When we pulled up to Royal Elite, Gabe's shoulders finally relaxed as he parked in front of the flat-roofed contemporary building. The white columns gleamed and the glass walls glittered. It looked modern. Just as I pushed open the door to get out of the car, an enormous man stepped out of the front door. At Rogues, we had all kinds of agents. Some of them former military and enormous. Many of them played bodyguard roles. We had spies who were meant to blend into the background. But this guy was stupid good looking. Massive. He was bigger than Lock. Had more muscle on him too. His light brown hair, blue eyes, and clean-shaven jaw screamed I could have been a pouty Abercrombie model in my youth.
And then he unleashed his smile. Dear Lord. "Let me guess, you're Saffron Abott?" he asked in a low timbre.
I nodded, barely able to croak out a hello. “Yes. That's me. This is my partner, Lachlan King."
He gave Lock a nod and shook my hand, completely encompassing it in his. “I'm Jax Reynolds. I'll be bringing you up to speed. Ariel Winston's on her way."
"Right."
The whole recent history of the Winston Isles fascinated me. Ariel Winston had been a Royal Guard in the palace. And then somehow she'd left her employment there to start her own security agency. But her security agency still worked closely with the palace. It was fascinating. And she'd married a prince. An actual prince.
Not that I paid a lot of attention to the gossip rags.
Who are you kidding? You live for that.
It was my one guilty pleasure, really. I loved anything about royals and celebrities. They led a life completely different than my own. Yes, the Abott name afforded me money and access, but I lived a life with no lights and parties and dancing until the wee hours of the morning. I didn't get to experience that aspect, so I didn't know those people. Hearing about their lives was endlessly fascinating.
Ariel was also best friends with Queen Penny, who had also been a Royal Guard. Eventually, she'd married the king. She stayed on as a guard too, which I found so modern. She was my hero. Able to have both. And I couldn't quite squelch that inner teenage hope that I might actually meet the queen.
"Thank you so much for taking the time to set things up for this."
“It's not a problem. Gabe and I go way back."
"Oh, I wasn't aware you knew my brother."
He nodded. “I was sorry to hear about your parents."
I swallowed hard and forced a thankful smile on my face because that was what people expected. “Thanks, I appreciate it."
"Should we go in?" Lock asked.
Jax nodded and led the way.
As we followed him, I noticed Lock was glaring at him. "What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t like the way he was looking at you.”
I choked out a laugh. "Are you serious right now?"
He shrugged. “Yup."
"Then maybe you didn't notice the ring on his finger?"
Lock frowned. "That doesn't mean anything.
"Wow," I said, laughing.
“It doesn't."
Almost as if on cue when Jax opened the door, a squealing toddler ran out. “Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy."
With a laugh he stooped down and picked her up. She had a head full of curls and was mostly cheeks and dimples. "Mayzie, I told you not to run. You can slip and fall, especially in this office."
“Yes, but I wanted to say hi, Daddy."
"Okay, Mayzie, why don't you say hi to some new friends of daddy's. This is Mr. King and Miss Abott."
The little girl blew Lachlan a kiss, and he grinned back at her, a full smile showcasing dimples of his own.