Page 3 of Shield and Savior

When Alana bought the company, she inherited a ton of debt, some of it owed to the largest criminal organization on the East Coast—the Four Families. They differ from every other syndicate because each family is a part of a different criminal organization: Italian, Russian, and Irish mobs and the Mexican Cartel. But the debt isn’t the only reason she works with them. Her ties to the families run deep.

“Oh, shit. Really?”

She sits back in her chair, her eyes darting from the screen to me. “The Four Families are the last line of defense keeping the Majesty Drug from hitting the streets. There’s a ton of money to be made, but it would be a thousand times worse than crack in the 1990s. And the Four Families have pissed off a lot of people in the drug syndicate because they won’t play along.” She opens her laptop and presses a few buttons. “This is where we come in. Isabella Marciano has returned to town. When she was sixteen, she got pregnant and went to live with the non-criminal side of the family. But her baby’s daddy, Mike Bringsea, is a low-level pain in the ass. He has a vendetta against the Four Families and has turned informant for the DEA.”

She pauses for a second, giving me time to absorb it all, and one thing sinks in quicker than everything else. “Is he dirty or clean?”

“Good, bad, morally gray, different meanings here. Her family doesn’t like him, and our person on the inside at the DEA thinks he’s shady. When two opposing sides of the law think you’re a piece of shit, you’re an elephant-sized shit, regardless of if the elephant is wearing a fancy hat.”

Alana reaches for her coffee and a chocolate donut. “I know for sure Isabella didn’t want him in her life. He arrived unannounced about a week ago and tried to get her to spill some tea about her dad. And when she wouldn’t, he kicked the shit out of her.”

The donut tastes bitter in my mouth. I fucking hate this guy already.

“He also had some stalking charges mysteriously cleared and wiped from his records,” Alana adds, leaning closer to her computer screen. “He might be clean or dirty.” She points to a cork board with a new face on it. “Either way, he’s our Twat-of-the-Month.”

Mafia princess, international drug ring, and an abusive ex. It’s the ulcer trifecta. And I’m sacrificing my first-class lifestyle for this? “What’s the duration of the contract?”

“Your primary objective is to keep the kid and Isabella safe. We don’t have a clear end date. This one gets a little fuzzy with law enforcement. It’s a sixteen-hour day, five days a week gig. Drew, the kid, will be going to Pine Valley Academy.”

“Fancy.” Both of Alana’s goddaughters go there.

Alana settles back in her chair, but she keeps her focus on the screen a little longer. “You will pick up Drew and his mother at the end of the day, provide evening protection, and drop them off at work and school the next morning.”

“What about Isabella’s place of employment?”

“She’ll be working for Joseph in his office. He already has his own security team. You’ll have the hours between nine in the morning and four in the afternoon to yourself. Plus, you’ll get overtime pay. Specs will take over when you aren’t there, and he has weekends.”

I don’t like this. “She needs a larger team.” Personal security normally works in two or four person teams. One-on-one assignments are risky. It leaves too many blind spots for the principal, too many opportunities for unsecure situations. Plus, there’s no buffer between me and the clients.

“Under normal circumstances, I would agree. But the family only wants an extra pair of eyes.”

“What makes me so lucky?”

She closes her laptop and shifts her weight in my direction. If I hadn’t known Alana for years, I might have missed the way her forehead tightened. Just like it did whenever she was about to give bad news. “Carpool. The Four Families have requested you to drive the grandkids to their after-school programs. Once the kids are at their activities, each family will provide their own security.”

“I’m babysitting?” What about my personality makes her think I would be good at this?

“These kids are the most valuable assets in the Four Families’ lives. It’s an honor they selected you.” She leans back in her chair before reaching for her donut. Her eyes narrow, and she’s reading me like I can read her. Her ploys aren’t working, and she knows it. “Besides, Ian will be excited to see a friendly face.”

Knife in gut twists upward. How could I possibly say no?

Alana pauses to tap her chin and glances up like the answers are written on the ceiling. “Let me contact Joseph. I’m not one hundred percent sure how much the client knows, understands, or wants you around.” She pinches her lips and returns to the computer screen. “Make sure they get codenames in the next twenty-four hours.”

“Should I do a meet and greet today?”

Please say no. I need time to research. I hate going into a situation blind.

“Yeah, go over today. Her file is on the printer. Study it.” She flashes me a halfhearted smile before her tone lightens, and she’s out of Boss Mode.

Behind closed doors, and when we’re alone, the invisible weighted blanket she wears as a cape lifts, and she can be herself—lighter, happier. She’s in Alana Friend Mode. “Hey, I’m going out to eat with Hadeon and Penny this week, want me to bring you home anything?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Michelin Star restaurants do take out?”

She curls her lips. “They do if you’re having dinner with the Olympians.”

“What’s it gonna cost me?” Everything comes with a price when it comes to Alana. And she knows she’s got me.

She plays with her fingers and shrinks a little. “Can you move my clothes from the washer to the dryer and feed Midge tonight?”

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