Page 1 of Elliot

CHAPTER 1

Elliot Sawyer jabbed at the heavy bag. Right, right, left, uppercut, right, left, right. Each punch landed harder and harder. He was pissed. He’d transitioned into the Personal Security realm of Guardian Security over six months ago, and he still didn’t have an assignment. He’d witnessed assignment after assignment being given to people with less experience and less time at the company.

He let a flurry of punches land and then danced around the bag.Was he too old? Were they just placating him? Or had the powers that be lost confidence in him?He’d worked damn hard to protect Archangel’s family. But he wasn’t there that day. The visions of the war zone he was called to after the Siege still made him sick to his stomach, and even as exhausted as he was, he whacked the bag harder. The tape around his knuckles had loosened from sweat and the impact of his punches, but that wouldn’t stop him. He mentally relived each notification to family, each funeral, each tear that had dropped as the coffins were lowered. He’d personally made those notifications. He’d held the widows, the children, and the parents as they’d wept for a life cut too short. The grief was still so heavy it felt as if it had happened that day. His arms were dead weight,but he wasn’t dropping them, and he wasn’t stopping. Nothing would wipe away the memories. He understood that. It didn’t matter, though. He had to do something to stem the flow, and murdering the bastards responsible was out of the question. They were already dead. He hadn’t even had the chance to avenge his men. Sweat dropped onto the mat under him as he continued to hit the bag. He whipped his head from side to side, sending splatters of sweat to the already sweat-soaked mat and onto the bag.

“Gross, you’re going to wipe all that up before you leave, right?” Elliot spun at Jade DeMarco’s words. She stepped back as sweat sprayed in her direction. “Seriously, what did you do? Spill a gallon of water over you before you started to work out, or have you been torturing that leather bag for the last three hours?”

Elliot let his lead-filled arms drop and glanced at the clock. The second was closer to the truth. He’d started taking out his frustration on the gym equipment months ago. Walking over to the chair where he’d dropped his towel and water bottle, he asked, “Did you need something, Mrs. DeMarco, or were you waiting for me to finish?” He’d seen the woman working out with her husband, and neither pulled any punches when they sparred. Even with a prosthetic leg, her husband was one fast and lethal man, which made Jade just as proficient, and the woman had some dirty tricks he’d seen her use when her husband was getting the better of her. He wouldn’t want to spar with either of them.

She frowned. “I know I don’t wear too many designer clothes, but does this look like workout gear to you?” She lifted her hands to her sides. He glanced at her black slacks and white top. Her low heels made her a few inches shorter than he was, so she stood just about six feet tall in front of him.

Elliot wiped his brow. “No, ma’am. You look very professional. What can I do for you?”

“When you’ve cleaned up, please come up to our office.” Jade scrunched her nose. “I’ll let Sarah know we’re expecting you. But seriously, wash first.”

“Can you tell me what this meeting is in reference to, ma’am?” Elliot braced for what he expected to be his release from Guardian. What else could it be? They’d carried him for the last six months without an assignment.

“A project has come down the pipe for a person loosely connected to our agency. Your talents won’t be wasted on this one.”

Elliot froze with his water bottle halfway to his lips. “Excuse me?”

Jade’s head cocked to the side. “Which word didn’t you understand? Or did the heavy bag hit you back one too many times?”

Elliot barked out a laugh. “You mean I haven’t been given an assignment because I’mtootalented?”

Jade crossed her arms. “Well, duh. Did you think we’d waste your talent on simple babysitting gigs?”

Elliot shook his head, and a sheepish grin spread across his face. “Either that or you decided I wasn’t capable of doing the job.”

Jade threw back her head and laughed. “Dude, Jason would kill both Nic and me if I sent you out on an assignment below your capabilities. Get showered. You’ll be flying out on the first thing with wings we can book you on.”

Elliot watched her spin and walk through the gym.Halle-fucking-lujah. He grabbed his bag and headed for the shower.

It took him under fifteen minutes to shower, change into his suit, and grab the elevator to the Guardian executive offices in the high-rise building Domestic Operations had taken over inDenver, Colorado. He pushed the button to the correct floor and waited as the elevator stopped at each floor on the way to the top. Jared, Jade, and Nic were the faces of Guardian, and as far as the world knew, Guardian had reduced its footprint to law enforcement efforts and personal protection within the borders of the United States. The move from the D.C. area had been a bitter pill for him to swallow. His team was laid to rest around the nation’s capital. They’d all given their lives protecting their charges. They were warriors and heroes, and Guardian had honored them and their families, but losing them had changed him irrevocably. There were days right after the siege he’d considered the unthinkable … of joining his brothers. However, taking care of Jason King and his family was more important than his grief, and that had pulled him through some of the blackest days of his life.

He’d moved with Archangel and his family to Colorado. He’d ensured they were in good hands with the best team members he could locate, and then he did what he had to do: he moved on. It was the only way to save his sanity—if he had any left. For the last handful of months, he’d been doing nothing but physical conditioning and honing his skills.

Training in Denver had almost killed him when he’d first arrived after Archangel had relocated to the new and top-secret offices inside some random mountain well outside the city. The entrances to the facility and the location were classified, well-protected, and completely undetectable. The workers inside the mountain held only the highest clearances. It took a scarlet clearance even to sniff the idea that there was a fortified stronghold for Guardian leadership. No one would be able to take out Guardian again.

He exited the elevator at the executive level and made his way past Jared King’s offices. The man’s executive team was in the conference room, where a color-coded map of the nation wason display. Domestic Operations were an economic mainstay for the company, and there wasn’t a lack of business for the investigators. He kept on walking to the offices of Jade and Nic DeMarco.

“Hey, Elliot,” Sarah said as he entered the large reception area.

“Sarah, how are the kids?” At least ten pictures of her children were on the desk and wall behind her.

“Goodness, they’re a handful, but they’re doing great.” The woman gave him a bright smile. “Jade said you’re supposed to go straight through. Oh, do you prefer an aisle or window seat? Your profile didn’t indicate it, and I need to have logistics finish your travel arrangements. Right now, they have a hold on one of each.”

“Either is fine. Just not a middle seat, please.”

Sarah snorted. “You’re flying business class. No middle seats allowed. Now, get in there before I get in trouble. I need logistics to cancel one of the seats and finalize your rental vehicle. I’ll have your travel itinerary ready when you come out.”

Elliot thanked her and headed into the office. Two large desks faced each other from opposite sides of the massive room. Jade was sitting on Nic’s desk, so he made his way to that side of the room.

She reached for a small removable drive and handed it to him. “Here’s the file on your assignment. You can read it on the way. The password is yours, according to CCS.”

Elliot took the digital storage unit from her. Nic stood up and extended his hand. “This is a strange one. The person you’re protecting doesn’t think she’s in danger, but there’s enough going on that a close friend of hers, someone also close to our leadership, one Olivia Solomon, has convinced her to employ us.”

He shook Nic’s hand and nodded. He’d heard of Olivia Solomon. She was famous for being a business hard-ass and making billions of dollars in the old-fashioned way. Earning them.

---