Chapter 3
BEAU
This paperwork was going to be the death of me. Who knew that saving people would have so much writing involved? I sure didn’t, and if I had, I probably wouldn’t have gone into this business.
Okay, I was lying to myself. I loved my company and the work we did, but I just hated sitting in this office for hours trying to make sure all my shit was in order. Right now, none of my shit was in order, and I couldn’t remember what I needed for the finance report.
After flipping through the papers again, I finally found the folder hidden under another mess I needed to deal with.
“Goddamnit!” I cursed out.
Of course, as I grabbed that folder, I knocked another stack of paper off my desk. Letting out a sigh, I resisted the urge to swipe my hand across what was left on my desk, barely.
“Whoa there, Beau.” I heard from the doorway. Zach stood staring at me with concern. Guess he could see just how close I was to losing it.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt the beginning of your spiral. Maybe you need a break, man,” he said as he walked over and began picking up the papers that were now scattered around the foot of my desk.
Zach was right, and I was sure the rest of the guys would agree. Sadly, being the boss meant that vacation time didn’t happen often, and I didn’t see one coming any time soon.
He dropped the stack of papers on my desk again. “Seth and Josh said a woman came in looking for a job. Maybe you should consider hiring someone to help with all this. You’re going to drive yourself into an early grave if you don’t start asking for help.”
I glanced at the corner of my desk where Seth had dropped a sticky note the other day. I’d brushed it off at first when he told me how he and Josh met someone who was looking for a job, and they felt like she would be a good fit for him in the office.
After grabbing the sticky note, I looked down at the paper.
Rebekah Simpson - bexiegirl@
There wasn’t a phone number listed, only an email address.
I found that strange, but didn’t have time to question it.
“You’re right, I can’t continue to do this.
I’m going to lose my mind. I’ll reach out to Rebekah and see if she wants to come in for an interview,” I said, glancing back up at Zach, who was pouring himself a drink at my bar.
Shaking my mouse, I brought up my email and drafted a new message.
Ms. Simpson,
This is Beau, owner of Shadow Force Tactical. My apologies for taking a few days to reach out about a job. If you are still interested, I would like to extend an invitation to interview you and discuss what I am looking for.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Beau Sinclair
Shadow Force Tactical
Without hesitating, I pressed send and sat back in my chair, crossing my arms. “There, I sent the girl an email. I doubt I’ll hear anything else from her, but no one can say that I didn’t try.” I turned toward Zach, who was now sitting on my couch.
I had hunted for the best couch on the market when I started the office. If I were going to constantly have my men in here, the least I could do is give them a decent place to sit. I might have been a grouchy asshole most of the time, but I did have a heart.
“Good, hopefully she reaches out. If not, we can put an ad out in the paper or online for a personal assistant. I’m sure we will find someone who can help take some of the load off your shoulders.”
I picked up the file I was originally hunting for and read through it, making sure everything I needed was inside it.
“Game night is still on for tonight, right?” Zach asked, interrupting my train of thought once again. I grunted my response and waved him off. There was no way I would make it to game night if I didn’t finish up here first.
The doorbell rang just as I was pulling the marinating steaks from my fridge. After yelling out that it was open, I headed to the back to start the grill. It wouldn’t be long before the whole team showed up for poker night.
“Hey, man, where do you want us to put the beer?” Seth asked. Josh and he had arrived together. Those two were inseparable, almost as if they were brothers separated at birth.
Gesturing toward the fridge, I went back to prepping the food for tonight. “Zach told us that you reached out to Rebekah. Did you hear anything back yet?” Josh queried after a moment.
“Nah, I checked my email one last time before I left the office this afternoon. I don’t think it’s going to work out, but it’s fine. I’ll continue to handle it for now until we can find someone to fit the needs we have.”
Seth nodded as the doorbell rang again; more of the guys had shown up. Matt, Patrick, Zach, and Chase walked into my kitchen, and I greeted them before heading out back to drop the steaks on the grill.
“Eric said he would be here, but he had to drop Sarah off first,” Chase said after I walked back inside, filling us in on the missing team member.
Eric was the only member on the team who had any kids, but we all adored her. Being a single dad was hard on anyone, but Eric never planned on losing his wife and almost losing his daughter in a tragic accident. We all watched him battle a new kind of demon that day, but he’d come so far.
Sarah had all of her uncles wrapped around her finger, but not a single one would utter a complaint.
She was the cutest three-year-old I’d ever seen.
I’d never wanted kids, but having her around sometimes was nice.
Especially since I could give her back at the end of the night.
I wanted to be called Daddy, but only by a Little girl.
Over the next twenty minutes, the guys set up the poker table in my living room while I finished grilling the food. With the food done, we all settled down to eat.
“Beau, Josh said that you finally came to your senses and decided you were ready to hire some help,” Patrick commented.
I swear, this group of men was some of the biggest gossips I've ever encountered. There wasn’t a secret to be had with this team, and nothing ever managed to escape their watchful eyes.
I guess that was what happened when you worked with highly trained soldiers, where the difference between life and death could be found in the smallest clues.
Grunting, I swallowed the bite of steak I had in my mouth before responding.
“Since Gossip Queen over there likes to spill the beans about everything.” I threw a look at Josh's way. “Yes, I reached out to the girl who showed up at the office the other day. I didn’t have a number to call her, but I did send an email to the address that she left.”
“Do you think she will follow up with you?” Matt asked with an eyebrow raise. Out of all my guys, Matt was the most skeptical about new people, which, given his background, was understandable. He was also the person who would bend over backward to help those he called family.
“If she does, I’ll be surprised. It’s a little strange that she only had an email to provide to potential employers, but I’m not going to judge her on that. I’ve already decided that on Monday, I’ll work on putting out a help-wanted ad,” I say, clearing the table to get ready to play some poker.
After grabbing a beer from the fridge, I slid my phone out of my pocket, noticing that Eric was texting me.
Eric: Hey, boss. Just letting you know that I won’t be making it tonight.
Beau: All right, is everything okay, man?
Eric: Yeah, I showed up to drop Sarah off at her babysitter's apartment and found Charity sick as hell. No way I’m leaving my three-year-old with her just to come play poker.
Beau: I get it. You can always bring the nugget with you. You know all of us adore her.
Eric: I know. I don’t want to leave Charity in this state. I’ll check in with you later.
Beau: Let me know if you need anything.
Eric: Roger
“Will just be the seven of us tonight, Eric got held up at Charity’s house.
She’s sick and he didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone,” I announced, sitting behind my poker chips.
It was no hidden secret that he had a soft spot for the babysitter, but he would never jeopardize his daughter’s care to act upon any feelings he claimed didn’t exist.
“All right, well, what cause are we playing for tonight?” Chase asked as he finished dealing out the cards. None of the guys were hurting for money, so after the first game, it was decided that any money won during the game would be donated to a charity of the group’s choice that evening.
They always picked a new one, wanting to make a small difference to each one.
“How about Safe Horizon?” Seth asked, pulling up the charity’s website to show us.
It felt fitting to pick that one since the last couple of missions the group had all included survivors of domestic abuse.
Agreeing with Seth’s recommendation, I settled in, ready to kick my soldiers’ asses.
It was midnight, and all of my men had finally gone home. Locking the door and grabbing up the rest of the chip bowls, I finished cleaning up the house before making my way toward the bedroom. After stripping out of my clothes, I turned the shower on and stepped inside to wash away the day.
Today had been a great day, playing poker with the guys was exactly what I needed to finish off a rough work week.
Matt, being tonight's winner, would be making a hefty donation on Monday to Safe Horizon.
Hopefully, the five-thousand-dollar donation would make a difference to those survivors who needed their services.
I crawled into bed, scrolling through my notifications one last time before I closed my eyes for the night. Just as I was about to go to sleep. I noticed an email from Rebekah sitting in my inbox.
Mr. Sinclair,
I would love to come in for an interview and discuss the position. I can be there on Monday at nine a.m. I look forward to working with you in the future.
Rebekah Simpson
After scheduling the interview in my calendar, I shut the lights off and went to sleep.