Chapter Thirty-Two #2
As soon as the door closed behind his wife, David said, “You heard me claim The Thunderhawks as my deputies and as the Morgan County SAR Team. What will it take to make that a reality?”
“I’m in,” Dario said. “Hope you need an EOD man once in a while.”
David chuckled. “We have the occasional bomb threat.”
“Excellent. I’d hate to let my skills become rusty. Isaac?”
“Yeah, I’m in, if the rest of The Thunderhawks are in. Spencer?”
“Depends. Can I work a few shifts a month as an EMT?”
“They’ve been begging for help, so I’d say that would be a definite yes.”
“Then count me in. Rhys?”
“I’m in.”
David turned to Cam. “You interested in working as part of the SAR team and as a deputy?”
Cam turned to Sedona. “What do you think?”
“Do it.”
“I may be gone for days at a time on a SAR mission. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s possible.”
“Don’t worry. If I get lonely, I’ll bury my sorrows by grading kindergarten paperwork and planning lessons.”
He chuckled, then turned to his boss. “You’ve got a deal, sir.”
David looked pleased. “Great. I have one more thing for you to consider.” He pulled out his phone and tapped one button.
“Yeah, Maddox.”
Cam froze. Brent Maddox, the Fortress Security CEO?
“It’s David Montgomery. You’re on speak with M Team, The Thunderhawks, and Sedona.”
“Understood. Cam, I understand congratulations are in order.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“David, have you explained my proposal?”
“No, sir. I thought it might be better if the explanation came from you.”
“Cam, Rhys, Dario, Isaac, and Spencer, my name is Brent Maddox. I’m the CEO of Fortress Security. The reason for the phone call is I’d like to make you an offer of employment.”
“We have jobs, sir,” Cam said.
“I know David planned to offer your team employment. This would be employment with Fortress Security on a mission-by-mission basis. I’ve been looking for a SAR team with the right qualifications and have had zero luck, until you.”
Dario frowned. “What do you mean, hire us on a mission-by-mission basis?”
“You wouldn’t be like the other teams in that they are on deployment rotation. They are on call every other month. The Thunderhawks would only work when I have a SAR mission and only if they all agree to accept the mission.”
“We have the right of refusal?” Cam asked.
“That’s right. I hope to have four or five SAR teams ready to deploy as needed in a few months. The Thunderhawks are the first team under consideration. I hope there will be more soon.”
“How long do we have to consider the offer, sir?”
“How long do you need?”
Dario glanced at his teammates, then said, “We’re ready to roll if you are, Cam. We go in together or not at all.”
“All of you agree?” Cam asked.
Each one nodded.
He turned to Sedona. “You’re the deciding vote, Tiger. We want to join Fortress on a mission-by-mission basis, but if you don’t want me to accept, we’ll turn down the contract.”
“Do it.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely. This is what you love to do, Cam. The Thunderhawks’ goal is to find people and bring them home. Take the job.”
Cam hugged Sedona. Man, what had he done to be blessed with such an amazing woman in his life? “We accept on one condition, sir.”
“Name it.”
“We want a way to communicate with our families while we’re deployed.”
A slight pause, then, “That’s all?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Done. You’ll have satellite phones for yourselves and your significant others by the end of the day.
I’ll have them delivered to the police department.
That way I won’t have to worry about locating the five of you.
I will also have a phone for Sedona. David and the others have satellite phones, so they can show you how they work.
Thank you, gentlemen. I look forward to working with you.
In the meantime, I’ll talk to David and Personal Security International to schedule your black ops training. ”
“Do we really need that, sir?” Dario asked.
David rolled his eyes.
Maddox chuckled. “I’ll share your question with the trainers.”
Each one of the Montgomery brothers flinched, even tough-as-nails Elliot, the sniper with ice running through his veins.
This was not good. Cam just looked at Dario.
His friend paled. “Sorry, sir,” he muttered.
Maddox said, “Your contracts are attached to a secured email sent to the sheriff’s office. Sign them before you do anything else today. I’ll expect to see them within the hour.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Welcome to Fortress Security. Maddox out.”
The rest of The Thunderhawks turned to stare at Dario.
He held up his hands, palms out. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“We’re all going to be sorry,” Spencer said. “I’d better stock up my mike bag.”
“PSI has a clinic that’s staffed twenty-four seven,” Elliot said.
The sniper’s smile didn’t make Cam feel any better. “We’re doomed.”
“No question.” Isaac shook his head. “You just had to open your mouth, didn’t you, Dario?”
“What? We’re trained as well as any other black ops team out there.”
Rhys snorted. “We were trained as well, but we’ve been out of the game for a couple of years. A lot of things happen to your skills in two years, and none of it’s good.”
Cam rubbed his jaw and turned to his boss. “How soon should we expect the call to go to PSI?”
“In two weeks. Your honeymoon will be short and sweet unless you postpone it until after your training is finished.”
He glanced at Sedona, who shrugged. “We’ll let you know, sir.”
“Let’s go back to the station. Maddox wasn’t kidding about signing those contracts within the hour.
He’s canceled contracts with potential employees for not following his orders.
And just FYI. The men who run PSI are Special Forces, too.
One team is a mix of military branches and led by a Navy SEAL.
But the primary trainers are a Delta team. ”
“Which one?” Isaac asked.
“Durango.”
He groaned. “Oh, man. That’s Josh Cahill’s team. We’re in so much trouble.”
“Let’s move it,” Dario snapped. “I don’t want any extra attention from the trainers.”
Cam wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders, a smile on his face as he walked with Sedona to the sheriff’s department. This was what he’d always wanted, to protect those in danger.
He finally remembered that Sedona had five sisters whom he hadn’t met.
Newlyweds in a house full of women? Cam flinched.
They’d all have to make adjustments. Personally, he thought her idea of a wedding two hours after he proposed was brilliant.
No chance of nerves getting the best of them.
All he had to do now was convince her sisters.