Securing His Target (Power Security #4)

Chapter 1

Chapter

One

Three months ago

The beer slid down Andy Grimshaw’s throat, the bitterness of the ale sharp on his tongue, and the coolness of it doing little to combat the heat and humidity that lingered in the early evening air.

The chatter and laughter from the patrons at the hotel bar was a welcome sound after four days of nothing but the incessant buzz of insects, screech of birds, and the rapid tattoo of gunfire in the depths of the jungle in Bali.

Far enough away from tourists so as not to attract attention, but close enough to the coast to escape by boat.

Luckily Andy was good at his job, and the asshole, Bintu Dunang, a small-time drug runner who dreamed of bigger hauls, was rotting at the bottom of a hidden cave where he would never be found.

His associates all scattering like rats now their leader was gone.

He’d completed his mission quicker than he’d planned.

A solo mission because he was one of the best operatives at Power Security, and because Bintu was careless and left himself wide open to be taken down.

Going on solo missions wasn’t the norm for him, or anyone at Power Security. Their usual tactic was to all go together. Bayden Price, their contact at the Australian Federal Police, had given them all the intel, and Andy had assured the team he could do it himself.

No way was he going to admit he’d wanted to do it solo as a test for himself and his abilities. Prior to the assignment, he’d been feeling stale, and had needed to be challenged. Steve, his boss, hadn’t been happy, but Bayden had assured him it was an easy one-man job, and he’d been right.

Now, though, he planned to enjoy his last night in Bali before heading back to Perth and the job he loved.

With Power, he got the chance to serve and protect without the restrictions of being in the Army.

He’d loved his time in the military, but it had been an easy yes when Steve asked Andy and the rest of the team to join him in the private sector.

Business was booming, and they were busier than they ever thought they’d be.

Sweat trickled down his back as he took another swallow of his drink.

He should make use of the hotel pool to wash away the remnants of his mission.

Clear his mind. A swim before he crashed for the night sounded like his idea of heaven.

His flight was first thing in the morning, so an early night wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Andy slid off the stool, snatched his phone up, and turned straight into someone—a woman. Reflexively, he grabbed her arms, surprised at the thrum of electricity shooting through his hands and traveling down the rest of his body. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I shouldn’t have gotten so close.

” Her voice was a little hoarse, as if she’d been yelling.

She looked as sexy as she sounded, dressed in a short skirt with a tank top.

The pale pink straps of her bikini curled around her neck.

The combination of it all, and because they were practically pressed up against each other, caused his body to flare to life.

A spontaneous erection wasn’t something he’d had since he had been a teenager. It wasn’t a great first impression either, so he stepped back.

Why was he worried about what impression he made? He wasn’t likely to ever see the woman again, yet the desire to go to for a swim wasn’t as pressing as it had been only a few moments ago.

“Can I buy you a drink?” He inwardly cringed at his blatant pick-up line. Her lips curved into a sexy and open smile, as if she too caught on to the cheesiness of his words. Her blue eyes glittered with mirth.

Lust flooded him, and he had to resist the urge to haul her close and sample her tempting mouth.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Even when he’d been young and drowning in his own arrogance, he’d never reacted to a woman as instantly as he was now. He was thirty-two; he should have better control over his body’s reactions.

“Sure, why not?” She shrugged casually and held out her hand. “I’m Narelle.”

She’d only given her first name, and he was okay with that. He only had a few more hours in the country. Why not spend it in the company of a beautiful woman?

“Andy.” He grasped her hand, once again feeling a jolt of energy sizzle through him. He was standing on hardwood floors. There was no way he could blame it on static electricity. Yet, that’s what he did. It couldn’t be anything else.

Andy spied a free table and led them toward it, her hand still clasped in his.

Once she sat, he leaned down, not because the music had gotten louder making conversation a little more difficult, but because he just wanted to get closer to her.

He caught the faint scent of vanilla and coconut.

Was it from lotion or from sunscreen? “What would you like to drink?” His lips almost brushed the outer curve of her ear, and he didn’t miss her slight shiver.

“I’ll have a white wine, thanks.” The more she talked, the less raspy her voice appeared to get, and he was kind of disappointed. Which was such a silly reaction.

He made his way over to the bar, constantly scanning the area, looking for anything that signaled the possibility of shit about to go down. A habit of his job, but a good one to have, especially considering the past tragedies which had occurred in the tourist city.

Nothing appeared out of place, and there wasn’t anyone suspicious lurking by the entrance. All he could see were people enjoying themselves, the way life should be.

After what seemed like a half an hour, Andy had their drinks in hand, and he could head back to the table.

Relief swept through him at seeing Narelle where he’d left her.

The bar had gotten busier, so with the length of time it had taken him to get served, she could’ve got cold feet and decided it would be safer to leave, rather than waiting for him.

Instead, she was people watching with a small smile teasing her full lips.

What was going through her mind?

Was she looking for someone in particular?

Did she have friends waiting for her? Or maybe a boyfriend?

He hoped like hell she didn’t have a partner, because then she wouldn’t be the type of woman he wanted to get involved with.

Anyone who would accept the offer of a drink from a random stranger while in a relationship was someone he didn’t want to associate with.

Find out by asking her.

His inner voice made a good point, and if it turned out she was with someone else, he’d tip his beer bottle in her direction and tell her to have a nice evening. He’d go have that swim after all.

If she was by herself, then who knew what could happen.

He couldn’t deny his attraction toward her.

Perhaps Narelle was looking for what he was, too.

A bit of fun for a night. He didn’t do one-night stands now.

He’d outgrown that in his early twenties, but the urge to travel down that road again with Narelle was stronger than he’d ever had in recent years.

“Here you go.” He placed the wine in front of her, and she smiled her thanks.

He took the seat opposite her. The location of the table wasn’t ideal, but from where he sat, he still had a good view of the exits. He didn’t like having his back exposed to half the room, though. “Are you here by yourself or with friends?”

Narelle canted her head to the left where there was a woman wrapped up in a man’s arms. They were propping up the wall and totally oblivious to what was going on around them as they made out.

“I’m with her. She’s a girl I work with.

It was a last-minute thing for me to take this trip.

We’re not close friends. We haven’t spent much time together.

How about you? Are you with anybody or by yourself? ”

Relief swept through him. She was alone and wondering the same thing about him.

“Here for work.” He didn’t elaborate. It wasn’t like when he was in the Army and was always going on top-secret missions, so he couldn’t talk about his job.

He worked for a private security company.

He could talk about what he did if he wanted.

However, what he’d done for Bayden and the federal police on this trip was classified.

She nodded and took a sip of her drink. “Not a bad place to have to come for work.”

“I’ve been to worse.”

“Sounds interesting.”

There was the opening to tell her more about himself, but Andy wasn’t sure he wanted to. He had no idea where Narelle lived. She was Australian, like him, but she could live on the other side of the country from him. Or be an ex-pat who lived and worked in another part of the world.

Maybe he should give up the idea of the spending the night with her, and, instead of a swim, take a cold shower.

“It’s not very exciting,” he said instead. “How long are you here for?”

Loud laughter rang out around them, and before he could blink, two men crashed into the table, spilling Narelle’s drink everywhere. She yelped and pushed her chair back from the table.

Andy shot up and hauled the two men off the table. “Watch what you’re doing,” he growled.

The sandy blond-haired man grinned. “Sorry, man.” He slurred his words, and Andy rolled his eyes, giving him a little nudge as he released his hold.

“You might want to head up to your rooms instead of banging into tables.”

The other guy sneered at Andy, looking like he wanted a fight. “Fuck off, old man.”

They weren’t worth the energy of arguing with, and he had better things to do than fight with a couple of drunks. Andy held out his hand toward Narelle. “Shall we get out of here?”