Page 4 of Knight's Fall

“So much for first impressions,” she muttered as the towel loosened enough to fall from her head and land in a heap at her feet.

Chapter Three

Wings Tyler dropped his motorcycle helmet on his desk before shrugging out of his leather jacket. He had ten minutes to spare before the morning meeting his boss called, so he followed the smell of fresh coffee that led him to the break room of Knight Security and Investigations.

His teammates, Brennan “BB” Beckett and Zane Wilder, were already there, loitering by the coffee pot. Wings shouldered them out of the way, filling his travel mug to the rim and securing the lid before taking a satisfying sip. Black, strong and hot, the liquid slid down his throat and warmed his belly. He felt the jolt of caffeine almost instantly, just what he needed before the meeting.

“Hey, man, any idea why Jay called us in so early?” BB grumbled despite the fact he was used to starting his day early. His time in the military and the required training he had almost every day as part of KSI’s Alpha Team prepared him for that, but it wasn’t enough to convert him into a morning person.

Wings quirked a brow as he took another sip before answering his friend. “Why do you think I know? I’m guessing it’s a case, but other than that, I don’t know shit.”

“Panther’s been in Jay’s office since before I got here,” Zane said. “From the serious looks on their faces, I’m guessing the case is a big one.”

Wings nodded but didn’t offer his opinion. His work with KSI’s Alpha Team usually involved “big” cases — cases that were by definition risky and sensitive enough to restrict traditional law enforcement agencies, both local and federal, from handling the cases. The work of the covert ops teams at KSI was kept under the radar, so those governmental restrictions didn’t apply to them.

The last few cases the Alpha and Delta teams had worked, however, had been more of an assist to their law enforcement partners. It’d been a while since they’d flown solo on an op, and Wings knew his teammates were getting as anxious about it as he was.

“So how’s the house reno coming?” BB snagged a gooey Danish from a box on the counter.

None of them had to see the logo on the box to know the pastries came from the local diner. Their receptionist, Sarah, picked up an order to put in the break room every morning. The diner was known for them, and if it was the only thing they served, they would make more than enough to stay open.

Wings thought of the work he still needed to do on his fixer upper. He’d bought the house for a song about a year ago and had been making improvements ever since. This was his third house to buy, renovate and sell. The first time he’d flipped a house had just been a fluke. He’d planned to only fix it up to live in when someone happened by and put in an offer. It was enough of a high for him to keep it going, but he was wondering if this house would require more time to complete than he had to invest.

“It’s coming. Worked on the deck yesterday until I had to rescue my neighbor. Then I installed a couple of appliances in the kitchen.”

“Neighbor?” BB’s interest was piqued enough for him to stop wolfing down a second pastry.

“The rental house behind me. She’s only lived there for a couple of months, I think. I hadn’t really paid much attention, but yesterday, I caught her trying to use a garbage can to climb through an open window in the house.”

“Why would she do that? Is she hot?”

Wings rolled his eyes. “I don’t know, man. She was all sweaty and dressed like she came from a run. And she smelled worse than shit. I had to breathe through my mouth to keep from losing my breakfast. Get this. She dropped her house key through the slats in her front landing and she didn’t have a spare. I got her inside and pried open a board on her landing to get her key back.”

BB grinned. “Hmm. Let me know when you have to do more work outside. I can help and check out this neighbor while I’m at it.”

Wings hand shot out and cocked the back of BB’s head, causing him to spill his coffee on his hand.

“Hey!” BB shouted, and Wings smirked.

“It’s a rental house, which means she won’t be there long. While she is there, the last thing I need is for you to bang her and leave her. What’s to stop her from doing something to my house in retaliation? Just leave it alone, alright?”

BB shoved the rest of his pastry in his mouth. “Al-wight,” he mumbled with his mouth full.

Armed with strong coffee and danishes, the group filed out of the break room and made their way to the war room — essentially a conference room equipped with the latest technology and soundproof walls for the teams to meet and plan for their missions under a cloak of privacy.

Their other teammates Sam Montgomery and Cole “Panther” Atwood were already present when Wings, Zane and BB settled around the table. What gave Wings pause was the man joining their CEO at the front of the room.

Tristin “Tryst” Knight, founder of KSI and CEO during the building phase of the company, stood next to Jay Colter, who took over the reins after Tryst stepped back to focus on other pursuits — primarily his wife Kat and twin daughters, Hannah and Lilah. Tryst still owned KSI and served as the company’s representative when needed, but since Jay had been with him from the formation of KSI, Tristin had named his friend his successor.

Jay had served as the Alpha Team leader from its inception, but he passed that job over to Panther. Though he was the newest of the teammates to join, Panther had considerable experience with the Navy SEALS and actually wanted the job, while the rest of them were content to work with the team and forego the leadership responsibilities.

“This can’t be good.” Though Wings spoke lightly, his naturally loud voice carried over the war room, earning him a derisive smirk from Tryst.

“I’ve missed you too, Wings. Believe me, I’d rather be in my home office than here with you, but the phone call I got last night changed my plans.”

“That’s why I hauled your asses here and canceled our PT this morning,” Jay explained.

Everyone employed at KSI, save the office staff and computer analysts, kept a strict physical training regimen to keep them in shape for the rigorous demands of their work. Though the investigators worked more on security and private investigation cases, they often provided back-up for the Alpha and Delta teams, making the training as essential for them as the team members.

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