Page 16 of Serve ’N’ Protect

“Sure,” she said, realizing that his hair wasn’t black, as she’d originally thought. Now that it wasn’t damp with perspiration, it was actually a dark reddish-brown. Mahogany.

“The only time Barnes and I have had contact was that one shift two weeks ago,” Markus continued.

“The Saudi party,” McMurray said rather than asked.

“You get to go to parties for work?” Cassidy asked. “I thought all you did was protect the President.” The second the words flew from her mouth, she realized how stupid they sounded, as if protecting the ruler of the most powerful nation in the world was a cake walk. “Sorry,” she added quickly. “Didn’t mean for that to come out the way it sounded.”

Rather than look at her like she was an idiot, he only shrugged. “Most people think that’s all we do. Sometimes we work protection for visiting diplomats in the D.C. area. This was a party the crown prince was hosting. All we did was patrol outside.”

McMurray leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “And you’re sure nothing unusual happened during your shift? Nothing that’s come to mind while you’ve been out?”

“Just a lot of rich people coming and going.” When Markus massaged his forehead, Cassidy wondered if he had a headache or was just tired. He dropped his hand to Ghost, giving the dog a belly rub. “It’s probably a waste of time, but if they still have footage from those cams, I can review it. Since I’ll be sitting on my ass for a while, what else have I got to do?”

“I can check on that after my shift tomorrow,” Kade offered.

“Thanks, man,” Markus said.

Cassidy listened, fascinated by the investigative process. It was like being in a real live episode of Law and Order, and she was grateful they’d let her stay to hear it. She began to stroke Ghost’s thick coat when her fingers touched Markus’s. They both yanked their hands away. Ghost made a huffing sound, miffed at no longer having his belly rubbed.

“By the way”—McMurray pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to Markus—“the Saudi embassy sent over a letter commending you, Jack, and the midnight shift, and thanking you for your service. Signed by the crown prince himself.”

Markus read the letter then crumpled it into a ball and threw it on the table.

“All right, then.” McMurray stood. To Cassidy, he said, “He’s in your hands. We’re counting on you.”

Not wanting to be the focus of any more Sourpuss glares, she resisted the urge to snap another sharp salute.

“Thanks, guys,” Markus said.

“You got it.” Kade bumped fists with Markus. Before following McMurray to the door, Matt did the same.

It was obvious the three men were incredibly close, although in an entirely different way from the closeness she shared with her family. She imagined Markus’s closeness with these guys came from forging a soldierly bond in the criminal battlefield while bullets whizzed over their heads. She winced inwardly. Today, the bullets had been flying over her head, too.

Cassidy accompanied the men to the door, unable to keep from grinning like a foolish girl when Kade winked at her. His dimples really were sexy and adorable. As adorable as dimples could look on a tough-looking, six-foot-plus federal agent. Both Markus’s friends were tall and handsome. So was Markus, once you looked past the stern stoicism, leaving her wondering if “hotness” was in their job descriptions. She’d thought that was just a TV thing, but if Captain McMurray was the gauge, Markus and his friends would age really, really well.

She returned to the living room to find Ghost had rolled completely onto his back with his legs in the air while Markus continued with his belly rub. Ghost kicked his legs as Markus hit on a nerve. “Do you want to sleep on the sofa tonight or go upstairs to bed?”

“Neither.” It was then that she noticed his eyes were no longer groggy but sharp. “I need to think.”

“In that case, are you hungry? It’s dinner time. We left for the hospital around one o’clock, and you haven’t eaten since at least before then.”

“No, but thanks.” His eyes narrowed, although he wasn’t really looking at her so much as he was lost in thought. “And you can go home, by the way. You don’t really have to play nursemaid. I only said that so McMurray would leave me alone.”

“What?” He had to be kidding. Didn’t he?

“I said you can go.” He made a dismissive gesture with his hand.

“Uh, no. I can’t. I have a job to do, and I take my duties seriously.” From what she’d seen today, Markus really did need her help, even if he didn’t want it. Plus, there was that teensy-weensy other little thing she didn’t want to miss out on. A thousand dollars a week. According to McMurray, that could be for as long as two months, until Markus was cleared for duty. Can anyone say cha-ching?

He made a derisive scoffing sound that grated on her patience. “Don’t worry, you’ll still get paid.”

“That’s not the point.” Well, not all of it anyway. “You’re hurt, and you need me. It’s not my family’s way to abandon someone in need.”

“I’m not in need.”

“You are.”

“Not.”