Page 110 of Dark Knight

I turn away from the window in time to find him smirking at me. He fixes his face, but it’s too late. When I lift an eyebrow, he lifts his shoulder. “I was just thinking what a comfortable gig you’ve got waiting for you.”

“What do you mean?” If there’s one thing I’m skilled in, it’s keeping a bland expression and a flat tone of voice when the situation calls for it. I know exactly what he’s trying to say, but I’d like to watch him squirm a little.

And squirm, he does. Just when I forget exactly why Callum broke his nose over a smart-ass comment he made, he reminds me by stating yet another smart-ass comment. “I’m just saying, it sounds pretty nice. Full-time bodyguard. I know Tatum isn’t the kind of girl who’s going to live in a slum. It should be nice for you.”

“Let’s get a couple of things straight.” It’s not bad enough that he’s sitting at my desk, but now he has to comment about my life? As if he knows the first thing.

He dons the look of a man who knows he stepped in shit as I approach the desk, stopping in front of him and leaning in. “First off, if you’re going to succeed at this job, you’ll have to learn to keep your thoughts to yourself. That goes for pretty much every situation,allthe time. Discretion is a substantial portion of your work. Understood?”

“Sure. Of course.” Now he’s quiet, respectful. Embarrassed.

“Second, there’s no such thing as easy when it comes to her. Maybe you would like to switch places and live in a luxury apartment and have to watch over her. You’ll always have in the back of your head a reminder of what will happen to you if you let anything happen to her. No, it won’t be your fault in the end – she makes her own choices. But you’ll be the one who gets blamed for letting her out of your sight for a minute. Does that sound comfortable to you?”

“No. No, it doesn’t.” Something tells me he would agree to anything right now. I’m sure he’s intimidated, which is how he deserves to feel. He needs to get knocked down a peg or two, or else things are going to get bad – fast.

“I think that’s enough training for tonight.” It's already past ten o’clock, hence the guard change – I would call an end to the night. It’s one thing to be a quick learner and another to know when your opinion is wanted and when you should maybe keep your mouth shut.

“Sounds good.” He looks ready to run from the room when he stands. “You sure you have everything you need right now?”

“I’m fine. Thanks. Have a good night.” I let out a sigh of relief at the sound of his footsteps fading down the hall. He’s a decent enough guy, but he’s also a pain in the ass. I doubt I would get along with him in the outside world if we didn’t have the job connecting us. I’ve never gotten along very well with people who can’t keep their mouths shut. Even as a kid, they were the people I would avoid. It’s all about trust in the end. If I can’t trust somebody, I have no time for them.

Note to self: Have a talk with Callum about him. There’s a good chance I’m projecting here. There could be part of me that doesn’t believe anybody can do my job as well as I can. I could be looking for reasons to disapprove. Callum doesn’t mince words. If he doesn’t trust Nathan, he’ll tell me so.

I’ll be damned if I know where we could go from there. Tatum is determined to leave and is hell-bent on having me stay with her. It’s like inviting the fox into the hen house.

Don’t I owe him the truth after everything he’s done for me?

He’s still in his office across the hall from mine. No big surprise there – at least, it wouldn’t be a surprise back in the day, before Bianca turned him from a workaholic to an adoring husband. “I was hoping you’d stop by before you head out,” he tells me when I rap against the open door.

“I have that write-up for you.“ He’s still a hardcopy guy, so I slide a folder across his desk while he loosens his tie and pops his top button. “A full rundown of the five complexes Tatum’s been looking at.”

“Thorough, as always.” He gives the pages a cursory glance before closing the folder again. “I’ll be able to pay better attention to this in the morning. My age is catching up with me – I can’t pull these long nights and late meetings the way I used to.”

“You’re not that old.”

“Explain that to my body.” He stands and stretches, groaning. He’s clearly not in the mood to be reminded that, for a man his age, he’s in great shape. Hell, he’s in great shape for a man ten years younger than him.

“Why are you smiling?”

I hadn’t realized I was. “I guess I was feeling nostalgic,” I admit, chuckling at myself.

“How so?” He goes to the bar and pours a whiskey, silently inviting me to have one. As usual, I shake my head.

“It’s one of the lessons you taught me early on. Take care of your body so your brain can operate at its peak.”

“I did tell you that. And you took it to heart.” He lifts his glass in a silent salute before downing half of the amber liquid.

“I took a lot of what you said to heart. Most of it, even.”

“I’m glad you did.” He gives me a funny, appraising sort of look. “Is everything alright with you? I’ve been meaning to ask. You’ve seemed rather distant lately.”

He lowers his brow and practically growls. “Tell me she’s not giving you shit over this new assignment.”

No need to ask who he’s referring to. The mere thought of her warms my blood and awakens my yearning. “She gives me a lot of shit over all sorts of things,” I mutter. “That shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

“You realize if I trusted anyone here as much as I trust you, I would keep you here. I can’t imagine working so well with anyone as I do with you.”

Then don’t make me go. I would never say that, because I need him to send me. I don’t enjoy having my balls in a vice and having my choices removed, but it means being with her. I’ll do whatever he says so long as it means I can be with her, even when I know it’s the worst possible scenario for both of us.

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