Finally, he responded.
“Turn off the phone and take out the SIM card if it has one and the battery. Put the phone back together in two hours. I’ll contact you.”
“Alright, I will Joey.” She couldn’t hide the tremor of fear in her voice.
“I will call you back Em.”
“Okay.” She sighed and said softly, “Joey, I…”
“Yeah. Do as I told you. Hang up now.” Was it her imagination or had the steel edge of his voice softened?
Chapter Three
Joseph hung up the phone and dropped his head into his hands. Ember Harris. His first and only long-term relationship. He would do anything for that woman. Hell, he had planned on asking her to marry him when he got back from Paris Island. But boot camp transitioned into his specialty training and then he shipped on to the Middle East and the war that changed him forever. He shook his head and punched familiar digits into his satellite phone. He called the only support system he ever needed, his family. Three of his four brothers and all of his sisters worked at Guardian Security. A subsidiary of Guardian International, Guardian Security was the best at what they did. No single nation or governmental agency sanctioned Guardian’s actions, but every last one of the bastards used Guardian to resolve what diplomacy couldn’t. Joseph and his brothers and sisters had worked their way to the top of their respective specialties. Two of his brothers ran Guardian Security’s overseas and stateside black-ops, his sisters worked personal and computer security issues and Joseph, well, he eliminated threats.
As soon as Joseph heard his brother’s voice he demanded, “Jacob, I need immediate access to a company jet and tell Jared I need all the information you can get me on the suicide of an attorney named Dale Landis in New Orleans.”
“Well, hello to you, too, brother-mine. I received the sit-rep on the Afghani fiasco. We can verify the target you were assigned was neutralized.”
“Well, no shit, little man. I fucking slit his throat. I’m in D.C. and I need to get to Kansas City, stat.”
“Yeah? Thank God this is a secure line. What the fuck are you doing in the States? You’ve been off the grid forever and you suddenly appear in D.C? You don’t operate stateside. What’s the hell is the rush to get to Kansas?” Jacob paused and then added with a growl, “Were you compromised during your last assignment?”
“No asshole, I haven’t been compromised. Have I ever been compromised? Do you honestly think I’d contact you if I were and lead whoever targeted me straight to you? No fucking way. Shit, boy, get a grip on reality. Now, get me a damn plane and get Jared’s ass working on my information.”
“Calm down. If your cover hasn’t been blown or you aren’t being targeted, why the urgent need for a jet? Two, who is Dale Landis? Three, why Kansas City?”
Joseph took a breath in order to reply with a semblance of control. “Do you remember Ember Harris?”
“What from back in the day? Hell yeah. Tall, sexy, red hair, tight ass, great—”
Joseph snarled. “Say one more word and swear I’ll beat your face in.”
Jacob snorted. “I was going to say personality. Yeah, I remember Ember. Why?”
“Last night this Dale Landis gave Ember a thumb drive and told her if anything should happen to him to get it to someone out of the state that she trusts. He was found in an apparent suicide this morning. She freaked and bolted out of New Orleans. She’s on a bus heading to Kansas City.”
“So, what’s on the drive?”
“Fuck if I know.”
“And yet you’re going to race to Kansas City to rescue her? Huh.”
“Really? You’re busting my balls now? Just get me the information and find me a way to Kansas.”
“Yeah, how often do I get a chance to mess with you, dude? Never. Believe me I’ll take any opportunity I get.” Joseph heard the clicking of a computer keyboard. “Alright I sent over a request for information. It was coded as an
“Turn off the phone and take out the SIM card if it has one and the battery. Put the phone back together in two hours. I’ll contact you.”
“Alright, I will Joey.” She couldn’t hide the tremor of fear in her voice.
“I will call you back Em.”
“Okay.” She sighed and said softly, “Joey, I…”
“Yeah. Do as I told you. Hang up now.” Was it her imagination or had the steel edge of his voice softened?
Chapter Three
Joseph hung up the phone and dropped his head into his hands. Ember Harris. His first and only long-term relationship. He would do anything for that woman. Hell, he had planned on asking her to marry him when he got back from Paris Island. But boot camp transitioned into his specialty training and then he shipped on to the Middle East and the war that changed him forever. He shook his head and punched familiar digits into his satellite phone. He called the only support system he ever needed, his family. Three of his four brothers and all of his sisters worked at Guardian Security. A subsidiary of Guardian International, Guardian Security was the best at what they did. No single nation or governmental agency sanctioned Guardian’s actions, but every last one of the bastards used Guardian to resolve what diplomacy couldn’t. Joseph and his brothers and sisters had worked their way to the top of their respective specialties. Two of his brothers ran Guardian Security’s overseas and stateside black-ops, his sisters worked personal and computer security issues and Joseph, well, he eliminated threats.
As soon as Joseph heard his brother’s voice he demanded, “Jacob, I need immediate access to a company jet and tell Jared I need all the information you can get me on the suicide of an attorney named Dale Landis in New Orleans.”
“Well, hello to you, too, brother-mine. I received the sit-rep on the Afghani fiasco. We can verify the target you were assigned was neutralized.”
“Well, no shit, little man. I fucking slit his throat. I’m in D.C. and I need to get to Kansas City, stat.”
“Yeah? Thank God this is a secure line. What the fuck are you doing in the States? You’ve been off the grid forever and you suddenly appear in D.C? You don’t operate stateside. What’s the hell is the rush to get to Kansas?” Jacob paused and then added with a growl, “Were you compromised during your last assignment?”
“No asshole, I haven’t been compromised. Have I ever been compromised? Do you honestly think I’d contact you if I were and lead whoever targeted me straight to you? No fucking way. Shit, boy, get a grip on reality. Now, get me a damn plane and get Jared’s ass working on my information.”
“Calm down. If your cover hasn’t been blown or you aren’t being targeted, why the urgent need for a jet? Two, who is Dale Landis? Three, why Kansas City?”
Joseph took a breath in order to reply with a semblance of control. “Do you remember Ember Harris?”
“What from back in the day? Hell yeah. Tall, sexy, red hair, tight ass, great—”
Joseph snarled. “Say one more word and swear I’ll beat your face in.”
Jacob snorted. “I was going to say personality. Yeah, I remember Ember. Why?”
“Last night this Dale Landis gave Ember a thumb drive and told her if anything should happen to him to get it to someone out of the state that she trusts. He was found in an apparent suicide this morning. She freaked and bolted out of New Orleans. She’s on a bus heading to Kansas City.”
“So, what’s on the drive?”
“Fuck if I know.”
“And yet you’re going to race to Kansas City to rescue her? Huh.”
“Really? You’re busting my balls now? Just get me the information and find me a way to Kansas.”
“Yeah, how often do I get a chance to mess with you, dude? Never. Believe me I’ll take any opportunity I get.” Joseph heard the clicking of a computer keyboard. “Alright I sent over a request for information. It was coded as an
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