They hurried to the car, and Cade whipped out of the parking spot as Tristan fumbled with the seat belt. Once on the road, the redhead stared blankly out of the window, his hands clenched in his lap. Cade supposed that response tracked with almost dying twice in a matter of hours.
He picked up the phone with one hand and hit a button to call Annabeth.
She answered on the fourth ring, sounding confused, "King, what's wrong? What time is it?"
"It's just after four. Sorry for waking you up, but we had a visitor."
"Shit, okay. What's your status?"
"He's out cold in our motel room, and we're on the move."
"What do you need?"
"To move up the timeline. Meet me at six at the rendezvous point. You'll bring what I asked for, right?"
"Of course, sweet cheeks. You know I'm exceptional at my job."
Cade blanched, sliding his gaze toward Tristan even though he knew he couldn't hear Annabeth's teasing.
"Annabeth, don't call me that," he mumbled. If one of the guys used that name, he'd punch them, but he put up with a lot of teasing from Annabeth that he'd never tolerate from anyone else. For one, he had a lot of respect for her brilliance, her mad computer skills, and her ability to hold her own in a room full of assassins. Second, despite her tiny stature, she scared him a little. She could be fierce and ruthless in hunting down targets, and he never wanted to be on the receiving end of her wrath. And third, she was one of the few people he genuinely liked.
When Cade disconnected the call, Tristan eyed him with a half-smile. "Who's Annabeth? I think I like her."
He ignored the barb, embarrassed that the woman had obliterated his tough-guy façade. "My associate. She'll meet us in a couple of hours with what we need."
"What do we do until then?"
Cade observed the man beside him, ragged, lost and stressed, a man he was now responsible for keeping alive. "We're going to get you something to eat."
"I'm not hungry."
"You need to eat."
Tristan huffed but didn't argue, just crossed his arms over his chest. He bounced his leg again, an apparent nervous habit.
Cade's eyes were drawn to Tristan's thigh, and the memory of those muscled legs in nothing but boxer shorts popped into his mind. Strong, naked thighs wrapped around his waist …
He mentally checked himself. He needed to get these impulses under control. His job was to protect Tristan, not seduce him.
When he determined they were far enough from the motel, Cade pulled into the parking lot of an all-night diner. It sported a neon pink sign that said simply 'Diner' and a series of grungy windows that obscured the view of the interior. Perfect.
He parked and glanced at the other man, who still looked dazed. "Let's get some food in you."
When Tristan stepped out and shivered in the early morning chill, Cade made a mental note to get him a sweatshirt or coat to put over his lightweight shirt.
They made their way inside and selected a table near the back. Cade situated himself with a clear view of the door in case any more threats popped up, and Tristan slid into the booth across from him and studied the menu.
In the harsh fluorescent lights, his companion looked even worse than Cade initially registered. His face drooped in a dejected frown, and dark smudges shadowed his dull eyes. Cade felt a pang of sympathy for him, clearly distressed about his sister, running from people who wanted him dead, and thrust into a murderous game he had no experience with.
A waitress with thick gray hair pulled into a top knot and deep lines etched on her face appeared and asked, "What can I get ya?" without the courtesy of eye contact.
"I'll have the classic breakfast and coffee," Cade answered. When Tristan didn't look up from his menu, he nudged him under the table with his foot. "Babe? What do you want?"
Tristan jolted and gawked at him wide-eyed, so he jerked his head toward the waitress. Tristan's eyes followed, and his cheeks flushed pink. "Oh, um, I'll have the same," he said, even though Cade knew he hadn't heard his order. The waitress let out a hum of acknowledgment and walked away.
When the waitress was out of earshot, Tristan hissed, "Babe?? What was that about?"
"Didn't want to use your name."
