Page 6 of A Soldier's Destiny
“Ah, it’s like that, huh?”
“Yeah. Broke my leg in three places and they had to do two surgeries to get the shrapnel fragments out of my thigh. It didn’t heal well enough to requalify and I didn’t want to be a desk jockey or an instructor, so I took the medical discharge.”
“I hear you. It’s a pretty common story with most of the guys Chase has hired. He saw a need and is trying to fill it. I watched him struggle when he first took his discharge. I worried he wouldn’t come out of it, but then he started ESP and it gave him a purpose.”
He understood what Steele meant all too well. It was like the person he was when he was part of Delta Force didn’t exist anymore; he wasn’t good enough for anything.
“Anyway, what else can you tell me about the bakery lady?”
Steele laughed. “You’ll meet her soon enough. We’re about two minutes away. By the time you finish dinner, you’ll hopefully know more than we do.”
“Great.”Not.Aurora even sounded like an old lady. She probably pissed off some teenagers in town. But a job was a job. “At least I know Alex, so it won’t be quite as awkward.”
“Right. My only advice is don’t push her too hard. You’re there to make sure she stays safe since we can’t give her round the clock protection. Your priority is Rori, let Ethan and I solve the case with the rest of the Willow Haven PD.”
“Gotcha. Any other rules I need to know?”
Steele shrugged. “Only the one about not hurting Aurora and keeping her protected. But you know that already. Just tell me what gear you need, and I’ll pick it up from Chase and drop it off when we come by tomorrow. I’m assuming you’re carrying now?”
“Of course. Do you want to see it?”
Steele laughed. Raptor wasn’t trying to be funny but damn the way they spoke about the woman it was like she was some kind of saint or something.
“Any questions?”
“What am I supposed to do? Just walk around glued to her side?”
“You’ll probably be sweeping up flour and waiting on customers. But I guarantee that after your first bite of a chocolate éclair you won’t give a damn. You’ll be infatuated and will do whatever she asks.”
“Sweeping up flour? I’m going to be her janitor?”
“More like a jack of all trades. Unless they came up with a better idea.”
“Got it.” This was going to be a cake-walk, pun intended. Better than another asshole with his head up his ass. He grinned. He’d do his best to charm the pants off the little old lady, find the person who was giving her a hard time no matter what Mr. Detective told him. Then when he was done, maybe he’d go back to Paris and try one more time to locate his nymph. Having a plan made him feel better. But then again, what did they say about the best-laid plans?
* * *
Nervous would be a gross understatement. Shaking, sweaty palms, and her stomach crampy, Rori was way beyond nervous. All she knew about her new bodyguard, the one she didn’t want, was that he was retired military. But that could mean anything. Why had she let Lily and Alex talk her into this? The window had probably been an accident. Why would anyone want to hurt her? She was nice to everyone and there wasn’t even a competing bakery she’d driven out of business. It had to be kids pulling pranks.
“They’ll be here any minute.”
“I should never have agreed to this. It’s stupid.”
“No, it’s not. You could have been killed. Fuck, we both could have been killed. I don’t want to be afraid to go into the bakery worrying that someone will try something else.” Lily had a point. She could never forgive herself if anything had happened to her, or anyone else. There’d been enough pain and death in her life. The memories of Paris, the smell of blood and death had taken months to go away. Now it all came flooding back and twisted her up in a knot. She’d lost everyone she loved that night. In the beginning, right after the attack, she’d wished she’d died too. But the man who’d come to her aid had saved her for a reason, she had to believe that she lived for a purpose. She’d wished more than once she’d found out who he was.
“Do you know him?”
“No, I don’t but Alex does a little,” Lily said. “When Steele called his brother Chase at Eagle Security and Protection, he said Raptor was the best at what he did. What that is I’m not sure and Alex won’t tell me. But he’s convinced he’ll keep you safe.”
