Page 59 of His Reluctant Savior

The place wasn’t crowded for a Tuesday night, but some rough-looking men played pool at the only table in the place. A few other people, mostly men, sat at the bar or played darts.

I sat down on a wobbly stool and ordered an amber beer. I sipped on it while distracting myself with the football game playingsilently on the screen while a classic rock song filtered through old speakers.

Sid probably wouldn’t be too far behind to check on me, but I liked being away from him for a bit. I’d grown exceedingly attached to him in the past couple of weeks. Hell, it’d been nearly three weeks now since this shit show started.

In reality, I was falling for him. I still questioned my morality, but it wasn’t as strong, feeling it diminish bit by bit every time he kissed me or we had sex. Fuck, I’d reached the point where I would protect him as much as he protected me. I was in it for the long haul, but I hadn’t yet settled on anything once this was all over. Then we could approach where we went from there.

Still, with all the stress, it was nice to be alone for a minute to breathe and just drink a beer like a normal man—a man who wasn’t on the fucking run.

I glanced over at the person sitting down at the bar. Despite there being several empty bar stools, he chose one right next to me.

He looked way too young to be here, but they didn’t card me when I came in, either.

The young man waved to the bartender and ordered a root beer. Why the hell would he come to a dive like this just for a soda?

“Not much of a drinker, eh?” I asked him.

He looked at me without one expression on his face, as if he wore a mask rather than being himself. “No, I don’t like being out of control or the taste of it.”

The more I looked at him, the more familiar he appeared. There was something about his ashy, dark blond hair and soft brown eyes.

Suddenly, it hit me who he was, as my panic grew. I’d left my gun at the hotel since they didn’t allow them in the bar. Fuck. I looked back at the front door, willing Sid to hurry and get here.

“Sid doesn’t know I’m here,” he said, reading me like a book.

“I can see that. He won’t be happy you’re confronting me, Easton.”

“Ah, he’s told you about me.”

“All good things, I assure you.”

“Sid is the only one I care about in this world. I have a family, and we watch over each other, but only Sid matters to me.”

I swallowed and took a sip of beer to bring some saliva back into my mouth. “Have you been following us this entire time?”

“Yes. I am watching over you both.”

That wasn’t exactly reassuring, knowing one of Sid’s family members had been on our tail the entire time. Then again, maybe that explained why no one had attacked us again.

Easton sipped on the root beer that was placed in front of him.

“Why… Why are you approaching me now?”

“Don’t worry. If I wanted you dead, you would be. You wouldn’t have seen me coming.”

Again, not reassuring. “Uhm, thanks?”

He nodded, and a fraction of a smile ticked on his mouth before he recovered. “You’re welcome. I’m here because this is the first time you’ve been separated from Sid. He keeps you very close. I’m honestly surprised he’s let you out of his sight.”

“He understands I need to get away for a bit.”

“He’s taking a big risk.”

I nodded. “Sid will be here soon, but that doesn’t answer my question as to why you’re here talking to me.”

“To see who you are for myself. To see if you’re worthy of Sid and me. He has the look of a man in love. I’m not sure what that feels like, but I’ve seen it and recognized it. The question is, do you love him? You look at him fondly, but I have my doubts.”

“Uhm, I adore Sid, but love? I don’t think he loves me.” It was time to be honest, because I didn’t think Easton would accept anything less. “While I would like that with him, it’s complicated. I’m FBI, Easton, and Sid’s a killer.”

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