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Ben gave us all the once-over, waiting for us to settle. “Thanks, everyone, for coming in. I wanted to officially recognise our newest recruit to the team. Welcome aboard, Raphael.”
Jackson repeated the welcome.
I reached to fist bump our latest member. “Thanks for taking the new-guy position from me. Appreciate it.”
“If this is the start of hazing, I’m not playing,” Raphael replied, his expression cautiously pleased.
He was a deal younger than the rest of us, with me at thirty, Ben three years older, and Jackson in his late twenties. Raphael was barely twenty-one, but he’d recently qualified as a helicopter pilot. A big asset to our team when our job was to keep our rock-star client and his family safe.
“Making no promises there,” I replied.
From a bag on the floor, he brought out a tub. “I made cookies to keep everyone sweet.”
I opened my mouth. “Ye baked bribe cookies for us? Deal. No hazing. Gimme.”
Raphael held out the tub, and I claimed one of the biscuits, demolishing the sugary treat in a single bite while he passed them around.
Butter melted in my mouth.
Ben accepted a cookie then got on with the show. “With Raphael joining, that makes a core team of four, and perfect timing to have a full complement. Leo has been lying low after the birth of his and Viola’s second baby, but his typical year is a lot busier. Such is the life of a world-famous musician—he needs to be out there in the world. Next month, we’ll be in active service guarding him on tour, and his family are going, too. For the next several weeks, I’ll be dividing up our tasks between training and escorting Leo on UK-based appearances and meetings.”
He went into details of the tour—all the dates in stadiums across Europe—then walked us through a training programme.
“We start tomorrow with weapons instruction,” Ben continued. “Focusing on disarming anyone who comes at us with a bladed item, or worse.”
I snorted and slapped the back of my hand to Jackson’s chest. “Our boy here doesn’t need the help. He’s way ahead of the rest of us. Maybe ye should ask him to teach?”
Jackson shoved me, his lips pressed together.
A couple of weeks ago, some maniac had rushed the stage when Leo was being interviewed. Jackson swan-dived onto the guy, neatly neutralising the threat and earning himself a reputation as a jump-first-ask-questions-later guy.
Ben’s lip curled like he wanted to smile but couldn’t because I’d made the joke.
I didn’t blame him.
The moment passed, an awkward silence descending.
“Before that,” Ben continued, “I have an extracurricular task that I need volunteers for this evening. No problem if you’re busy, but Daisy and I could use the help. It’s a mix of manual and skilled labour.”
Jackson raised a hand. I did, too, no excuse not to, though I’d rather stick my dick in a blender than hang out with Ben.
Raphael threw a glance at the door, where even the office soundproofing couldn’t keep out the whirr of rotor blades. “I’ve got airtime booked this evening. If there’s work left to be done, I’m your man tomorrow.”
Ben gave us our orders and let us go.
Out in the hangar, I couldn’t help my gaze sliding across the floor in search of the woman from earlier.
A couple of weeks ago, I’d self-sabotaged a sure thing with a lass at a bar in the nearby village. She’d been giving green lightsall over the place, and I opened my damn mouth and told her I was engaged.
Ex-fucking-cuse me?
Five years ago, that had been true, but my marriage plans had imploded in one fuck-awful evening. I’d gone from being a military man, who travelled to the US as often as possible to see my bride-to-be, to the one everyone pitied.
Thinking about it made me want to break things, so why the ever-loving hell had my mouth summoned those words?
I’d cock-blocked myself and had no clue why.
Perhaps I should’ve been relieved when the little spy on my shower session hadn’t got the same response from me.
