Reckless Hearts (Black Heart Security #10)

Chapter One

Grant “Church” Upchurch knew a setup when he saw one.

Six special operatives sitting around a table pretending this was a routine meeting meant someone was about to drop a problem on the table. And judging by the looks on their faces, it wasn’t going to be small.

What that problem could be was anyone’s guess since the Black Heart Tactical Training Facility wasn’t fully up and running yet. The first wave of military trainees wasn’t scheduled to arrive for another month, and that date kept getting pushed back due to government red tape.

Soon the mountains surrounding the property would be crawling with operators pushing through navigation courses, drills and endurance runs designed to break them.

For now, the facility belonged to the men sitting around the long conference table.

Church leaned back in his chair and took in the room again.

The space designated for conferences had been built with the same rugged design as everything else on the ranch.

Heavy timber beams arched overhead. A wall of monitors sat dark, while sunlight streamed through the massive window spanning the far wall.

But that was where the lightness ended. The Malone brothers and the rest of the Black Heart Security team circled the table, the air tense from whatever they weren’t saying.

Church didn’t know why they’d called the meeting, but while they worked out how to drop the impending bomb, his gaze wandered back to the window.

The Wyoming mountains sprawled for miles, rugged and brutal. Pine forests and rocky outcroppings made for unforgiving terrain. In a few weeks, they’d turn those mountains into a place military trainees would prove themselves.

And if Church had anything to say about it, those men wouldn’t leave the same.

They’d be stronger…or they’d break.

Letting his view of the mountains blur, he swung his attention back to the group. Theo Malone leaned forward, forearms planted on the new wood table. Every one of the men wore the same expression, which told Church that his instincts were right. This meeting wasn’t about the training facility.

Theo cleared his throat with a grating noise. “All right. Let’s get to it.”

Church settled his stare on him. “You’ve definitely drawn things out long enough.”

That earned him a few chuckles, and the room seemed to exhale the breath it had been holding.

Theo shot him a crooked grin. “Black Heart Security’s got a problem.”

He eyed him. That wasn’t what he expected to hear.

He’d been waiting for news that the government would be screwing around for another six months, which meant Church and Gabe Thorne, who’d been placed in charge of the Black Heart Tactical Training Facility, would be twiddling their thumbs until further notice.

“How bad’s the problem?” he asked.

“Not the worst.” Denver Malone had as much stake in this place as Theo since they landed the government contract. “Security jobs keep rolling in. Personal protection, site security, corporate contracts. It seems our name carries some weight.”

Church raised a brow. “Sounds like a good thing.”

Colt Malone shifted in his seat. “It would be. If we had enough men to cover it all.”

Theo tapped a finger on the tabletop. “Right now we’re stretched thin.

Real thin. We’re bouncing from one assignment to the next without a breather.

And the calls keep coming. Willow’s in the same boat as we are.

She’s so busy on the ranch and with horse therapy too, she’s talking about hiring someone to man the security office full-time. ”

The youngest Malone juggled a lot from what Church had seen, from family to providing equine therapy for the veterans on the Black Heart Therapy Ranch. The woman was a machine, and if she was declaring that the workload was becoming too much, it must be.

Colt nodded. “We’re turning work away.”

No one liked losing contracts, but more than that, they were all trained to protect. Turning people away went against everything they stood for.

“So,” Theo continued, fixing his attention on Church, “we’ve been looking for solutions.”

He added his own. “I’d suggest that each of you compile a list of potential candidates to fill the positions. Other agencies, ex-military buddies.”

Theo kept eyeing him in a way that put Church’s senses on alert. He didn’t like where this was heading.

“We figured a solution’s sitting right here.”

Grant narrowed his eyes slightly. “And what solution would that be?”

“You.”

He issued a short huff of disbelief. “You’re asking me to join Black Heart Security?”

Denver gave him a nod. “Think of it as temporary reinforcement.”

“An as-needed basis,” Colt chimed in with a tug on the brim of his cowboy hat. “You and Gabe have already finalized the training program. Until the first class of students arrives, you have some free time.”

Church scratched his stubbled jaw with his thumbnail, the rough rasping noise filling the small pause. “Once the operators arrive for training, I’ll be there exclusively?”

“That’s right,” Theo said.

“In the meantime, you want me taking a bodyguard gig.”

Theo spread his hands. “We could use more boots on the ground until we hire more security specialists. What do you say?”

All eyes fixed on him as he let the proposal sink in.

“Double the wages,” Denver sweetened the deal.

Grant compressed his lips. “It’s not about the money.”

They waited for what he wasn’t saying. What he wasn’t sure he could say aloud.

He glanced at the mountains but didn’t find any help there.

“What about those mental fitness evaluations?” he asked.

“You have all the clearance you need to work with us, Church,” Theo said.

“That’s good—because I wouldn’t pass them.”

More silence buzzed in the room, the kind that only existed between men who’d been in the worst places together and knew better than to interrupt.

He rubbed the back of his neck, the tendons like steel cables. “I keep telling myself that the missions I led were successful. That the teams came home.”

He dragged his thumb along his jaw again, the rasp loud in the silence.

“But there’s still one man who didn’t.”

Crew Diaz nodded in understanding. They all knew what it was like to lose friends, but Crew had walked a path that was rockier than those mountains in the distance.

“Doesn’t matter how many I pulled out of bad situations,” he continued, his voice rougher than he liked. “Doesn’t matter how many ops went right. I still lost one.” He met Theo’s gaze.

Theo leaned forward. “Do you know how many men a commander can lose? Losing only one man in your career is unheard of.”

The room hummed with things unspoken. Every man knew the math of war.

He exhaled slowly through his nose. Maybe they were right. Didn’t make the loss feel any lighter, though.

When he met Theo’s stare again, Church didn’t find pity in his gray eyes—or in any of the others’.

“That brings us back to the job. We wouldn’t throw you into anything complicated. This is about as low risk as it gets.”

His lips twitched. “So you’re pitching underhand to the rookie.”

A few chuckles and snorts of amusement rounded the table.

Theo continued. “A movie production company is filming location shots just outside Willowbrook. Big-budget thing. The studio wants extra protection while they shoot in the mountains. Nothing major. Just a visible security presence to keep things calm.”

“Bodyguard duty for an actor?” Church clarified.

“That’s it. You get to stay local.”

The team needed help. And whether he liked the prospect of guarding an actor or not, he would stand with these brothers, because that was what he did.

“I’ll do it.”

Denver grinned, and Theo gave a nod of satisfaction. “I’ll email you the details.”

He looked out the window once more at the rugged terrain stretching toward the horizon. Somewhere deep in his gut, the same instinct that had kept him alive through the years of combat stirred.

Easy job.

Yeah, right.

Church stopped believing in those long ago.

* * * * *

Zee Davis knew military bases. The Black Heart Tactical Training Facility might be newer and more modern, but they were all the same.

Except for the view. She hadn’t expected the stunning sweep of mountains and sky. If she nailed this interview and got the job, she’d be standing at that window every chance she got. She might even polish the glass to keep it spotless—and she hated cleaning.

The sound of approaching footsteps drew her attention from the mountains to the door just as a tall, dark-haired man entered. She pushed to her feet and offered him her friendliest smile.

He stepped into the conference room where she waited and left the door open. Since the facility wasn’t up and running yet, there was little chance of them being interrupted during her interview.

“Hi. I’m Gabe Thorne.” The way he strode across the room screamed military training, each step measured and his shoulders thrown back.

“I appreciate you meeting with me.” She hurried forward, hand extended. She looked him in the eye when she shook his hand, and she made sure to clasp it just hard enough to give a good first impression.

After bouncing from job to job for the past three years, she could practically teach a class. How to Interview Well with Zee Davis.

The man gestured for her to sit, and she drew up to the table, poised, hands relaxed in her lap.

He opened her file and skimmed the contents. “Zenobia Davis.”

She felt the flush start an upward climb on her throat. The name her parents had saddled her with had been a point of childhood bullying. “It’s a family name. But please call me Zee.”

The hard brackets around his hard lips had probably been put there by his time in the service but when he smiled, they softened into warmth. “You can call me Gabe.”

She dipped her head. “Gabe. I’m excited to be here. I was just admiring the view.”

He turned his head to glimpse the window from the corner of his eye. “You should see it at sunrise.”

She shook her head, awed by the thought. “I imagine it’s life-altering.”