Nyla’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Just some asshole my manager has watching me. He’s kind of like security, watching my every move. I couldn’t even come to this party alone.”
The man reached us, his voice already raised. “You were told not to wander off. What the hell are you doing out here?”
“She’s fine,” I said, stepping slightly in front of Nyla. “We were just enjoying the ocean breeze. We needed a breather from the party.”
The man’s eyes flicked to me, and something shifted in his expression. Recognition and interest flickered in his eyes.
“You again,” he said slowly, his gaze narrowing. “I remember you.”
My skin prickled. His tone wasn’t blatantly threatening, but it wasn’t friendly either. It was the kind of tone that said,I’ll be watching you now.
“Leave her alone, Grady,” Nyla hissed as if she had picked up on the subtle threat in the man’s words. “She’s my friend.”
Grady. I stored his name, along with Rourke’s, for research later.
“Your friend, huh?” His eyes narrowed on me.
I glared at him, refusing to be intimidated.
“Is there a problem here?” Another voice cut through the tension.
Lincoln. Relief swamped me as he walked toward us, his posture relaxed but his eyes on Grady. He stopped beside me. “You alright?”
I nodded.
“Nyla.” He acknowledged her with a nod.
“Hey,” she said softly, her eyes flickering to Grady.
“And you are?” Lincoln’s gaze zeroed in on the man.
Next to Lincoln, Mr. Big and Bad didn’t look so big and bad.
The man stood taller, suddenly less sure of himself. “Just doing my job.”
Lincoln quirked an eyebrow. “And that is?”
“Phoenix’s security.”
Lincoln’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ve got plenty of security. She’s fine.”
The man hesitated, then gave a stiff nod and turned to Nyla. “We’re going back inside.”
“Are you ready to go back inside, Nyla?” Lincoln asked.
A muscle ticked in Grady’s jaw as he assessed Lincoln from head to toe—trying to size him up, I suppose. He decided to stay humble. Good choice. I imagined not many people looked at Lincoln and thought:I can take him.
Nyla smirked at Grady’s expression. “Yeah, but in a minute.”
“You heard her,” Lincoln said, still holding Grady in a cold stare. “She’ll go inside in a minute.”
Grady didn’t like it, but after a moment’s hesitation, he walked away.
Nyla’s sigh got our attention.
“Thanks for that,” she told Lincoln. “It was nice to see him humbled.”
Lincoln inclined his head. “If you want to avoid him for the rest of your trip, that won’t be a problem either. You can change villas. There’s plenty of space in mine.”
