Page 6 of Hold Back
“And now he’s your boss.”
That was a low blow.
Red shrugged. “I’ll find another job. There’s always work for trained security operatives.”
“Why are you so determined not to do this job?” Mo snapped, not hiding his exasperation.
Red gave him a tight smile. “I’m not the right bodyguard for a…” What did Craig say? “A tattooed, pierced, glitter-loving chaos demon with no sense of self-preservation.”
He thought he had that in the right order.
Joseph cocked his head. “Bullshit.”
Red narrowed his eyes. He didn’t appreciate the rudeness, even from another Daddy’s billionaire boy.
“Apologize to Daddy Red,” Mo said sternly.
Joseph pressed his lips together, clearly not wanting to say sorry. But finally, he hung his head. “I’m sorry, Daddy Red.”
Red inclined his head to accept the apology. “I don’t need the drama in my life. I just wanted to do my job and go home at the end of the day. Quinn will find the right man for Kit.”
Mo stared at him for a long moment, eyes narrowing with something sharper than curiosity. “Kit,” he said slowly. “Not Christopher. You know his name. More to the point, youknowhim.”
Red didn’t bother pretending otherwise. “I do.”
There was no point lying. Not with Mo. An afternoon spent with him told Red the man read people like open road signs.
“How?” Mo asked, voice low but firm. He expected an answer and Red knew this would get back to Quinn.
Red drew in a breath and told part of the truth. “I’m…I was…part of the Evergreen Wolves MC.”
He pointed at the faded patch on his sleeve. A wolf’s head, amber eyes staring at them, its fur edged with pine needles and a faint mountain silhouette.
“I’ve known Kit since he was a kid. But I haven’t been there much lately.”
A pause hung between them. Mo demanded more before he’d let this go.
“A stroppy kid,” Red added with a huff. “Eyes like thunder, a temper like gasoline. Always in trouble. Always pushing.”
“Nothing’s changed,” Mo murmured.
Red rubbed a hand across his jaw, memory stirring deep. “The tattoos and piercings are new. He was all elbows and attitude when I last saw him. You know what teenagers are like.”
Mo leaned back, arms folded, unreadable. “And now?”
Red met his eyes. “You tell me he’s trouble with a capital T. And I don’t know if I’m the right man to guard him… or the worst damn choice you could make.”
Mo didn’t blink. “You’re not answering the real question.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you care about him, Red?”
Red shrugged. “Like an annoying little brother. And as I’m not taking this job, it’s irrelevant.”
“Daddy Quinn always has a reason for what he does,” Joseph muttered. “He chose you for a reason.”
Mo slung an arm around Joseph’s shoulders. “You’re right there, my boy. He always has an agenda.”
