“I’m telling you, Jackson, it’s a bad idea. Having Wyatt at his father’s speaking engagements and fundraising dinners? It’s a recipe for disaster. The kid’s gonna snap.”
Jackson rested his arms on his desk, his fingers steepled together in front of his chin. “The kid’s gonna snap? It’s you who looks too tightly wound, brother.”
He wasn’t wrong. Linc was a wire on the verge of snapping, his shoulders tight, his jaw aching from his clenched teeth. He needed an outlet. Something other than punching a heavy bag or bench-pressing extra weights. If Wyatt had truly belonged to Linc—in every sense of the word—Linc would have poured all this energy and rage into fucking Wyatt, taking him apart and putting him back together, using him over and over until they were both too exhausted to think about the mess their lives had become.
But he’d ended it… because it was the right thing to do, it was the smart thing to do. Necessary. He needed to finish this job; his sister needed him to finish this job. But everything in Linc screamed that Wyatt needed him more. Of course, that could just be his dick talking. He just didn’t fucking know anymore.
“He hurt him,” he finally said, continuing to pace the length of Jackson’s office.
That had his friend’s attention. “Hurt him physically? You saw this?”
Linc gave a single jerk of his head. “No, I didn’t see it, but I could tell. He’s abusive. The guy gave me carte blanche to beat the gay out of his kid, it’s not a real leap to think that he’d put his hands on him.”
Jackson gave a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.
“Linc—”
“Don’t tell me it’s not my business, Jack. I’m not going to stand by and watch that fucker hurt him,” Linc barked.
Jackson’s head snapped up. “You think I’d tell you to ignore something like that? Am I that kind of guy? I got into this business to help people, to protect them. But you need to be careful.”
“Careful?” Linc repeated.
“Yeah, careful. That man is a state senator. Yes, he’s a son of a bitch and yes, most people loathe him, but he has reach. We’re in a very red state. He could make your life and mine very complicated… never mind what he could do to his son. If you think you’re getting too close to this, I’ll find you another client, one you’re less likely to become attached to. Believe me, I have plenty of those.”
That brought Linc up short. He wasn’t giving up Wyatt. He couldn’t trust that another guard would understand him, would know what he needed. That wasn’t happening. “No way,” he growled, slapping his hands on the desk.
Jackson’s brow arched. “Take a seat.”
Linc wanted to tell him to fuck off—he’d been this kid’s battalion leader—but instead, he just dropped into the chair before raking his hands across his face. “This kid has been through enough. His father’s an abusive, controlling asshole. He has one real friend.”Who hates me, Linc silently added, not sure why that mattered. “He’s lonely and depressed. I don’t know if he’s strong enough to handle these events and keep it together.”
“That’s not our call.”
“Can’t you tell the senator that it will be a logistics nightmare trying to keep him and Wyatt safe at these functions?”
Jackson snorted a laugh. “He’s not the fucking president. He’s a dick, but nobody’s actively gunning for him. Except maybe you,” he added, giving Linc a pointed look.
“So, what do I do?”
“What can you do? SITFU, brother.”
Suck it the fuck up.He’d said it to his men a hundred times. Stop complaining and get the job done. He dug his thumbs into his eyes until colorful spots danced across his lids. “You’re right. But, man, on my mother’s grave, the minute I resign, I’m going to lay that motherfucker out. I don’t care if I go to prison.”
“And on that day, I’ll be there with bail money and a good attorney… until then, adapt and overcome, Marine.”
Linc nodded. “I need to get back. It doesn’t pay to leave the kid alone for too long.”
His hand was on the doorknob when Jackson spoke one final time. “Whatever you’re doing with that boy… make sure you don’t get caught with your dick out, for all of our sakes.”
“There’s nothing going on.”
“Bullshit.”
Linc’s face flushed. “I squashed it. I told him we can’t. It’s over.”
“Uh-huh. If you say so.”
Linc didn’t bother to argue, just jerked the door open and left. He really did want to get back to Wyatt. He’d been in his room for hours, ever since his father had dropped the campaign bomb on his head. History had proven leaving Wyatt alone with his thoughts for too long never ended well for anybody. Technically, he shouldn’t ever leave Wyatt alone, but Linc had needed to talk to Jackson before he committed a felony against a seated member of congress.
