Boone (Shadow Ops: Bravo Team #1)

Chapter 1

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BOONE LANGFORD SHUT the door of his large pickup truck, striding across the nearly empty parking lot toward the secure building.

The guards at the gate of the compound, fence surrounding the perimeter, and security cameras kept most people away, but the looming structure gleaming before him in the early morning light had drawn the attention of locals during its construction.

Locals who’d never know the truth of what went on behind closed doors.

The West Coast branch of Shadow Security was officially up and running. To the public, the company provided bodyguards and security services to various clients around the country.

And in reality?

The men on the newly-formed Shadow Ops: Bravo Team had spent more than a decade in Special Forces, all highly trained and positively lethal.

Boone’s unit in Delta Force had dealt with counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and reconnaissance missions.

His teammates came from similar backgrounds, all with the know-how and skills to deploy on classified missions from years of military service.

They would now be running Black Ops, taking on jobs the Feds couldn’t or wouldn’t do.

The founder of Shadow Security, Jett Hutchinson, ran things out of headquarters in New York.

The Seattle office and Bravo Team had their own boss.

Holt Blackwell was as gruff and no-nonsense as they come.

He was also extremely skilled at getting the job done, no matter the cost. Running things off the books required toeing the line.

Taking risks. Jett had hired Holt after he’d retired from the military, the two men going all the way back to their early Army days.

And Boone?

He’d been brought in through other means, after assisting an old military buddy of his own on a rescue op.

Leaving the pool halls to run jobs as a sniper hadn’t been on his bingo card this year, but life worked out in unexpected ways.

Being on Bravo Team gave him a purpose. A new set of goals.

And damn if he wasn’t ready to right some of the injustices in the world.

His boots squeaked on the freshly polished floor as he crossed the sleek lobby.

The space was so new it still smelled of fresh paint.

The shininess countered the darkness of the world, the grim reality of the life he’d lived in Spec Ops.

But Boone was here—living, breathing, and ready to roll into action, once again taking on some of the evils of the world.

The new office building was state-of-the-art, with a modern design and the latest technology.

Surrounded by wooded acres, it was secluded enough to provide the cover and necessary space for any outdoor training needed.

The basement housed a gym, armory, and gun range.

The main level had secure rooms for briefings and workspace and offices for the team, analysts, and IT staff.

It was modeled after Shadow Security headquarters on the East Coast, and as of today, Bravo Team was a go.

Boone felt the eyes of the young, blonde receptionist on him as he walked away. He swiped his badge and pulled open the heavy door, heading into the secure area. Everyone in the building was cleared, and no one got in through the front doors without Holt and security knowing.

No one would get past the front gate either—not without the proper credentials.

Stopping by his boss’s office, Boone said hello.

Holt’s eyes narrowed. “You get the rest of the paperwork taken care of?”

“Affirmative. I even signed on the dotted line, making everything official. Job’s done and I was never there. Yadda, yadda, yadda.”

Holt remained expressionless as he continued. “We’re briefing in ten. Tell the other guys to get their asses in there. There’s a hell of a lot of shit coming our way.”

“Roger that, boss.”

Boone smirked as he moved down the hallway.

Only two weeks ago he was giving Jett the key from a little side job he’d handled.

Now he was officially in—the newest hire for Bravo Team.

Ironic that the other fellas had been out here for months.

They’d been training while the finishing touches were put into place on the new building.

Evidently, Jett had his eye on Seattle for a while.

He had a hunting cabin out here that he’d used as a home base for meeting with contacts on the West Coast and decided the greater Seattle area was good for expansion.

Jett had purchased the land and set the entire thing into motion before he’d even begun to hire new staff.

And now Boone was here, too, ready to roll up his sleeves and get shit done.

He moved down the hall to Xaden Wilkerson’s office, knocking on the doorframe as he strode right in. Cooper Davis was beside him, and both men greeted Boone with fist bumps and slaps on the shoulder.

“Good to see you, man!” Cooper said. “Bout time you blew into town.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Boone said with a grin. “Had some side jobs to take care of before making things official here.”

“Side jobs or side pieces?” Xaden smirked.

“Now that would imply I had a woman, wouldn’t it?” Boone retorted. “Can’t exactly have a side piece without a girl of my own—not that I’d cheat.”

Cooper shook his head. “Maybe not, but I’m sure you were breaking hearts all over DC.”

Boone smirked. “Far from it.”

“I heard Gage got into some good trouble over the weekend,” Cooper said with a chuckle, referring to Gage Stratton, another man on their team. “There was a pretty little brunette he met at a bar in the city. Just about broke his heart when she flew back East after a few days of fun.”

Boone snorted. “I give it a week tops before he finds a new love interest.”

“Who said anything about love?” Gage asked, appearing in the doorway. “More like lust, and damn. That girl was wild in bed. Just about killed me to put her on a plane home last night. And hell yes, I heard you assholes from all the way down the hall talking about me.”

“Guilty as charged,” Cooper said, not looking upset in the least. “We’re just living vicariously through you, bud.”

“Sounds about right,” Gage smirked. “When was the last time you saw any action, Cooper?”

The easy grin that spread across Cooper’s face had made plenty of women fall for the big, muscular guy over the years.

He was never short of female attention anytime Boone had been out with the guys.

All beef and brawn, Cooper somehow knew exactly how to sweet talk the ladies.

“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell,” Cooper said smoothly.

“Don’t see any gentlemen here,” Xaden razzed.

“You’re just still pissed about your break-up last year,” Cooper said.

“Damn straight. She just about put me off relationships for-fucking-ever. It’s unlike me to get tangled up with a woman anyway. Somehow that one got under my skin, but it won’t happen again. It’s strictly hot, meaningless sex for me from now on,” Xaden declared.

“Classy,” Boone retorted. He didn’t know the details of their fallout but sensed Xaden was more bark than bite when it came to his ex. “Where’s Knox?” Boone asked. “I figured he’d be here already.”

“And you’d be right,” Gage told him. “He’s already down in the gym.”

“Boss said we’re meeting in ten,” Boone pointed out.

“He knows. Knox is meticulous in everything he does. He wasn’t exactly going to skip a workout just because it’s your first day on Bravo Team.”

Boone crossed his arms, eyeing the other men. “Sounds about right. Guess I missed out with joining up so late. Just because I saw you fellas every so often since leaving the service doesn’t mean I should’ve skipped all the teambuilding shit.”

“Nah. Sounds like you were useful to Jett from what I hear,” Xaden said.

Boone eyed him, and a silent exchange passed between the two men.

Of all the guys on the team, he and Xaden were probably the most alike.

They kept their personal lives to themselves and didn’t mind working alone.

As a sniper, Boone was used to watching over the team from afar.

He’d be perched high above with an eagle’s eye view while they stormed buildings and shit.

And Xaden?

He didn’t let anyone get too close. Another reason they’d all been surprised he had a woman a year ago.

Boone was certain there was a story there, and he was also damn certain he’d never hear it.

Despite being more than content to razz the other guys on the team, stirring up trouble, Xaden enjoyed his privacy—a fact Boone could respect.

Gage crossed his arms, still standing in the doorway, and lifted his eyebrows. “What have you been up to? Sniper stuff?”

“Something like that,” Boone confirmed.

Gage grinned. “You’ve always been a crack shot. Guessing it didn’t go well for the other guy.”

Boone pressed his lips together, giving his old friend a subtle nod.

He’d helped out on several jobs since reconnecting with his former military buddies, knowing he could never turn down his expertise to someone who needed it.

Did guys like him ever really leave the game?

Hard to say. Just because Boone had separated from the military years ago didn’t mean the will to serve and protect wasn’t still in his blood.

He’d been coasting along since leaving the Army, not completely fitting in to civilian life.

Most guys didn’t walk into a building, their gaze sweeping their surroundings and assessing every exit, before settling in.

And he never truly relaxed—not when Boone knew what it was like to have men after him, who’d kill without thought, taking his life and those of every innocent person around him.

It felt good to be back, surrounded by brothers.

They’d seen the same hellish wars and third-world countries as him.

They were alert and aware of their surroundings to a fault.

No one would ever question his actions when he was with them.

Boone would be living life with a clear purpose and mission once more.

That settled him in a way that was surprising, because he’d barely gotten his boots wet so far.

A soft, feminine voice drifting in from the hallway had Boone glancing to the door of Xaden’s office, and a pretty brunette passed by, making his heart stutter.

He barely got a glimpse of her, just silky, flowing hair and an outline of womanly curves in the tight, black outfit she wore.

His hands itched to reach for her, stopping the mysterious woman for a closer look.

Because hell—she made his entire body stand up and take notice.

Holt’s voice came through the doorway next, and Boone realized he was escorting the woman out.

They were speaking in hushed tones, and Boone’s interest piqued.

That wasn’t the only thing rising to attention.

His cock twitched as the mystery woman paused for a moment to look back at Holt, and Boone took in the swell of her breasts, slender column of her neck, and perfect pink lips.

Shit. It almost felt like he’d been struck with a damn arrow.

It wasn’t like Boone to instantly lust after a woman, but hell, she was a looker.

Feminine and sexy and somehow faintly sweet, all rolled up into one package.

It was the slight hesitation in her movement, he realized.

Holt was a gruff, harsh man. She seemed to be holding her own, but in that moment, Boone noticed a slight pause in her speech.

She recovered quickly, and they continued down the hall, the woman waltzing right out of his life. Pity. He could’ve gotten on board with her joining the morning’s briefing. He wondered who she was and if he’d see her again. It’d be a damn shame if he didn’t.

The door snicked shut behind them as they moved into the lobby, a clear indication of her departure, and Boone’s head snapped back to his teammates.

Xaden had noticed his interest, a smirk on his face, but he was uncharacteristically quiet.

“Let’s roll, boys,” he finally said, standing up from his desk.

“We’ve got a briefing to get to. Welcome aboard, Boone. ”