The Omega Team: Ethan's Promise (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Men of Mercy Book 7) (3 page)

“You’re both crazy, you know that right?”

“A small dose of crazy is good sometimes.” Holden kept his hand out, waiting on Kate to accept.

She sighed and shook his hand. “When do you need me to start?”

“Right now. Follow me and I’ll introduce you to your new co-workers.”

HOLDEN sauntered down a short hallway and Kate took the moment to quickly straighten her jacket and check for wrinkles. She was about to meet her new co-workers and looking like a slob just wouldn’t do.

“You’re fine, most of these guys haven’t worn a suit a day in their life.”

Kate jumped and spun, having forgotten about Athena bringing up the rear of their little group.

“Sorry, habit.” Kate forced her arms down to her sides and instead rubbed her ring. New people and a new job. She didn’t like
new.
She wanted consistency and clarity.

Holden pulled open a door on the right and gestured Kate to precede him. She made it through the door and nearly gasped. The room was filled with men. Big men with beards and black shirts and wicked looking tattoos.

Kate licked her suddenly dry lips and forced one foot in front of the other, quickly searching every possible exit in case they all decided to turn on her. But thankfully, no one seemed to notice she’d entered. There were five men and one woman in all, four of whom were studying a blown up topographic map on the wall. The sixth, a lone wolf with shaggy black hair and a look of utter boredom, leaned against the opposite wall with his massive arms crossed. She swallowed, her stomach rolling with awareness. She’d never seen a chest that wide. Or hips that lean.

Or a scorpion tattoo that wrapped his arm from his wrist to disappear up his shirt sleeve.

Of course, it probably licked up that big bicep and around his shoulder. Her skin tingled and she glanced up, freezing on the spot. His Nordic ice blue eyes bored holes straight to her soul.

She’d never
felt
a look like that, like he was stripping her raw in the crowded room.

“Men, I want you to meet our female bodyguard.”

Blue-eyes gave her a once over and then his lip curled and he glanced away, summarily dismissing her on the spot. Heat lit up her cheeks and Kate forced herself to focus on the other men in the room.

A burly brown haired guy broke from the group and extended a hand. “I’m Rowdy.”

Kate accepted the shake, surprised at the warmth in his expression. “Kate Richards.”

Rowdy tugged her over to the group. “This is Kris Rowell, our resident helicopter pilot and her husband Mason.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“And then Owen Cormier, he’s in charge of planning.”

Owen nodded and offered a smile. He had dark almost mahogany hair and equally dark eyes.

“This guy here,” Rowdy gestured to another brown haired guy with a thick beard, “This is Aaron, he’s not usually with Team Omega, but agreed to help out on this mission.”

“That guy pouting over there is Ethan, he’s a newbie too.”

Kate avoided glancing back at Ethan, even though she felt it the minute his gaze fell on her again. She didn’t have time to waste on men, especially on a man who was so obviously disgusted by her presence.

“Glad to know I’m not the only new member.”

“Rowdy, I’ll let you catch Kate up to speed on our mission. Aaron, have you got the other female lined up?” Holden and Athena stood just outside the group.

Aaron answered, “Yeah, she’s good to go. She’ll meet us when we get there.”

Kate’s curiosity took over and she studied the blown up topographic map on the back wall. Not mountainous. In fact, the area appeared very flat with a large river running north to south up the west side.

Next to the map was a satellite image of the same area, this one showing roads and houses.

"You don't have to dress business casual anymore, T-shirt and shorts is fine by us." Rowdy’s deep rumbling voice filled the room and Kate found herself relaxing.

“I've put on a suit every day for the last seven years, wearing a T-shirt to work just seems wrong."

Rowdy chuckled, "But it can be so right."

Kate didn't think so but she bit her lip. Everyone has their own quirks, she liked her life nice and neat and orderly. "Is that a plantation there on the river?”

“Yep, that’s where the wedding will take place.”

“Wedding?”

“Senator Tom Cotter’s daughter, Caroline, is getting married there. We’ve been hired to transport her from the airport here,” Rowdy pointed to an area at the top of the photo, “to the plantation.” He traced a path down to the white house. “We will also provide security and protection during the whole event.”

Kris stepped forward, “I’ll be in the air, providing surveillance for the wedding and surrounding area. We don’t want any surprises.”

Kate turned her attention back to the map and the route from the airport to the plantation. The area was remote, with only a few other houses scattered amongst the trees. “Are you also providing transport for Caroline from the airport?”

The yard surrounding the plantation had a flat spot big enough to land a helicopter.

“No, unfortunately, that option has been ruled out,” Kris said.

Kate traced the road on the map from the small airport to Cotter plantation. “Over seventy percent of the road is flanked by thick trees and foliage. Your team will be too vulnerable to ambush.” She considered thirty percent too high a risk, but seventy – that made her blood pressure rise.

"I don't like it any more than you, but Caroline has put her foot down and her father is bending over backwards. She doesn't want a big fuss, she wants to make a quiet entrance,” Rowdy said.

"And the onslaught of stretch limousines arriving, along with professional caterers and I’m assuming, Washington DC's finest, isn't going to draw attention?" Ethan’s deep throaty voice pierced the room.

Kate spun to see him lift a jet black brow, his expression bored.

Holden stepped forward, his mouth tight, “We don’t have a choice. The Senators paying us to guard his baby. I've been informed not to step on her toes or offend her in any way."

"And how do you plan on doing that? You're going to have a team of armed guards on her at all times."

"That's where you come in," Holden said.

Kate glanced around the empty room a trickle of unease starting up at the base of her neck. “How?”

She’d assumed she’d continue working for Holden in the same fashion as at the CIA. As an analyst, a planner.

"The bride is refusing to be surrounded by armed men. I argued and we came up with a compromise. You and the second female we have coming on board will pose as Caroline’s stylists, but will act as her personal bodyguards.”

Kate scrambled, trying to compute the new intel. “I'm an analyst not an operative."

"Yeah, but you said yourself you've been trained and we’ve got two weeks to refresh your memory," Holden said.

Everyone stared at her and she could practically hear their doubts. “Sir, I’m trained but surely you’ve got someone more qualified.”

She swallowed, her throat working in overdrive to get past the lump forming there. Ten minutes ago she’d sworn to him she could handle anything - but she hadn’t thought…

“I’m out of time, Richards, either you can do it or not. I need to know now if I’ve got to find someone else.” Holden crossed his arms, seeming to grow taller.

Dammit, she needed this job more than she could admit. She had bills to pay and a shredded reputation thanks to Agent Franks. What choice did she have?

You could always go home to live with mommy and daddy.

“I’ll do it.”

Holden allowed his shoulders to relax. “Good. And don’t worry, I’ve got someone to train you and get you ready. After what I saw in the interview, you don’t have anything to worry about.”

Worry? Oh she’d worry plenty, not that she’d tell anyone else. She’d bluffed her way in and now she didn’t have a choice. At least most of her new Team seemed pretty easy going. She glanced at Rowdy, pretty sure he’d be the one training her. “So when do we start?”

“Not we, honey, him.” Rowdy gestured to the man still leaned against the wall.

Kate’s legs turned to limp noodles as she slowly spun to stare at Ethan. “Him?”

Ethan pushed off the wall, the first real movement she’d seen him do all day, and approached with lethal steps, forcing Kate to crane her head back.

“That’s right, princess. Me.”

CHAPTER THREE

              Ethan put the kickstand down on his motorcycle, pulled off his helmet, and wiped the sweat from his face before grabbing his saddlebags and walking up the grass-lined gravel driveway to the two-story white house in front of him. Not exactly what he'd envisioned for a private security firm's headquarters, but maybe that was the point.              
              He climbed the steps up to the porch and slung his bag over his shoulder.  Before he could knock on the door, Aaron pulled it open. “You made it just in time. We got a big pot of soup almost ready.”
              “Great.” Ethan ground out and followed Aaron inside. Immediately the delicious smell hit him. “Didn't know you were such a chef.”
              “I'm not. Stash your saddlebags over there for now.” Aaron gestured to the floor right next to a blue flowery couch. “After we eat I'll show you where you're bunking down.”
              Ethan put his bag down, uneasy about the location. The small living room looked exactly what a grandmother's house would look like, complete with lace curtains and a hundred different pictures hanging on the walls. Most of the photographs were of children in some state of play: fishing, swimming, birthday parties. As he followed the pictures, the kids grew older: graduation caps, basic training, girls in pantsuits and guys in military dress blues. Ethan paused at the next to last one, surprise tinging his voice. “Hey, this is you.”
              Aaron came and stood beside him, “Damn, I look like a baby. Can't believe I've been in the military for ten years now.”
              “Who are these two?” Ethan gestured to the pictures flanking Aaron proudly on the wall.
              “The one on the left is my dad after he got back from Vietnam. The one on the right is my grandpa. He was a World War II fighter pilot.”
              That sense of unease returned full force as Ethan felt the cloying grips of claustrophobia snake its way around his lungs. “This is your family's house. Why the hell am I here?”
              “Holden needed somewhere for us to bunk close to the plantation. Noni's house was the closest so I volunteered.”
              “This is your grandma's house?”
              “Sure is. Got a problem with it?” A strong female voice came through loud and clear from behind Aaron and both men turned to see a very petite woman standing in the room. Her snow white hair and colorful apron clearly stated this was the famous Noni.
              “No, ma'am, your house is very nice, but I can't say here. I'll find a motel.” Ethan grabbed his bags off the floor and slung them over his shoulder. He couldn’t stay at a place that embodied family life. He didn’t even have a family, he’d grown up on the streets, an orphan. Everything about this place was wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
              He might be one of the few men on the planet who preferred solitary bunk beds in the barracks, but at least there Ethan knew his place. Family homes that smelled like a Betty Crocker commercial were out of his league.

              “Not before you eat some of the soup I've been slaving over all day.” Noni crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. Ethan realized he must have offended her, not that he had enough practice with family interaction to be sure.
              “I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't mean to offend you, but I'm here for work not a vacation.”
              “I realize that young man, which is why I cooked my famous homemade soup. You'll need it for what you've got to do. Whether you stay here or not is your business, but you would highly offend me if you left before eating.”
              Ethan's gaze cut to Aaron, who offered absolutely no help whatsoever. “Man, you got to try it. I promise you won't regret it. Besides, there is nowhere else within thirty miles to eat.”

              Ethan sensed a trap, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it might be. Reluctantly, he eased his bag to the ground.
              “Great, glad you decided to join us. The food’s ready.” Noni disappeared around the corner.              

              A few minutes later Ethan polished off the second helping of vegetable beef soup with homemade cornbread and then leaned back in the kitchen chair to groan. Noni’s cooking made military food taste like shit. No, worse than that, the shit that grew on shit. He'd just had the most heavenly meal ever created on planet earth. “Ma'am, I'm going to have dreams about this food every night for the next month. It's the best thing I've ever eaten.”

              Aaron went to the stove for a second bowl. “You think Noni's soup is the best? You have no idea what’s next.”