Pinto paused a few moments to give the question more serious consideration. It meant a lot to him that one of the bosses actually valued his opinion, and he intended to give one that was honest and helpful. “Well, I don’t think anyone’s going to ask him to bring the potato salad to the Mensa picnic, but I think he’s a solid recruit. He’ll be fine as part of a security detail.”
“But not as a decision-maker.”
“That depends on how he performs in the simulators.” Those who graduated from firearms training went on to work through a series of simulations to see how they’d react in various scenarios. It was a good way to learn who’d be quick to pull the trigger, or whether a moment’s hesitation might get them, their team, or the person they were charged with protecting killed.
Ryan glanced at the group on the bleachers and then back to Pinto. “Fair enough. I assumed Luther would be a total wash and he proved me wrong.”
That was one of the guys from the last batch of trainees, and one of the few who’d been hired in spite of his lack of military experience. He’d made it through the obstacle course by the skin of his teeth and sheer determination. On the weapons range, he nearly drove the instructor to drink. But he’d shown nerves of steel and next-level judgment in the simulators, earning the highest score of any recruit to date.
Ryan watched as the recruits helped one another scale the tower, approval clear on his face. “You can cut out as soon as these two cross the line.”
“Thanks.” Pinto zipped his bag shut. The sun was starting its slow descent, the air cooling a bit. Still warm compared to the rest of the country—it certainly didn’t feel like Christmas, but the break from the heat was welcome. “Firearms training starts tomorrow at seven, right?”
“Yeah, but you don’t need to come in until eight. Navarre will have them in the classroom for the first hour or so.”
A former Army sniper, Navarre was by far the best marksman at Six Points—hell, one of the best in the country. Rumor had it he could shoot the head off a matchstick from a thousand yards out. The recruits wouldn’t be required to achieve that level of accuracy, but they would be expected to handle their weapons with the skill, safety, and professionalism required of every security specialist at Six Points.
Pinto tipped his head in acknowledgment. “Sounds good; I’ll see you at the range.”
Due to zoning and liability issues, Six Points lacked an on-site weapons facility. To compensate, it maintained an account at a nearby outdoor firing range. Each employee was required to log in at least once a week for target practice, and to maintain a marksman qualification. So far, the arrangement seemed to work well for all parties involved, but if Six Points grew much bigger, they’d need to find a larger facility to handle the additional volume.
The last two guys staggered over the finish line, and the other recruits erupted into raucous applause, because they’d beaten the fastest time of the day by a solid eight seconds. While Ryan broke off to talk to the group, Pinto hitched the strap of his medical bag over his shoulder and headed for the main building. Before he went home, there was someone he needed to see and a favor to ask.
With work no longer serving as a distraction, Fiona moved front and center in his mind. She’d been lingering in his thoughts ever since he’d walked downstairs last night. Not because he found her attractive—he did, but that was a whole other matter he was trying hard not to dwell on—but because she seemed like a genuinely decent person who didn’t deserve to get harassed by that asshole cop. And now that he’d stuck his big nose in her business, he might as well learn the full extent of what he’d gotten himself into.
This late in the day, the building was quiet, the air a few degrees cooler than it was outside. The security teams mostly worked in the field, and the only people around were administrative and cyber support. The sound of Pinto’s bootsteps filled the hall as he walked to Nina Flint’s office. He muttered a curse when he found she wasn’t there. The door next to hers was open, where Sloane Welker typed away on her laptop, her feet propped up on her desk and her head bobbing to whatever song played in her earbuds.
A tall woman with red-streaked hair and lots of dark eye makeup, she was one of the techs that Six Points hired when they expanded their cyber security division. Today she wore a purple shirt over black cargo pants and combat boots, a conservative outfit for her. Multiple piercings dotted both ears, while a tiny diamond stud marked the right side of her nose. No visible tattoos, but it wouldn’t surprise him to learn she had a few.
He knew better than to form an opinion based solely on her appearance. From what he’d heard, she was damn good at her job. If she wasn’t, she’d already be gone.
He stepped into the doorway and waved a hand to catch her attention, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. “Sorry; I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She reached up to pop the buds from her ears. “It’s okay; I get tunnel vision when I’m in the zone. What can I do for you?”
“I was looking for Nina. Do you know where I can find her?”
Sloane shook her head. “You just missed her. She and Austin left for the airport. Some sort of conference in Vegas. They won’t be back until Monday. Larissa’s down the hall if you need her.”
Oh, hell no, that so wasn’t going to happen. He liked Larissa; she was sharp as a tack with a wicked sense of humor, and he respected her cyber security skills. But he wasn’t ashamed to admit she scared the living crap out of him. He’d heard enough horror stories about what she did to people who got on her bad side, and he’d sworn long ago to avoid doing anything that might put his name on her shit list.
After weighing his options, he decided to take his chances with Sloane instead. “That’s okay; I know she has a ton of stuff on her plate. Do you think you could help me? I need a background check on a guy.”
“Sure. Which account is it for?”
This was where things could get tricky. Nina owed him a few favors and would do this for him without a second thought. But Sloane…well, she’d been with the company for only a short time and he hadn’t gotten a feel for her yet. She didn’t strike him as the type to respond well to sweet-talking, so he figured it was probably best to go with blunt honesty. If she said no, he’d suck it up and grovel to Larissa, because he didn’t want to wait until next week to get the information from Nina.
“Here’s the thing: it’s not for an account. Before you say no, let me explain,” he added before she could turn him down flat. “My upstairs neighbor is being harassed by her ex, who happens to be a cop. I pissed him off last night by making him leave, and I’d like to know what kind of hornet’s nest I just kicked.”
“Is she your girlfriend?”
“No, she’s a friend who happens to be female.”
Sloane arched an eyebrow. “Do you want her to be your girlfriend?”
Nope, not going there, even though the question filled his head with bad ideas. “Does it matter?”
Leaning back in her chair, Sloane stared up at him as if the answer were obvious. “I commend you for helping your neighbor, but you’re asking me to allocate company resources for your personal business. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m the new kid on the block, and that kind of crap could get me fired. So if you really want me to take that chance, I need a compelling reason.”
