Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
RIGEL
With Mia out of the picture, the men gather around me. The atmosphere in the room shifts. The laughter and light-hearted banter fade into the background, replaced by something far more serious.
“Since you’re going to be with us for the foreseeable future, what are your plans?” Ethan’s hard stare demands an answer. “Our offer is on the table.”
“I suppose it is.” I rock back on my heels and return the fierceness of his stare with a harder, colder, and more resolute one of my own.
“Is that a yes?” Blake glances anxiously at me. “You gonna join the team?”
“Depends.”
“On what?” Ethan asks.
“What are your orders? What are your plans? What will you do with Mia now that you have her?”
Ethan’s gaze hardens, not aggressively, but rather calculating.
Assessing.
I know what he’s thinking.
Hell, I know what they’re all thinking, but there’s no way in hell I’m letting Mia out of my sight. I’m also not so stupid as to ignore the help these people provide.
“Our plans depend upon you.” CJ fixes me with a stare. “What’s your answer to our job offer.”
“Nah, that’s not how this is going to work.”
“What do you mean?”
“Only that Mia’s my priority. I’m grateful for the job offer—extremely grateful—and it sounds like exactly what I want to do, but I’m not accepting an offer like that without a hell of a lot more information. Information like what are your orders? What are your plans? And what are you going to do with Mia now that you have her?” I repeat my previous questions.
“Well, if you’re looking for a little excitement in your life, you came to the right place,” Hank says with a grin. “Stick with us, and you’ll never be bored.”
Forest and CJ exchange glances, then nod as if making a decision.
“Things will be easier if you’re on our team.” CJ’s not letting this rest.
“I say, kill two birds with one stone,” Ethan jumps in. “Charlie team is a man down. You’re obviously not going to leave Mia, and we could use a sixth man. Work this mission with us, get an idea of what it means to be a Guardian, and when this is all over and done, we can talk about making things permanent.”
“Well, one thing will answer a lot of my questions.”
“Ask away.” Ethan spreads his arms, welcoming my questions.
“How does a private organization get involved in something like Mia?”
“The embassy in Manila contacted us.” Forest leans forward, answering my question, the seriousness of the situation etching deeper lines into his stoic expression. “A critical asset was in danger. An embassy operative lost his life while trying to bring Mia in. They needed to make the impossible possible while not appearing to be aiding and abetting the defection of a Chinese national. That’s where we come in. Hostage rescue is our forte, and making the impossible possible is right up our alley. ”
“How did you orchestrate Mia’s extraction? I can only imagine the miles of red tape.”
“We cut right through red tape.” Blake tugs on his ear. “Seriously, when I told you we’ve got crazy tech on our side, it wasn’t an exaggeration.”
I digest this in silence.
“The operative’s death in Manila put Mia at immediate risk,” CJ says, “and sad to say it, but it proved her value.”
“To the U.S.?”
“To the world.” Forest clears his throat and crosses his arms. “We’re predominantly a hostage rescue operation. Yet, our scope often broadens to assist the FBI, CIA, and other agencies, requiring our unique skill set for rapid, covert actions. Things that can’t go into any books.”
“What’s your understanding of Mia’s situation?” CJ asks.
The question hangs in the air, charged with an unspoken challenge. His tone is as frigid as his ice-blue eyes.
“Enough to know that people are after her,” I respond firmly, my gaze unwavering. The simplicity of my answer disguises the depth of my knowledge, a strategic choice to gauge their response.
“Well, if you don’t know the specifics, we’re not about to enlighten you.” Forest bristles at my retort, his expression tightening. “The details are highly classified.”
“Mia trusts me with her life, but I’m not going to violate that trust by spilling secrets to people I met two seconds ago,” I fire back at him with cool lethality, letting him know I’m not one to be pushed around.
He may be a seven-foot Norseman, but I’m not backing down.
“We were hired to assure her safety and ensure she’s appropriately debriefed. Maybe you don’t know what’s at stake?”
“Respectfully, I know exactly what’s at stake, but I won’t breach her confidence. Whether you choose to share or not is totally up to you. If you’re unwilling to trust me with the information, then perhaps Mia and I should reconsider our stay?”
“No fucking way are you leaving here with her.” Forest’s voice turns to a slow rumble of thunder. “She’s got a target on her back. ”
Forest stands like a statue, his jaw muscles working overtime as I lay out my stance with a calm that surprises even me.
The tension between us could be cut with a knife, drawing silent attention from everyone else. Forest’s sharp and probing eyes try to pierce through my resolve, but I don’t flinch.
Ethan, who’s been watching this standoff with the eyes of a seasoned leader, finally breaks the silence with a nod toward me, his tone tinged with respect.
“You definitely know how to handle yourself,” he acknowledges my refusal to back down.
Holding Forest’s gaze, I throw down the gauntlet. “If we’re done with the pissing contest, maybe you share what you know and where your plans go from here. My decision—whether Mia stays with you or comes with me—depends on what you say next.”
Forest opens his mouth, but CJ steps in, his presence calming the brewing storm.
“Enough of this.” CJ’s voice is commanding and grounded.
“He’s the stranger.” Forest jabs a thick finger in my direction.
“Trust has to start somewhere.” CJ gives Forest a look, then turns to address me directly. “As mentioned earlier, the embassy in Manila thought Mia was taken, but when charges appeared on their man’s credit card, they knew something was off. They contacted us to orchestrate an extraction.”
“Well, she’s been extracted. What now?” Maybe I’m not the only one who needs a ‘duh’ moment.
“The Chinese government labeled her a traitor.” Forest, maybe sensing a shift toward diplomacy, leans in and adds more to the story. “They want to put her on trial. Red Phoenix wants her dead.”
“Over my dead body.”
“Calm down, Lover Boy. We aren’t going to let that happen.” Forest’s words leave no room for discussion.
I trust him.
Heck, I trust all of them.
Guardian HRS… Hostage Rescue Specialists?
This is their world .
Rescue missions, extractions, playing guardian angels in the shadows.
I really want to be in that world with them, but first things first. My priority is Mia.
As the atmosphere shifts from tense to tentatively welcoming, my position shifts from wary outsider to acknowledged, if temporary, ally.
“So, is it official?” Hank’s question cuts through the lingering uncertainty, his tone light but curious. “I got lost with all the pissing and posturing. Rigel’s hanging with us, right?”
“For now.” I’m still processing the rapid developments.
The future’s murky, but for the moment, our goals align.
“Well, if you’re hanging around,” Walt says, “I’d love it if you showed us some of your moves.” A wry smile plays on his lips.
“Yeah, kind of embarrassing that he kicked our asses like that.” Walt’s comment draws a surprised chuckle from me.
The room lightens with laughter, the sound marking a definitive turn in our camaraderie. Even Forest cracks a small smile, acknowledging the situation.
“Wouldn’t mind seeing what you’ve got,” Gabe chimes in, his earlier caution replaced with a genuine interest. “Might learn a thing or two.”
“Not many can say they’ve taken on Charlie team and lived to tell the tale.” Ethan fixes me with a solid look. “We can definitely learn a thing or two from each other.”
It’s an odd feeling standing among these men who were adversaries just moments ago. Now, there’s talk of learning from each other and grudging respect.
They clearly value strength, skill, and bravery—qualities they see in my actions, however reckless they might have seemed at the time.
“Fine,” I concede, the corner of my mouth lifts in amusement. “Maybe I can share a few tricks, but I’m interested in picking up some of yours too. Seems a fair trade.”
This unexpected turn of events, from confrontation to mutual respect, marks the beginning of a new chapter.
For now, I’m one of them, united by a common purpose—to protect Mia. The group erupts into good-natured ribbing once more, and I can’t help but feel a connection to these men who have seen and done things most people can’t even imagine.
I take a deep breath, my mind spinning with the possibilities. A chance to start over, to be part of something bigger than myself, to make a difference in the world?
It’s an opportunity I never saw coming.
I look around at the men, knowing in my gut this feels right, but I’m not ready to jump from one organization to the next. I still need time to figure out what I want to do with my life.
With that, all the tension in the room disappears. We gather around the table, grab drinks—no alcohol—and shoot the shit.
I lean close to Blake for a private word. “Thanks for greasing the wheels and keeping me involved.”
“Had a feeling it wasn’t a choice.”
“It’s not, but you stepped up and welcomed me. Obviously, I know nothing about your organization, but I know about the teams and how they operate. I assume things work much the same.”
“Much the same, but wait until you see the tech we get to use.”
“Tech?”
“Imagine all the cool gear you got to play with in the Navy and multiply it a thousand times. Forest’s pockets are as deep as his mind is… Let’s just say Forest is a savant, and Mitzy is barely a step behind him. We get to play with really cool toys. Can’t wait to see what Stormy thinks of the Rufi. As for the job offer, take all the time you need.” Blake’s expression tells me whatever I think I know about the Guardians, my mind’s about to get seriously blown.
Blake, my old friend, claps me on the shoulder. “You certainly know how to pick them.”
“Them? What does that mean?”
“Only that you’re still stepping into the thick of things and playing hero, even on vacation.” He grins, jabbing me in the ribs playfully. “Mia can’t keep her eyes off of you.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “What can I say? Trouble seems to find me, even when I’m trying to relax.”
The men of Charlie team laugh at that .
I like these men. There’s an easy camaraderie between them, something I miss from my SEAL days.
Something I thought I’d never experience again.
There’s Walt, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a contagious smile. Gabe, quiet and intense, with eyes that seem to see right through you. Hank, the youngest of the group, with a boyish grin and a mischievous glint in his eye. Of course, there’s my old friend, Blake, serious and gruff on the outside but a trickster at heart.
A few minutes later, Ethan calls out to his men.
“Okay, knuckleheads, shut up and gather round. Let’s debrief that mission. We need to talk about that helicopter.”
As the conversation shifts to a debrief, I can’t help but feel a sense of coming home. I miss the tight bonds that come from working as a team because this is what I’m meant to do.