Rescuing Malia (CHARLIE Team: Guardian Hostage Rescue Specialists #6)

1. Malia

ONE

Malia

Dear Diary,

Sorry, I haven’t written in a while. Life’s been crazy, like cray-cray crazy. Ever since Jenna was kidnapped, my life hasn’t been the same. I thought she was lost to me. Little did I know she was rescued by real-life heroes.

The Guardians.

That’s what they call themselves. Men who do anything to protect the ones they love.

And not just the ones they love.

I should amend that statement.

These modern-day superheroes risk their lives every day to rescue complete strangers. Not that Jenna was a stranger. She and Carter finally got over themselves and hooked up. About damn time. It was soooo painful watching the two of them dance around each other. I wanted to shove them in a closet and tell them not to come out until they fucked themselves silly.

Not that I ever get what I want.

The good news is that they figured it all out.

The bad news is that it took Jenna getting snatched off the street and kidnapped by some seriously bad dudes.

Like … SERIOUSLY BAD.

I didn’t even know Jenna was gone until Walt got that call. Desperate after he found his loveable Max bleeding out on the sidewalk, Carter called Walt.

Ah, Max, I love that pup. Not really a pup. Max is a certified protector. He’s the most loveable, fearsome, and loyal dog I’ve ever known. He nearly died protecting Jenna.

Boy, when that call came in…

Walt went from leaning in for a kiss—our first—to turning into something else entirely. I can’t explain it better than that. Except to say, my date, the headliner of the dirtiest, filthiest sex dreams I’ve ever had, went from horndog into detached robot-killing mode the second Carter called.

Next I knew, Walt lifted me off my feet as he hauled me to his truck. We raced through the streets at breakneck speeds, with me screaming for him to tell me What the fuck just happened?

He ignored me. The guy was seriously that laser-focused.

I mean, he was dialed in.

When that switch flipped in Walt’s head, he became another person entirely. Honestly, it was scary but also thrilling. He went into fierce, God-protector mode. If I didn’t already have the hots for Walt, seeing him like that?

Whoa, all the girly-bits took notice.

Fucking hot on a stick .

I am obsessed.

Like, legitimately, obsessed.

But also pissed.

Pissed?

You’re asking me why I’m pissed?

The fucking idiot was supposed to—you know—fuck me. He doesn’t know it, but he was supposed to take my cherry that night. Instead, he transformed into this laser-focused killing machine, leaving me on the sidelines. All hot and bothered with tons more material to use in my sex-fueled dreams.

Sex I didn’t get to experience with Walt.

I’m still a virgin—and it’s his fault.

Don’t get me wrong. He didn’t exactly ignore me. He put his hand on my thigh, just above my knee, and told me everything would be okay.

Everything?

Okay?

I didn’t know anything was wrong.

Not until we pulled up beside a blood-soaked Carter as he knelt over Max, trying to save his dog’s life. That’s not the kind of thing you pull on a girl. I could’ve used a bit of advanced warning. Here I was, thinking I was finally going to get my cherry popped, and the guy I picked…

Well, you already know it didn’t happen.

The whirlwind I was caught up in found me riding to the emergency vet with Carter and Max. Along the way, I discovered someone had taken Jenna. Walt didn’t share that pertinent fact with me.

He thought I didn’t need to know. Carter spilled that juicy bit while briefing Walt on what happened. After helping Carter load Max into the truck, we zoomed through the streets once more to the emergency vet, where I was left behind as Walt and Carter marched out of the vet’s hellbent on doing whatever it took to get Jenna home.

Talk about a plot twist.

I don’t know what happened over those next few days, except Walt stopped calling. Nobody would tell me shit. It was just me and Max chilling at the vet.

He did well, by the way—Max did.

I don’t want anyone to think something terrible happened to Max. Rule number one of storytelling is don’t kill the dog!

Max pulled through. He’s fine. Better than fine.

But me?

I was forgotten in the hustle.

The Guardians saved Jenna. Whisked her away. Put her in protective custody. And still, no one told me shit.

Nobody.

Most notably, Walt.

And he can suck major donkey balls as a result because I don’t play that game.

Which kind of makes the morning coffee rush at The Guardian Grind a bit—awkward.

Is that the right word?

Hell, I don’t know what the right word might be, except I’m not speaking to Walt. I’m pissed with a capital P and a big ole issed kind of pissed.

He, of course, is oblivious. Like, he doesn’t get why I’m all “bristly” when it comes to him. Can you believe that shit? He dares to call me ‘“bristly”‘ when he left me—clueless.

Is clueless the right word?

No, not clueless. He left me in the fucking Mojave Desert of Nothingness kind of clueless. I mean, he could’ve picked up the phone. He could’ve said something. He could’ve told me Jenna was rescued. He could’ve told me she was safe.

But no.

Nada.

I got nothing from him.

The only person who remembered I existed was Jenna. Now, she’s a wealth of information and the bestest friend ever.

I’m going to make a long story short.

Turns out, the Guardians saved her. They saved her and Sophia, along with the four missing girls Detective Carter was trying to find. It was a happily ever after for all involved.

Except me.

And … Yes!

I am being dramatic, but I get to be dramatic. This is my damn diary. This is where I lay it all out. The good. The bad. The ugly.

You, Dear Diary, get to hear all the shit.

“Whatcha writing?” Jenna peeks over my shoulder.

I slam the cover closed on my diary.

“Nothing.”

“Are you writing about Walt again? When are you going to stop playing games?”

“I’m not playing games.”

“Come on.” Jenna leans back, arms crossed over her chest, giving me the mom vibe, but I’m not taking it. Not today.

“Come on, what?”

“This has to stop.”

“What?”

“You’re not fooling me.” She gives me another look. “You have to let this go.”

“Let what go?”

“Your I’m-not-speaking-to-Walt thing.” She uses air quotes for emphasis. She’s constantly teasing me about how I’m staying mad at Walt for no good reason.

She doesn’t get it.

Jenna’s in domestic bliss with Carter. I’m in insufferable hell, treated daily to the man of my dreams who has no idea how much his actions hurt me. Like he’s completely oblivious, with a capital Oh-Bliv-Eeee-Ous.

As for Jenna, she doesn’t get it. She and Carter are shacking up in one of Guardian HRS’s townhomes located on HQ grounds. She’s in protective custody, the kind Guardian HRS provides. Which means she’s a virtual prisoner and can’t leave the premises.

Unlike me.

I can come and go as I please. Not that I do. There’s tons to do on HQ grounds. I could spend a lifetime here and never get bored. What I can’t stand, however, are the constant run-ins with Walt. I swear the guy stalks me.

He also loves coffee.

Which means he stops in at the Grind morning, noon, and night. Always with the same cheeky order. Always pretending as if I’m not pissed as hell at him.

I mean, he doesn’t get it. He withheld pertinent info. The whole, your bestie has been abducted never once entered his mind as something I should know. He blathers on about Mission need-to-know bullshit while I?—

“Earth to Malia.” Jenna snaps her fingers in front of my face.

I blink, realizing I lost it, and focus on her.

“What?”

“We were talking …”

“No. I was writing, and you interrupted me.” I run my fingers over the leather case of my laptop. It was a major splurge. Cost me a mint, but I’m a texture kind of girl. I explore the world by how it feels as much as I do by how it smells, and The Guardian Grind is my kind of heaven.

“Well, he’s here. Demanding to speak with you.”

“Who?”

“You know who.” Jenna props her hands on her hips and gives me a look.

I roll my eyes.

“You can tell Mr. You-know-who that I am too busy doing inventory to deal with him.” It’s not a total lie. Inventory doesn’t do itself.

“I can do that. He’s being obnoxious.”

“Even more reason for me to stay exactly where I am.”

“Fine, but you can’t evade him forever.”

“Watch me.”

Jenna leaves and I glance at my computer, thinking of doing a bit more journaling about how obnoxious Walt is. He always comes in with some over-the-top coffee order, which slows things down. He does it deliberately to spend more time with me. Which is cute, but I’m not done being angry with him.

With a sigh, I put my computer aside and look at the shelves. Inventory doesn’t take long, but I’m kind of obsessed at the moment.

Why?

Because this is where Sophia left all her clues. Forced to do the unthinkable by Malfor, she left clues behind that told the true story. I’ve been obsessed with that whole thing ever since.

Oh, you don’t know about that?

The biggest infiltration in Guardian HQ history?

Sit back and buckle up because this one is a doozy.

Malfor used her to hack into Guardian systems. Walk right in through all their cyber protections like it was nothing. He used Sophia to do it, and he forced her to return to him when her task was done.

Talk about major upheaval. To say the shit hit the fan would be a massive understatement, but I still have questions.

Too many questions.

Evidently, Mitzy and her technical team were prepared for just such an attack. They implemented stuff to survive it. I say stuff because I’m not a tech girl. Me and computers are not friends.

But I have an inquisitive mind.

Sophia isn’t the only one at Guardian HQ passing secrets to Malfor. Someone passed her at least two notes. One in her apron, and the other… Hmm, I don’t remember all the details, but I’m going to figure it out.

I need to know.

My cellphone suddenly blares “The Ride of the Valkyries,” and I grin.

My brother Malikai is checking in on me. He, of course, knows everything that happened and why I suddenly dropped off the face of the earth. When Jenna asked me to co-manage The Guardian Grind, there really was only one answer. Because of her protective custody and my inability to refuse her anything, I came on board and have basically self-isolated myself as a result.

But I’m heading out tonight.

“Hey, Bro.” I answer the phone with a grin and a smile.

“Hey, Sissy.” Malikai’s cultured voice is as smooth as the creamiest latte.

I love our little nicknames. The Hey, Bro and Hey, Sissy is kind of our thing.

“What’s up?”

“Just checking in to see if you’re still free tonight.”

“Of course. I’ve got it penciled in my calendar.”

“What? No crayons?” He thinks my aversion to tech is funny, which is funny considering he lives and breathes in the quantum world.

Like seriously.

I’m not making that up.

Malikai is one of the pioneers in quantum mechanics and nuclear fusion. He’s on the cusp of a real breakthrough in sustainable energy that’s environmentally friendly. Meaning that he’s a total nerd. Comes with the requisite horn-rimmed glasses and everything. Not that I’m sure what horn-rimmed glasses are supposed to be, but he wears the fugliest glasses with these thick, black rims.

Which is sad, considering Malikai is fucking hot. Like H-O-T.

He’s a geek with the body of a god. Before you call me out on that, I don’t have the hots for my brother. That’s not what I’m saying, but I did grow up with him. Let’s just say the girls glammed onto him the second he entered puberty when both his voice and balls dropped. He’s got a physique that rivals some of the Guardians.

And we all know what they look like.

Maybe I should listen to Jenna and forgive Walt? He’s the perfect guy to lose my virginity to, and I would.

Except I’m still pissed at him.

“Malia!” Malikai’s voice shouts in my ear.

“What?”

“You were zoning again. Did you hear a word I said?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“Whatever it is you said.”

“Lord, you’re hopeless.”

I imagine him shaking his head. Not that it’s my fault. My mind races a mile a minute, and that only gets worse after a couple of shots of espresso, and I may or may not have already had a few or more.

“I was telling you my schedule. My talk is over at four, and it takes an hour to get to you, so I wanted to make sure you’d be ready and if I had anything to worry about when it comes to the gate guards.”

“You know, you could just text all of this.” I may be hopeless with technology, but I know my way around my phone.

“A text you may or may not read?” He teases me. “Come on, Sissy, just answer the question.”

“I told the guards you are coming. They want the make, model, and tag of your vehicle. Shouldn’t be a problem getting in.”

“And where am I picking you up? At the Grind or your apartment?”

“Technically, they call them the barracks, but I’m pulling an extra shift for Sophia, so come to the Grind.”

“Got it.” His deep, cultured voice takes on a softer tone. “I really miss you, Sissy. Can’t wait to spend the weekend with you. I’ve got so much to tell you.”

“Ditto right back.” I glance at my watch. The lunch rush just ended, fortunately, with no intrusion from Walt. I should be able to finish inventory by five, which gives me time to figure out what to do with Malikai for an entire weekend.