Page 170 of Nothing Special X: The Last Stand

So had Day.

Ruxs stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth. Green’s brows pulled together. Steele crossed his arms, chewing on his toothpick.

For a long moment, the only sound came from the quiet clink of dishes somewhere beyond the palms.

Day was the first to recover.

His smile started small, then widened into that bright, disbelieving expression God felt behind his ribs.

“Are you serious?”

Cassidy didn’t smile, but his eyes changed. “I don’t make offers like this for fun.”

Their waiter approached with fresh coffee and two more glasses of water. He set everything down with serene ignorance before he walked away.

Cassidy turned the laptop toward them.

“I’ve wanted to expand for years,” he said. “Not because the company wasn’t already profitable. It is. But because I’ve reached the limit of what I can safely control with the structure I have now.”

He tapped a file open.

Numbers filled the screen. Names. Locations. Contracts. Lots. Projections.

“There are four major studio lots in this city alone that have approached me in the past eighteen months. Serious pitches. Serious money. That doesn’t include the independent production lots, soundstages, streaming campuses, private backlots, event venues, and production offices that want upgraded security after what happened with Xander.”

Ruxs leaned closer. “How many?”

Cassidy’s gaze moved to him. “Over thirty production-related facilities in the greater Los Angeles area, twelve more on the East coast, including Atlanta and Queens, New York.”

Green whistled low. “Damn.”

“My administrative staff can’t keep up with the calls right now,” Cassidy said. “After the attacks hit the press and Bennett Ashford’s name got attached to them, everyone with a camera, a studio gate, and a nervous insurance carrier wants stronger protection yesterday.”

God stared at the screen, then back at him.

“I can’t recruit more agents until I first acquire a strong leadership team,” Cassidy said. “Men with discipline, instincts, integrity, combat sense, strong work ethic, and the ability to make hard decisions under pressure.” He shifted his focus from God to Day. “You and your team have more than met those qualifications.”

Day sat forward slowly, his pretty hazel eyes scanning every name and number on the spreadsheet.

“I’m sorry about your task force. But I have no doubt your superiors will come to regret it, maybe not now, but definitely later. So before they come begging for you guys to come back, I thought I’d shoot my shot,” Cassidy said.

God smirked.

Day’s hand brushed his knee beneath the table.

Green’s expression shifted.

God caught it.

Cassidy slid a folder toward each of them.

“My proposal is this– Godfrey and Day, you can come in as equal equity partners, with operational authority over a new expansion division. Studio security, executive protection, high-risk entertainment details, threat response training, contractor vetting, and specialized coverage for productions with credible risk.”

Day’s eyes dropped to the page.

Cassidy turned to Ruxs and Green. “I’d like to hire you both as Xander’s full-time personal security leads.”

Ruxs blinked. “For Xander?”