Page 11 of Grave Peril

Chapter 4

Ripley McConnell rocked back in his chair and stretched. He sniffed the underarm of his t-shirt. Out of consideration for his team, he should probably go home and shower. He tended to work long hours. The office of Stealth Security had a kitchen and a bed, in the event that a particularly intense case required an overnighter.

He’d caught a few hours of sleep there last night, but was a bit ragged. The team at Stealth served as bodyguards to high-profile clients. The VIPs included athletes, movie stars, corporate executives, even a couple of billionaires. Kidnapping billionaires for ransom was a fad that Rip wasn’t fond of, but it was good the company could provide protection.

The Stealth team was Rip’s family now. The bodyguards who worked there were ex-SEALs, just like he was. But he’d been there the longest. When Travis Hewitt had founded the company, his buddy Rip was the first man he’d called. Being on deployment together had created a bond like no other.

Rip trusted Travis with his life, and his boss felt the same. The two of them had launched the bodyguard business, and it had grown substantially since then. Most of the fieldwork was left to the younger guys, not that either of them weren’t up to the task.

But Travis was in his mid-forties, and Rip wasn’t far behind. His boss had a lovely wife, and was as proud as could be of his twin daughters. He had family responsibilities and commitments, which added balance to his life. It was as it should be.

Rip was married to the job. It was his career and his personal life, too. He rode his Harley when he had the opportunity, and downed a few beers with buddies sometimes. But more often, he was at the office busting his butt. He preferred that to staring at the walls of his empty apartment.

Plus, his position as security analyst gave him a chance to use his talents. He’d joined the Navy right out of high school, and had become adept at reconnaissance and surveillance. Technology intrigued him, so he’d become good with the tools of the trade.

He’d stayed through the night to finish the initial security workup on a new client. The guy was one of the billionaires Travis had contracted with, and it was vital that the protection be airtight. It was with each client, but this dude was high profile. It couldn’t hurt to put in extra effort.

Rip pushed back from the desk, then remembered that Cooper had wanted to talk to him. Cooper Brennan was a real asset to the team. The guy had some college education behind him, plus six years as a SEAL. His computer skills came in handy for investigations.

He was a skilled hacker, although he didn’t admit to it. Rip had an aptitude for hacking, too. But Coop, as his friends called him, was a genius at it. If the team needed to know something, their computer tech would find out one way or the other.

As Rip made his way down the hall, Tessa called out, “Rip, I need to ask you something.” He wheeled around and stepped into her office.

Tessa Pate held the organizational side of the business together. It was a rare woman who could manage a team of SEALs, even in an office environment. But Tessa was kick-ass enough to do it.

Rip stood in the doorway. “What can I do for you?”

Tessa’s blond hair was twisted up in a knot on top of her head, and her brow was furrowed. She didn’t tend to sleep over at the office, like Rip. But she put in lots of hours, and handled some tasks from home. It seemed that she wasn’t far away if any of the guys needed her for something.

“Travis has a meeting with our new client over lunch, but I’m missing the security analysis. You’re on it, right?”

Rip saluted her. “It’s done…just about to hit send. Check your email in a few.” He was rewarded with a smile.

“Okay, well, not a minute too soon.” Tessa’s expression returned to all business.

Then Hunter Davis barged in, disrupting the mood. Hunter was one of the newer bodyguards, but he really wasn’t so new anymore. He’d proven himself on many occasions, and had even rescued Tessa from a kidnapper on his time off.

The team treated Tessa like their sister. She was part of the family, and each man was protective of her. Rip watched Hunter saunter up to the office manager and give her a kiss; these days, he was the most protective of her.

Since the near-death experience, the two had been dating. It did Rip’s heart good to see her with one of the team, trusting that she’d be treated right.

Tessa beamed at Hunter, then gave his shoulder a little shove. “I’m working here, Davis. So state your business or move on.”

Hunter was over six feet tall, and built like a small mountain. Yet in Tessa’s presence he was a pussycat. He had a bad case of it for the sassy blonde. At her admonition, he grinned and put his hand over his heart. “Oh, you’ve wounded me…severely. I was sure you were pining for my affection…that you were holding your breath in here, waiting for me to stop by.”

Tessa laughed. “I’m not complaining about the kiss.” She leaned her head against Hunter’s big arm. “Now that you’re here, is there something I can do for you?”

Rip took that moment to duck out. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” Then he continued down the hall to Cooper’s office.

The computer tech wanted to get Rip’s input on a couple of things. Although each had their specialty, working together was more productive. In truth, they could do each other’s job, and covered for each other sometimes. In this case, brainstorming a dilemma had led to a possible solution.

“Let me see what I can do,” Rip said. “I’ll get back to you in a few.” So much for heading home to shower…

At his desk, Rip tapped away at his keyboard. It didn’t take long. He’d had an idea about how to get the info Coop needed. He put the data in an email and hit send.

As long as he was still there, he might as well check the sports scores. It was fall, and football season was underway. He’d grown up in Houston, and had family there. He was overdue to see his parents and connect with his younger brother Axel, who worked for the Houston PD. He’d kept in touch, but getting away for a visit just hadn’t seemed to happen.

He was a lifelong Cowboys fan, but also kept tabs on the local team. Football was a way of life; it was in his blood. His younger brother had gone to college at the University of Houston, so he rooted for the Cougars. This season marked the university team as a member of the American Athletic Conference—kind of a big deal.

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