Page 37 of Guarded from Havoc

But whenever he left, I couldn’t take a full breath until he returned.

“You can tell me if something’s bothering you,” Erik replies. His brows pull into a worried V. “Or if showing you around the ranch is too much right now, we can push it off until tomorrow.”

“No, this is okay,” I assure him, hoping I sound at least somewhat convincing. And it’s not that Idon’twant a tour of the building I’m going to be staying in. Of course I do. I want to see the reinforced doors at the entrance that require a lengthycode and a retinal scan to get past. I want to know about the bulletproof windows and the security cameras in every room.

“Typically, we don’t check the interior cameras,”Erik explained when we first came inside, gesturing at a tiny camera above the front door.“They’re more of a precaution. The exterior cameras are the ones we watch on a regular basis. I just don’t want you thinking you can’t get any privacy here. And in the apartments themselves, there aren’t any cameras at all.”

I don’t mind the cameras here, really. While the ones in the woods were terrifying, with their angry red eyes spying on us, these feel more reassuring. Like I’m never completely alone.

Erik casts a doubtful look at me, but doesn’t push it. Instead, he gestures ahead of him and says, “I’m only showing you around now because I thought it would help you feel safer. Knowing where everything is, the security measures, that kind of thing. But it’s been a long day. I’m sure you’re eager to get some rest.”

Ithasbeen a long day. First, being woken by the incoming morning shift at the hospital, dragged out of my restless sleep by the chatter of nurses and clanging of breakfast trays and loudspeakers crackling. Then talking to the police again, going over everything I’d already told them. And once I was finally released from the hospital, it was off to the airport to catch our flight to Texas.

The travel part of it was pretty surreal. Hustled out of the hospital with six former Green Berets surrounding me, I felt like someone famous and important instead of just ordinary me. Then on to the Bangor airport, where we hopped on a private plane that took us directly to San Antonio, provided by someone named Cash Chatham, who’s apparently a close friend and previous client of Blade and Arrow Security.

Once we landed in San Antonio, I met two more members of the team: Xavier and Rhiannon. Along with Erik and Niall, they escorted me to the Blade and Arrow headquarters, a large ranch located about thirty miles northwest of the city.

Now… I’m not sure what time it is, exactly. Not quite nighttime, but working its way towards it. Late enough for the sun to brush the horizon, turning the sky to a glowing orange and red. Late enough for the trees to cast shadows that stretch across the lawn. Late enough for the automatic lights inside to start switching on; the first of them nearly giving me a heart attack when it burst to life right beside me.

Imagine the irony. Surviving that island of horrors but taken out by the shock of a smart light turning on.

A little snort escapes before I can smother it. Erik glances over with concern. “Tatum? Is something?—”

“No, no. I was just…” What? Thinking about the odds of being killed by smart technology?

“It was nothing,” I finish lamely. “I think I’m just overtired, is all. But really, everything’s fine. You don’t have to worry. And you’re right. It helps to know where everything is.”

“Okay.” Erik’s hand grazes my lower back as he guides me out of the community living room we were in and into a large kitchen. His touch sets off a flare of heat across my skin. When he pulls his hand away a moment later, a chill takes its place.

“So,” he continues, glancing around the room, “this is our shared kitchen. We all have our own kitchens in our apartments, obviously, but we’ll use this one if we’re having an event. Things like a birthday party or a baby shower. Having the extra kitchen can be helpful for that.”

“You have parties here?” I ask with interest. Before coming here, I was imagining this place to be like the security headquarters I’ve seen in the movies—all austere and modern,with lots of computers and weapon cabinets and walls covered with monitors displaying every square inch of the place.

But the ranch looks… comfortable. Even cozy. The living room we were just in was decorated with large, squashy couches and a giant TV—more a place to relax than be on guard. And the kitchen is big but bright and cheery, with vases of fresh flowers and several landscapes on the walls bringing pops of welcome color.

Erik follows my gaze, landing on a giant arrangement of purple flowers set on the kitchen island. His lips curve. “Matt must have put those there. He’s always buying purple flowers for his wife, Isla. Usually the flowers stay in their apartment, so I’m guessing he went a little overboard buying them this time.”

“Matt and Isla?”

“Yeah. You haven’t met Matt yet. But you will tomorrow. Along with everyone else who lives here. I thought it might be a bit much to throw everything at you at once.” He pauses. “It’s not that they don’t want to meet you. We just thought it would be better to wait until you’ve gotten some rest.”

“So… who do I still need to meet?” I walk over to the island to sniff the fragrant flowers, and as the scent seeps into me, a bit of my anxiety eases.

Erik moves beside me, and like a magnet, I feel myself edging closer to him. “So there’s Matt,” he replies. “He’s our computer guy, but he was a Green Beret, like the rest of us. Matt was actually on my team, along with Dante. Niall, Xavier, and Rhiannon were on a different GB team, but they were stationed at Fort Campbell with us. So we all trained and worked together for years.”

“Like Cole, Rylan, and Leo?”

“Yeah.” Erik smiles again. “They were on my team, although they left the Army a few years before me. Green Beret teams; they’re designed so they can work in split teams when necessary.Six and six. So Cole, Rylan, and Leo were on the other split team, along with Nora, Zane, and Finn, who you didn’t meet. Matt and Dante were on my split team.”

“So you must be really close to them.”

“I am,” Erik agrees. “Which makes working at Blade and Arrow with them so great.” He pauses. “It’s kind of a long story, how we got here, I mean. Too long for tonight. But if you’re interested, I can tell you another time.”

“I’d like to hear about it. How you came to work here. And all your friends. If you don’t mind.”

The faintest touch of pink colors his cheeks. Discomfort? Or pleasure? After a moment, he says, “I don’t mind at all, Tate.” A beat later, he asks, “Is it okay if I call you that? I didn’t think. But maybe you’d prefer if I call you Tatum?”

“Tate is fine. That’s what my friends call me.”

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