’s name.

“Matt,” David supplied. “She has four total. Two of them, her younger sons, work for us. Conner and Brandon. Both are extremely smart computer specialists. Jewell recommended we bring them on after the Siege.” He smiled when Gabby skipped to keep up with Conner’s longer strides. Then he started walking faster, so Gabby had to run.

Anna chuckled. “They’re acting like kids.”

“They are kids.” David laughed quietly.

“No, they’re most definitely not. She’s a woman with her own mind,” Anna chided.

“Lord, you do not need to tell me that.” He chuckled as they crossed the street when Gabby and Conner made their way to Trafalgar Square. Conner scaled one of the statues and posed as Gabby took photos of him. He motioned to her, and she moved closer and gave him her hand. She scrambled up on top of the statue. David took out his phone and snapped a picture. “We should go.”

“Only if I can skip.” Anna looked up at him. With a laugh, he turned around, grabbed her hand, and purposefully walked faster. She skipped down the sidewalk. Anna laughed so hard she had to stop or end up tripping. Her heels weren’t that high, but high enough she’d crash without any grace. David’s arm went around her, and she tucked into his embrace. “I love you.” She sighed to the man she adored.

“And I love you.” He kissed the top of her head as they made their way to their car. She glanced back one last time and smiledwhen she saw Conner and Gabby kissing.You go, baby girl. You go.

CHAPTER 13

“Here, you drive.” Ronnie handed her car fob to Con. He stopped and pulled her into him for another kiss. She melted into his big, hard body. His hand now expertly avoided the smaller knife she kept in a holster on the waistband of her jeans, concealed by her T-shirt. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let all the wonderful sensations she’d recently come to yearn for, fill her. His aftershave blended with his unique scent, making a combination into something that drove her mildly insane, and that was a problem she’d gladly keep.

He pulled away and looked down at her. “I’m the luckiest man on earth.”

---