Sloane bristled at the implication.“I’m not an operative.I’m a decoy.”
“You’re an operative acting as a decoy.”An edge crept into his words.“Look, I’m sure you’re great in front of a computer, but you have absolutely no training for this kind of job.That makes you a liability to everyone working around you.You’ve never even fired a gun, have you?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“I’ll take that as a no.”
The urge to lean over and smack him upside the head was growing stronger by the minute.Teeth clenched, she said, “I’m a celebrity impersonator, plain and simple.Bodyguard isn’tanywherein my job description.I don’t understand why you’re holding me to a ridiculous standard that nobody else has established.”
Before Navarre could respond, the traffic light turned green.A car honked behind them.He hit the gas with more force than necessary, and the tires squealed as they shot through the intersection.
He shifted into fourth and kept his right hand on the gearshift.“Inexperienced civilians in a volatile environment have a way of getting good people killed.”
He said it as though he spoke from personal experience.Perhaps he did.His personnel file indicated he’d spent considerable time overseas while serving in the Army, including multiple deployments in active combat zones, though the details had been heavily redacted.He’d received more than two dozen awards and commendations, including a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.It made her wonder about the secrets that lay beneath that stoic exterior, the experiences that had shaped him into the grouch he was today.
But their situation was entirely different from anything he’d faced in the military, and she simply refused to let him make her feel bad about herself.She’d put up with enough of that in her youth to last a lifetime.
“This isn’t a volatile environment,” she said.“We’re spending the weekend at a celebrity’s home, not airdropping into Fallujah.”
“No, but it’s impossible to predict how or when a situation will go from ho-hum to holy shit.When it does, your chances of survival are a lot higher if the person watching your six knows what the hell they’re doing.”
“Austin doesn’t think it’ll be a problem.Are you saying the boss is wrong?”
“Not at all.From a tactical standpoint, this job carries a low level of risk.The ex-boyfriend is a point of concern, but he’s mostly being a pain in the ass and hasn’t made any threats to Sierra’s safety.”He hooked a right into the office park where the Six Points building was located.“But you never know when things will go sideways.When it does, there’s no time to prepare.You have to rely on every ounce of your training, which, I’ll point out again, you lack.”
The parking lot was almost full, with only a scattering of available spots to choose from.Navarre drove around to the back of the Six Points building, where he pulled into one of the open bays.He shut off the engine and got out of the car, effectively ending their conversation.
The bay to their right contained a huge black SUV with dark-tinted windows that looked like something you’d see in a presidential motorcade.It wouldn’t surprise her to learn it was armored to withstand a rocket attack.Jackson was there, as well as Pinto and Hatch, shooting the breeze near the front of the vehicle.One of them pressed a button on the wall, and the giant bay door rolled down behind the Barracuda.
Sloane unfastened the seat belt and got out of the car, noting the faint smell of diesel in the air.She’d never been back here before.She’d never really had a reason.Like the rest of Six Points, it was clean and well-lit, with a variety of tools neatly organized on workbenches and hanging on walls.To the right, floor-to-ceiling metal racks were stocked with parts and supplies, while large fans whirled overhead to keep the air circulating.
“Hey, Sierra—I mean Sloane.”Pinto grinned.“Sorry, I almost didn’t recognize you incognito.”
He was one of those guys with an outgoing personality that could easily be confused with flirtatious, but it wasn’t meant that way.She knew for a fact he was head-over-heels in love with his girlfriend, Fiona.She was practically all he ever talked about.They’d had a rough patch over the holidays, mainly because of her jerk of an ex, but now those troubles were in the past and they’d recently moved in together.
She rolled her eyes at him.“I’m not supposed to look like Sierra dressed like this.”
“You don’t,” Hatch said, his vibrant red hair catching the light and framing his chiseled face.He was as tall as Jackson, but instead of big and burly, he had more of a basketball player’s build.“Actually, you’re kind of rocking a Linda Hamilton inTerminator 2vibe.Very kick butt.I wouldn’t mess with you.”
“When are we leaving?”Navarre hung his keys on a hook near the door leading into the part of the building that housed the administrative offices and cyber security unit.Apparently, he intended to leave his car in the bay over the weekend.Not that she blamed him.If she owned a car like that, she wouldn’t want it sitting unprotected in a parking lot for an extended period.
“If everyone’s ready, we can go now.”Jackson pressed a button on his key ring, and the headlights of the monster SUV flashed.
“Shotgun,” Navarre said as he crossed to the vehicle’s passenger side.
“Fine by us.”Hatch opened the rear driver’s side door and gestured with a sweeping motion for Sloane to go in first.“We get to sit with the hot chick.”
She gave Hatch a look.“Suck-up.”
He grinned.“I prefer to call it strategic flattery.”
With the morning rush over, traffic wasn’t too bad, though a fender-bender on the expressway created a bottleneck in the downtown area, made worse by drivers who slowed to gawk at the wreckage.At last, they entered the exclusive neighborhood along the Butler Chain of Lakes.Jackson flashed his credentials to the guard at the entrance, and the man waved him through.After a short drive through the winding streets of multi-million-dollar mansions, Jackson pulled up to a keypad at the end of a gated driveway.He punched in a code, the light blinked green, and the iron gate slowly rolled open.
Sierra’s house, a sprawling two-story mansion, rose in front of them at the end of the driveway.Like many of the other mansions in the area, the Tuscan-inspired estate was a blend of timeless architecture and a touch of modern design, with custom stonework, a slate roof, and a six-car garage.The yard surrounding it was immaculately manicured, with lush St.Augustine turf, beautiful flowering bushes, and recently planted trees that would provide much-needed shade in a decade or two.
“Is she the only person who lives here?”Pinto asked as their vehicle stopped by the fountain.
“I think the housekeeper lives in the guesthouse by the pool.”
