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Growler sat up a little straighter. Did Ox mean what he hoped he meant? “Are you saying?”
“Yes, Ash and Storm are onboard with me, expanding what we do here. They’re more than happy for me to take the company in this direction. While we’re still going to do what we’ve always done. We’ll be taking on special missions too. We had a teleconference with my contact in the FBI while I was in New York. Ash and Storm grilled the guy and were satisfied with the end goal. As former SEALS themselves, they know how shit the world can be.”
The restlessness within him that he’d made the wrong decision settled down with this news. Ox giving him this information before the rest of the team was a surprise. Growler suspected Ox sensed his discomfort at his career change and wanted to give him something else to focus on.
“I’ll do whatever I can to help. And thanks for letting me know before the rest of the team. I’ll be sure to not let on that I knew what was happening before they did. As the new guy, I don’t want to piss off the people I’m going to be working closely with. Team dynamics are everything.”
Ox stood. “I told you because you needed to hear it. If it was Angel or Irish feeling what I suspect you're feeling, I’d have told them too. You guys are my team, and I want you all to be happy here.”
And there it was. His suspicions were confirmed. Ox had sensed his discomfort. “Thanks. And I’ll do a good job with Astrid. I’ll make sure nothing happens to her.”
“I know you will.”
Together, they walked out of the office and headed for the conference room. A hint of apprehension circled Growler. Penni may have said that Astrid was a sweetheart, but he was going to reserve his judgement until he’d spent time with her.
Anyone who had their own television show had to have a certain amount of arrogance and self-entitlement in them. Although when he’d seen her in the bar, she’d shown no signs of those traits. All he’d seen was uncertainty…and fear.
And now he was going to be her bodyguard.
Chapter Six
Astrid stopped and stared at the glass and chrome structure. Did she have the right address? This building seemed a little too flashy for a security company. Didn’t they usually work out of beat-up offices in the seedy parts of town?
Astrid mentally scoffed at her assumptions—clearly, she’d watched too many movies. This company Penni had referred her to appeared to not have that hang-up and wanted everyone to see how successful they were.
“Okay,” she muttered. “Let’s do this.”
Before she entered the building, Astrid glanced over her shoulder, not seeing anything or anyone out of the ordinary. In fact, on the way to this meeting, she hadn’t had the sensation of being watched or followed. Maybe the incident in the store was a one-off situation. Maybe she had been hyper-sensitive after what she’d witnessed.
Yet…it didn’t feel like she’d been overreacting. The fear had been real, and so had the creepy way the guy had been looking at her, as if he wanted to do things to her that were the stuff of nightmares.
Her skin prickled, and her heartbeat kicked up a notch at the memory. Her palms grew sweaty and her breaths were coming in short, sharp bursts.
She needed to calm down before she went into the meeting.
Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her purse, smiling when she saw it was Penni. Was the woman tuned into all of Astrid’s emotions?
“Hey, Penni, I’m outside the building where Alliez is located.”
“Great. I wanted to let you know you don’t have to worry. Everything will be okay. Callum will take good care of you.”
Astrid knew Penni had had a meeting the previous day to see if Alliez would take her on as a client. “Okay, I’m sure whoever they’ve chosen will be fine. I don’t imagine I’ll be needing them for long.” Astrid crossed her fingers on the hand not holding the phone.
“Whatever’s necessary to keep you safe is what will be done. And don’t worry. I’ve spoken to the powers that be at your show’s production company and the television studio, and they’re going to cover half the costs of the security detail. They should’ve been providing you with one in the first place.”
Astrid sighed, not wanting to let Penni think she hadn’t been looked after by her bosses. “They did offer. I told them I didn’t need any, as I wasn’t that famous.”
Silence greeted her confession before she heard Penni sigh. “Why did I know you were going to say that?”
Astrid laughed. “Because, somehow, we’ve only known each other a few months, but you seem to know everything about me. How I think. What I’m feeling. It’s a little unsettling sometimes.”
“I am good at my job.”
Astrid pictured Penni rubbing her knuckles up and down her shirt with a satisfied smile on her face. “That you are. Now I’m going to hang up, and I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“You will. Bye!”
Astrid was still smiling as she stopped outside the large glass doors advertising Alliez Security’s offices after she exited the elevator. On the frosted glass doors, the company’s logo was prominently displayed. Two swords behind a black shield with the company name in the middle. It looked impressive and whoever designed the eye-catching logo had done a fantastic job.
