Chapter 2
Brayden watched the women go. He didn’t like leaving Veronica and Jess alone, but it was go now or leave the house empty later.
Not an option after the aggressive stunt with the survey gear.
Jess hadn’t been on the force for a couple of years now, but she was still as sharp and fit as ever.
And he’d bet there was a gun concealed somewhere on her person.
Momentarily mollified, he decided this was an ideal time for a security sweep. Making the most of the daylight, and what was surely a temporary reprieve, he walked a circuit of the property before he headed out to get his gear.
There were no additional tracks along the beach, so he headed closer to the trees.
The workers weren’t doing nature any favors, trampling palms, snapping small limbs, and crushing ferns in their quest to drive the sisters away.
At least it seemed as if they’d chosen a path and stuck with it.
As he picked his way along, ducking under limbs and nudging Spanish moss out of his way, he found a spot that stopped him cold.
Behind an old live oak tree was a flattened patch of ground. The ferns nearby were broken and browning and as he dropped to a knee, he spotted what amounted to a cup holder hollowed out of the ground. Someone had spent hours here, enjoying a clear view of the Hideaway.
He swore, pulling out his camera and snapping a series of photos.
Easing around the area, he found a small bundle of zip ties tucked between the roots of the tree and fresh boot prints with a distinct tactical tread pattern.
He set his foot beside the print for comparison.
More pictures for the growing file and more curses, locked in his head this time.
This observation point was too close to the house. Too close to Roni. Even without the zip ties, this wasn’t a likely place for a construction worker to take a break. This was a purposeful surveillance location where someone had been monitoring the Hideaway activity and routines.
He waited a beat for the rage to fade back to a manageable level. Carefully, he skimmed away any evidence of his visit and continued on his way, more vigilant than ever. He sent a text to Jess with the photos, trusting her not to say or do anything that would spook Roni.
After a brief internal debate, he sent another text, asking her to bring someone in to keep watch over the property while he geared up. Why give someone room to make a move?
His photos didn’t qualify outright as hard proof of misconduct from the developers, but it was incriminating in the extreme.
He considered it more reason to believe Indigo Reef was using every possible trick to force the Hargrave sisters out.
They’d made a legitimate offer on the property a few weeks back—though it was way under market value—and the sisters turned it down flat.
Since that rejection, the noise pollution had increased, along with workers blocking the driveway and trespassing through the tree line to the beach, just to be jerks. Indigo Reef clearly wanted access to that beach and they weren’t afraid to play dirty.
Game on. Now he could go all-in and make a real difference for Roni and her sisters.
Temper slid like lightning under his skin as he jogged for his truck. Someone had been watching Roni, the Hideaway guests, maybe her sisters too. That crap stopped now. Whoever was giving the workers these harassment orders was about to become gravely disappointed.
He’d met Roni in the high school weight room and, being equally devoted to sports, they’d become fast friends.
From the start, it had been obvious how much she loved the family beach house.
Her face would practically glow whenever she mentioned it, her blue eyes sparkling as she shared stories of their adventures.
He refused to allow this development group to wreck something she treasured. He’d always felt that way. Watching out for her was as natural as breathing.
Their first encounter floated through his mind as he drove to his rental. Her track coach had her up in the bleachers, running sprints while the football team was on the field for morning practice. Then something went wrong and the coach sent the defense up into the bleachers too.
Veronica had ignored the lot of them, unmoved by their over-inflated confidence as they brushed by her or cut her off.
One oaf deliberately shoved her and she’d had to shuffle along the row to keep from going down.
Doing so put her well ahead of the idiot as they continued running up and down the aisles.
The football coach had missed the unsportsmanlike incident, but Brayden hadn’t.
He adjusted his pace until he was close enough to intervene if needed.
Sure enough, on the verge of being lapped by Roni again, the oaf tripped her.
Though she’d evaded the worst of it, Brayden caught her before she could tumble over the aluminum benches.
She’d murmured a thanks and they’d both continued on, chatting surreptitiously and starting what became a lifetime of friendship. Within a week, she’d become his favorite person and it had been that way ever since.
His best friend had become one of the best women he knew. He’d fallen in love with her somewhere along the line and kept it to himself. Because telling her might make her uncomfortable and he absolutely could not risk losing her. She was too important.
At the rental, he pulled into the drive to park as close to his door as he could get. He didn’t want anyone taking undue interest in how much he was packing out while remaining on the island.
Fire Chief Evan Miller had an apartment over his garage that had come available when Brayden had been assigned to help with things in this area.
After a couple of weeks, Brayden asked for a long-term contract and they’d come to terms. It was a good spot and he wasn’t bothered by any weird hours the chief might have. Thankfully, the reverse was also true.
Inside, he went straight for the bedroom closet where he’d stored his high-tech surveillance gear, a rugged laptop, and communication tools. If he had to sit in the dark and wait for someone to return to that observation site, he wanted to be able to call for backup if necessary.
Brayden ran a microfiber cloth over the lens of a thermal imaging monocular, his movements methodical.
As a senior investigator and protector for the Guardian Agency, he had spent the last several years operating in high-threat environments across the country.
He had tracked corporate saboteurs, protected high-profile clients, and dismantled extortion rings.
But none of those assignments had ever made his chest tighten the way this one did.
His cell phone buzzed in his pocket and a text appeared from Jess.
Text: Travis Upton is finishing the perimeter assessment. His wife Lila and I will stay with Veronica. She refuses to leave until she speaks with you face to face.
He gave the message a thumbs up and started sorting the essentials.
He packed the thermal optics, a set of encrypted outdoor trail cameras, and his personal tactical defense kit into a heavy black canvas duffel bag.
In another suitcase, he packed a week’s worth of clothing and personal gear. He could always come back if necessary.
His phone chimed again, but this message was from Patrick Gamble, one of the partners that headed up the Guardian Agency.
Text: More intel received. Veronica Hargrave will remain under your protection at the Hideaway until further notice. Her sisters will have a bag ready for you to pick up.
More intel? As much as he wanted those details right now, he trusted his bosses implicitly. They wouldn’t leave him hanging. And how awkward would it be picking up the bag for her?
What was he supposed to tell her sisters? And how was he supposed to guard the Hideaway and protect Veronica during her appointments?
As much as he valued teamwork and trusted his fellow protectors, he was personally invested in Roni’s safety. Better to get over there and sort it out together.
Because he was used to managing clients with a certain professional detachment. If a protection detail meant telling a client when and how to adjust a schedule, he did it. No qualms or hesitation when he was guarding a CEO in Seattle or a celebrity in Miami.
It was an entirely different story now that the client was Veronica Hargrave.
She wasn’t a stranger. He’d known her for more than half his life.
When they’d met, she was a lanky athlete and she’d become a brilliant, breathtakingly beautiful woman managing two successful careers.
After college, his military service and following career with the Guardian Agency had kept him on the move, relegating their relationship to texts and emails.
Although he’d missed her, he’d convinced himself it was better to keep her away from his world.
But the moment he’d heard Jess was looking for more staff on Brookwell to address various issues at the Hideaway, his self-imposed exile had ended. Seeing that burly surveyor loom over her on the beach earlier today had shattered whatever remaining restraint he possessed.
He was no longer just the training partner who happened to be working in town again. No matter the exact parameter of the assignment, as of tonight, he was Veronica’s shield. Anyone from Indigo Reef who dared to cross his line would be met with a swift and rude awakening.
Tossing the gear into the truck bed, he heard the fire chief’s vehicle pull up. He smiled. “Hey, Evan.”
“Hey.” His gaze landed on the bag and suitcase. “New assignment?”
Brayden nodded. “It’s local, though, so I’ll be around. Just not here too much.”
“No worries.” The chief frowned. “You can’t tell me anything more?”
Technically, the answer was no. However, folks were close around here and the chief had coordinated with agency protectors on a few incidents. “I’ll be helping at the Hargrave Hideaway.”