Page 25 of The Soldier

CHAPTER SIX

MARSHALL

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I step into the full meeting room and sit in one of the chairs. I’m late. It’s not uncommon. I’m a terrible timekeeper. Unless I’m fully armed.

I note my knife and Glock.

Doesn’t really count.

“Nice of you to join us,” Josh says from the front of the room without lifting his head.

“I know.” I grin.

Aidan shakes his head, irritated, while Thomas, our head IT guy, chuckles silently.

I’m three minutes late, but Josh is a stickler for time so we’re used to him making a fuss. He doesn’t really care. We’d all be fired by now if he did.

“Ryder. Update.” Josh taps on his tablet, still not looking up.

“Bob Simmons has given a month’s notice to terminate his private security contract. His stocks plummeted after being caught with a hooker last weekend.”

Fucking Hollywood.

We do way too much work for them and it drives me fucking insane. These people think they can do whatever they like. Social media is setting a bunch of new rules for them, however, and I’m not sad. Cancel culture is rancid, but sometimes it has a role to play.

Bob is the owner of a production company and it’s well-known he sleeps with many of the actresses on his films.

Voluntarily?

I doubt it. The Me Too movement has only scratched the surface. Bob is clearly manipulating the young actresses with his contacts and promises of the next big thing. The jury is out whether that’s his cock or not.

Maybe I’ve just seen the darker side of life for too long and find the movie industry utter bullshit.

Sure, entertainment is important, I get that. Humanity has always sought it out. From jesters in the royal courts to gladiators in the Colosseum and poets in villages throughout time. But when you’ve been the guy carrying the sword, protecting civilians from evil in the world so they can sip their beer and sing their melodies, you look at life differently.

Fuck.

I chug my bottle of electrolytes and focus back on the meeting. The threat of being pulled down a dark rabbit hole is always there.

Recently, it’s raised its head more often, knowing the bosses want me heading up the black ops team. I’ll be deploying as a private operative into the field again. The very fucking field I left because I knew it was getting to me.

I won’t know when. I won’t know where.

Although Josh gave me a heads up that a job is in the pipeline for this week.

Black Hawke Security has government contracts that must be fulfilled whenever they need us. Josh was initially responsible, then Aidan picked up the slack and now that he’s rekindled his relationship with Briar, he wants to hand it over.

I understand. He’s got his girl and it’s a high-risk job. One that everyone at BHS spent their lives doing before joining theteam. We know very well there’s always a risk you won’t come home.

The jobs are top-secret operations undertaken by Delta Force, SEALs, Marines, and other special forces. It can mean a hit job, a hostage rescue, or a manhunt.

Shit that I did as an active Green Beret.

There were also peacekeeping operations and humanitarian assistance which kept me sane. Listen, I’m no Boy Scout, and while I’m fairly sure my testosterone levels are higher than the average American guy, sometimes you need to put the gun down and have a week off from killing people.

These operations change you.

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