This mildly piques my interest, and I shake his hand in greeting.
The other man steps forward. Before my uncle can speak, he introduces himself. “I’m Cruce Britton. I work for Kynan.”
A bell goes off in my head when we shake hands because while I don’t recognize his face, his name is well known to me. “You used to be Secret Service. You saved my uncle.”
Cruce gives me a nod of acknowledgment, his lips curving up only slightly—seemingly more in embarrassment than amusement.
My uncle takes a deep breath, dramatically inhaling as he rubs his stomach. “Dinner smells delicious, honey. I’m starved.”
Suspiciously, I cross my arms over my chest. “What’s going on? Are you in danger or something?”
My uncle blinks before giving a nervous laugh. “Of course not, but how about we head into the kitchen and you serve up some of that famous tuna noodle casserole?”
“Uncle Jon,” I murmur warningly. I don’t have the patience to wait if there’s something wrong or if I should be concerned about him.
“I swear I’m okay,” he assures me, then hurries toward my kitchen. Kynan follows him, leaving me in the foyer with Cruce.
He hadn’t seemed intimidating before, but now he has a certain overwhelming quality. He’s taller than the other guy by a few inches, and I have to tip my head way back to see him. His hair is dark, neatly swept back, and he has a trim beard and mustache.
His eyes are disconcerting, though. A light crystalline blue that seems to slice right through me as he stares.
He’s an incredibly handsome man. Intense is the word I’d use to describe him. In fact, his expression is worried, and it raises my suspicions about my uncle being in danger.
Cruce makes a motion with his hand, silently indicating I should head to the kitchen and he’ll follow. Instead, I adjust my stance, putting myself in between him and the hall that leads into the kitchen.
“What’s really going on?” I ask. “Why is the man who saved my uncle here? What kind of danger is he in?”
Cruce appraises me, seeming to size up my ability to handle bad news. I brace at his scrutiny, then become frustrated when his eyes cut past me to where my uncle and Kynan wait because it seems he’s going to put me off.
Instead, I’m stunned when he says, “He’s not the one in danger. You are, and I’m here to protect you.”
♦
“I don’t understand,” I say for the third time. All three men sit at my kitchen table, working on second helpings of my tuna casserole. I’ve barely had two bites, but my stomach rebels against the idea of food right now.
My uncle shoves a huge forkful of noodles and creamy tuna into his mouth, so I turn to Kynan, who owns the company hired to protect me. “Until we can determine the full extent of what’s being planned, we have to assume the worse.”
“And you think they’ll kidnap me?” I ask, even though they’ve already told me this.
“It’s the most logical assumption,” Kynan replies. “That they’d take you somewhere and force you to finish the formula for them.”
“But I’d refuse,” I point out.
“They’d force you,” Cruce says quietly, and the surety in his voice causes a tremor to run up my spine.
But no… I can’t accept what they’re saying. “It doesn’t make sense. The formula is nothing without the ability to test it, and fusion reactors can’t be bought at Target.”
“True,” Kynan says, but then proceeds to burst my bubble. “But there are plenty of foreign countries and terrorist organizations with the funding and access to the materials needed.”
“And you want to hire protection for me?” I ask. This time, I direct my question at my uncle, who is still chewing the last bite he’d taken.
He swallows, then wipes his mouth on a napkin. “It’s only until we can ferret out who these people are and shut them down. But until then, I can’t take a risk—”
“I’m already protected at work.” I say, cutting him off with an impatient wave of my hand. “And if you need to assign someone to escort me home, that’s fine. But I don’t need—”
“It’s already been decided, Barrie,” my uncle says, his high-handedness making my teeth gnash together.
“I’m an adult, Uncle Jon,” I snap. “You can’t dictate—”
“I am your president—the one who ensures your company gets the funding for your research,” he growls, leaning toward me from his chair. “And you will accept the security I’m hiring.”
I swallow hard, fuming but silently admitting he just intimidated the shit out of me.
His face softens, though, and he reaches out to take my hand. “But indulge an overprotective uncle, will you, honey? I’m really worried about this threat. While it might turn out to be nothing at all, you are going to help an old man sleep at night if you just let these men protect you for a while. Okay?”
I let out a long, submissive sigh.
Because after hearing him put it that way, I’d never do anything to cause him distress.
“Okay, fine,” I mutter as I pick up my fork and stab a noodle. “But what exactly does this ‘extra protection’ look like?”
“We’re going to have two men escort you to and from work each day,” Kynan answers for him. Of course, we’ll tweak our plan over the next twenty-four hours, and I suspect Bebe and our new hire, Dozer, will be involved as well. “Same at work… two men outside your lab at all times.”
“But my building is secure,” I say, feeling like I’m causing an awful lot of trouble and expense. “Anyone who goes inside has to have top-secret clearance and credentials to get in.”
“Nothing is foolproof,” Kynan replies, and I shoot a glance at Cruce. He’d finished eating, and he’s just silently watching the exchange. I wonder why he’s even here since he hasn’t said much. “People can be bought off. Money is a powerful influencer. It wouldn’t take much for someone to get into that building with the right type of planning.”
I incline my head in understanding. “Okay… that makes sense. And here at my home?”
“At night, two men will patrol outside,” Kynan replies before nodding his head at Cruce. “And he’ll always be with you—inside and out—when you aren’t at work.”
“What?” I exclaim, bolting upright in my chair, my fork clattering to my plate. “No. Absolutely not. This is my home—”
“And Cruce will be staying here with you,” Uncle Jonathan decries in a deep voice that is not to be trifled with. “In this world, he’s the person I’d trust the most with your life, Barrett. I’m not going to be swayed on it.”
My eyes cut to Cruce, and he stares right back. Not in defiance, but definitely not in understanding either. I can tell by his expression he’s already accepted the duty bestowed on him by my uncle.
I push up from my chair, sullen and sounding slightly bratty. “I’ll have to go change the sheets in the guest room.”
“Sit,” my uncle orders, and my ass hits the cushion of my kitchen chair. He gives me an understanding smile. “I know this is disruptive to you, Barrett, and how involved in your work you are. But your safety is paramount to any damn formula that will create fusion energy.”