1. Lee
1
LEE
I steeled himself. Scowled down at my phone. I didn’t need this, not now. Not today. Not in the alley out back behind Boom’s office, a strong dumpster odor wafting in my face.
Just get it over with.
I zoomed in on the document filling my screen—a letter, a short one, on Army letterhead. It had showed up yesterday at my childhood home—the address I claimed as my permanent residence, though I didn’t live there—and my eldest brother had opened it and texted me the picture.
You’re already out. How bad can it be?
I exhaled sharply and started to read. The letter was an invitation from my old lieutenant colonel to report to Fort Benning, Georgia, in three weeks’ time. My former Army Ranger unit was to receive the Valorous Unit Award for extraordinary heroism in action.
Extraordinary heroism… I gripped the phone tightly as I skimmed down the page. Your unit performed with marked distinction under difficult and hazardous conditions ? —
I slammed the phone face down on my leg. Echoes of explosions rang in my head. Fire, frightened screams. Men shouting orders in multiple languages. I ground the base of my palm into my right eye socket, forcing the chaos back where it belonged, a deep hole of memory buried in my head. I hated thinking about that day. On paper, the mission had been a success—we’d rescued the hostages, a small band of soldiers and medical personnel—but I had lost my career. My right eye looked fine to the rest of the world, but thanks to a flying piece of shrapnel, I’d lost the perfect vision required to maintain my sniper status with the Rangers. I’d had to take medical retirement at twenty-eight and become a civilian twenty years too soon.
I might’ve been able to hit the ground running, even with no backup plan, had life not decided to kick me once again while I was down. The ink had barely dried on my discharge papers when my father had died. With my mother long gone, my two older brothers were all I had left—Chance and Harris. Good thing we, the three McCallisters, had always had each others’ backs, or I’d be in even worse shape.
My phone chimed, jolting me out of my spiraling thoughts. I swiped the letter away and got to my feet. Early morning sunshine angled behind my sunglasses as I headed for the office. It made my bad eye sting, but I didn’t care. The pain helped me focus on the present, helped me keep the last few months boxed up in my mind. San Diego, California, was two thousand miles from that letter, waiting in my hometown of Springwell, Georgia. I didn’t need to respond this minute, so I shoved it to the bottom of my list of priorities.
Boom’s office was on the second floor, a tight two-room suite. A clock on the wall in the small waiting area showed I had arrived at precisely 8 a.m. Right on time .
“Go on in.” The young man at the reception desk pointed to the open door on the left.
I dipped my chin in acknowledgement as I passed, then ducked into the office and shut the door behind me. More sun filtered in through the high, narrow windows, bathing the room in pale morning light. The plants on the filing cabinets basked in the light, but it did nothing to brighten the face of the huge man crammed behind the desk.
“Boom,” I said, extending my hand as Boom got to his feet. Sebastian McKinney never went by any other name. It might’ve harkened back to his Explosive Ordnance Disposal days, or it might’ve referred to the volume of his voice. Either way, the moniker fit the man perfectly.
A massive hand engulfed mine and squeezed just enough to be noticeable but not enough to cripple. Boom was in his sixties, but he stuck to a strict workout regimen and diet that had him looking years younger and maintaining the solidly muscled width of a Humvee.
“Welcome back,” Boom said, his deep voice bouncing off the walls. “I read your report on the Asia assignment.” He motioned for me to have a seat in one of the two visitor chairs.
I dropped into the black-cushioned seat. “Nice and boring,” I said.
Boom laughed. “Just how we like it.”
Yesterday evening I had returned from escorting a prominent politician to Southeast Asia for three days, then back.
“You’ve completed four assignments for us now.” Boom rested his hands on his desk. “And I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen so far. Are you settling in okay? Still want to stick with us?”
I opened my mouth, but my enthusiastic yes, sir stuck in my throat. Was this what I wanted? Or just where I’d landed? My former CO had reached out after Dad’s funeral, wanting to know if I had anything lined up for work. I’d admitted I had nothing at all.
“I might have something for you,” my CO had said. “I know a retired Ranger, got his own outfit—Elite Security Services. Might be a fit. I can get you an interview if you’re ready to work. Only thing is, they’re out in San Diego.”
That had seemed more like a plus than a problem. I’d figured the change might do me good. But security could mean a lot of different things. “What kind of security?”
“Executive protection. They do short- and long-term bodyguard assignments.” My CO had then suggested I find a shooting range and become proficient in small arms. I had done it. I’d bought myself a Sig Sauer, welcoming the chance to do something besides wallow in loss and anger. At first, the handgun had felt foreign, light compared to the weight of my beloved sniper rifle, but I’d sucked it up. Risen to the challenge. My brother Harris, an active-duty Marine Raider, had helped me hone the skill during our recent road trip from Georgia to Vegas. With my vision off in my dominant eye, I could still hit the bullseye, but it wasn’t easy. It took a lot more focus than I’d needed before. Still, I’d gotten the job done.
And now I was here. Working for Boom. Was this actually where I wanted to be, rather than with my unit? Hell, did it even matter? I couldn’t go back. Nor was I fool enough to throw this opportunity away, even if I couldn’t see myself as a career bodyguard.
“It’s different from the military,” I answered honestly. Boom could smell BS from a mile away, so I didn’t try. “But I’m getting the hang of things. I’ll stay on if you want me.” Maybe I’d stick around long enough to find a real place to live, instead of my month-to-month sublease on a deployed SEAL’s condo.
“Glad to hear it.” Boom smiled wide and lifted a file off his desk. “Seeing how well you did in Asia, I’m convinced you can handle another sensitive assignment.”
I took the file, curiosity piqued.
“This job,” Boom continued, “is confidential. Outside of the two other men I’ll be assigning to your team, the fewer people who know this client’s movements, the better. But the work itself should be a cakewalk.”
I opened the file, and ho-ly shit . I resisted the impulse to let out a whistle. The client was gorgeous, perfection made flesh. Her eyes made me think of cold Arctic springs, ice-blue and piercing, framed with long lashes. A cascade of black hair tumbled over her shoulders. Sex hair, I thought. “This is the client? Happy birthday to me.”
Boom laughed, but he waggled a finger. “Sorry, son. She’s strictly hands off.”
“Damn.” I put on a show of pulling a sour face, but I wasn’t upset. The line between a professional bodyguard and his client needed to remain as impenetrable as a Kevlar vest. Boom had told me that on my first day, and I respected him for it.
“Viktoria Jonsdottir is the daughter of Jon Aronsson, a very powerful man. His company’s based in Iceland, but his operations are global. He’s in wool products, manufacture, and export.” Boom ran through the basics as I studied the file. “They’re in the US on business, and Aronsson wants his daughter protected while he handles some tough negotiations.”
“Why me?” I paused, flipping to the next page. “I mean, I’m grateful for the assignment, and I appreciate your vote of confidence in making me the lead. But the fact is, I’m still new here, and your tone tells me you’re cautious about this job.”
Boom inclined his head. “The fact you’re picking up on that just solidifies my decision.” He scratched his chin. “You’ve got good instincts, and your former CO told me you had your men’s trust. That counts for a lot.” He motioned to the file. “This should be a standard babysitting gig, but I’m not taking any risks. Jon Aronsson is an exacting man. His standards are high. I don’t want anything to screw up a potentially long-term relationship.”
I frowned. “Does he have reason to believe Viktoria will be targeted by anyone?”
“He doesn’t,” Boom said. “He’s more concerned he’ll be targeted himself. That’s why he and Viktoria aren’t traveling together. We have no reason to believe she’s in any immediate danger, but if something happens, you’re the man I want with her. That, and you’re the one man I’ve got with a tandem jump certification, and you have the most HALO and HAHO jumps under your belt.”
I blinked— wait, what? Was Boom anticipating we’d be jumping from a plane? HALO—high altitude low opening—and HAHO—high altitude high opening—jumps were used in covert missions, when the planes had to stay high to avoid detection by sensors. The difference between the two was when you pulled the rip cord to open the parachute. “You think we’re going to be tandem jumping?”
Tandem was skydiving with two people strapped together in a specialized harness so that one parachute could support both their weights. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded, and it wasn’t my favorite activity.
“I certainly hope not.” The crease between Boom’s eyes deepened. “But since you’ll be crossing the country in a private jet, I’d be stupid not to have that scenario covered.”
I nodded slowly. From what I’d experienced so far, Boom never held back or beat around the bush. He laid out all the pucker factors to make sure I understood the risks, but Viktoria wasn’t a known target. Barring disaster, this should be an easy babysitting job.
My gaze drifted back to her picture. The sunlight gleamed off the photo, catching those piercing blue eyes, taunting me to remain professional as we lounged on a luxury plane. Slapping the file shut, I grinned at my boss. “Should be fun. When do I meet her?”