Page 1 of Mountain Security

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Alex

The office was alive and buzzing when Alex strode inside. He stopped short as he noticed the tray of cupcakes on the empty desk.

Hisdesk.

“What’s going on? The day I leave the office, you decide to bring in food? Do you have any idea how much I love cupcakes?”

“Relax, Alex. Don’t get your panties in a wad,” Ry said, clapping him hard on the back. “The Commandant’s fiancée and her niece baked cupcakes and brought us the extras.”

“So I can take one?”

“Help yourself,” Beau said, “and then please explain what you’re doing here, Alex. I thought I made myself clear when I explained you were expected at the mayor’s office this morning.”

Alex took his time choosing a cupcake. He knew Valentina’s niece, Ren, was thirteen years old, but these cupcakes looked like they’d been frosted by a toddler in the throes of a temper tantrum.

Clearly, this isn’t Valentina’s area of expertise.

Which made sense, since she was an ER doctor, and had only recently become guardian to her niece.

Alex’s mom loved baking more than anything else in the world, except perhaps her husband and her children, so Alex didn’t remember many weekends without cake when he was growing up. He could teach Valentina and Ren a thing or two, though looking at Beau, and at the way the big man was pinching the bridge of his nose, now might not be the time to suggest it.

“Relax, Commandant,” Alex said, finally making his selection and taking a bite.

It was chocolatey and gooey, and surprisingly good.

Now if only he had a cup of coffee to go with it. But his boss was still staring at him and losing patience fast.

“I was actually on my way there when I got a call from—“

“’Morning,” a deep voice said from the doorway. Alex looked up to see Damien Gray and Drake Jacobs, from their sibling PGHM unit.

“Damien,” Beau said. “Thanks for coming. We’re down one man this week. Or we will be as soon as the man in question gets his ass to the mayor’s office.”

Alex didn’t take offense. He and Beau had worked together for years. As well as his boss, the man was one of Alex's closest friends.

“If you’ll let me explain,Commandant,” Alex said, taking one last bite of cupcake. “I got a call from someone at the mayor’s office this morning telling me to meet her and the mayor for lunch at Chez Joséphine. They’ll brief me there.”

“Chez Joséphine!” Ry piped up, laughing. “Fancy!”

“What? Is that where you take your dates?” Alex retorted.

“I wish! I can’t afford Chez Joséphine on my salary.”

“Maybe you can bring us some leftovers for dinner,” Hugo said.

Hugo, Alex and Ry shared a house right outside the city center, behind the ice rink.

“Do you ever think of something that’s not food, Hugo?” Tristan, their pilot, asked.

“Was Yvette Legrand the one who called you?” Drake asked. He and Damien were still standing by the door.

Alex nodded. He thought back to the husky, throaty voice on the phone. He wondered if the woman was as beautiful as her name and voice implied.

Then he laughed.

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