“I have to say, I wasn’t thrilled about being told someone would be here watching my son tonight.”
“I understand that. But we need to see how a client moves through his world before we can protect him in it.”
Graham’s jaw tightened, then released. “Fair enough. I suppose that’s why I’m paying for the best.”
Isaac almost pointed out that Zodiac Tactical hadn’t agreed to take on the case yet. That was the biggest part of the reason he was here tonight.
“Trent isn’t—” Graham paused. Chose his words. “He doesn’t think he needs this. I’m hoping you can change his mind.”
“We’re not in the business of convincing people to accept protection, Mr. Ashford. If Trent doesn’t want to cooperate with a security detail, there’s nothing we can do for him.”
“He doesn’t understand the severity of the threats.”
“Then you’ll have to help him understand. Show him what you showed us. We’ll take the job if he’s willing to work with us,but if he’s going to fight the detail, dodge his team, or treat my people like the help, we walk. No exceptions.”
Graham studied him. Whatever he saw must have landed, because he nodded slowly. “Fair enough. I appreciate the directness.”
“It’s the only way this works.”
“I’ll talk to Trent. Make sure he understands.”
Isaac nodded. “Then I’m sure Zodiac will be a good fit for your needs, although Ian DeRose will have ultimate say.”
“You’d be the one guarding Trent?”
Fuck no. Isaac wouldn’t last one shift with Trent without knocking him on his ass. “He’ll have an around-the-clock team, all top notch. All making sure Trent is safe.”
Graham didn’t like that, but Isaac didn’t care. Zodiac would keep Trent alive. That was all that mattered in the long run.
They shook hands again, and went their separate ways. The whole conversation took less than fifteen minutes.
Isaac made his way to the bar and ordered a bourbon. He was early. That was fine. He drank slowly, watching the room the way he’d been watching it all night. Except now he kept looking for Fallon. The dark dress, the thin chain. A couple of times he thought he caught her near the edges of the dance floor, but it was never her.
She didn’t show up. He waited well past the allotted thirty minutes, but Fallon was gone.
He finished the bourbon and sat with the glass for another minute, turning it slowly on the napkin.
Themaybehadn’t been a maybe. He could see that now. It had been anodelivered with grace, and he’d heard it and chosen to hope, anyway. He wasn’t angry about it. Wasn’t hurt, exactly. It was flatter than that.
Three songs on a dance floor with a woman who didn’t need him to be anything other than present, and the night had feltsharp-edged and alive. Now she was gone, and the ballroom was just a ballroom again, and he was just a guy in a tuxedo at a charity event he couldn’t remember the cause of.
He pushed away from the bar and headed toward the door. His business here was done.
The quartet was playing something new as he walked by. The crowd moved and glittered and performed for each other the same way they had all night, the same way they would at the next one, wherever that ended up being.
Isaac walked out alone.
