Page 1 of Knight Watch

Chapter One

Kingsley Knight crossedhis arms over his chest, as pride and contentment settled inside him. He never could have imagined this feeling of achievement twelve months ago. The last year had been one of the most difficult of his life, but in some ways, he didn’t regret what had happened or the choices he’d made because they’d led him here.

He looked out across the training field at the fantastic team he was part of as Cain Davies showed Emme Harris, his boss lady, how to adjust her aim for a larger caliber weapon. Cain was an ex-undercover ATF agent and had been a recommendation by Lance the head of the Purgatory organization where Shane, his other boss, had started his career outside the military. At thirty-two Cain was considered young to have burned out, but Kingsley knew the strain that undercover work could have on people. Cain had jumped at the chance to sign with the Agency, and they were lucky to have found him.

Knight felt Shane’s best friend Nicholas Hale move to stand beside him. Shane and his fiancée Emme co-owned Alliance Agency. They had founded the company after getting together a few months earlier, following a joint op between Purgatory and Fortis Security. The op had gone wrong in so many ways, but it had also brought the couple together, and nobody could doubt the team they made—both personally and professionally. Nick had served with Shane in the Navy as a SEAL, and it was his baby sister’s murder that had been the focus of the joint op.

“Still can’t believe you’ve made the jump to join us Yankees.”

Kingsley turned, lifting his eyebrow at Nick in greeting, before turning his attention back to the field. Rubbing his hand over his full beard, he wondered again if he should shave it and the mop of wavy midnight hair on his head that desperately needed a cut. The heat was already sticky in the early spring of Miami compared to the much lower temperatures of the UK. He finally answered Nick. “Indeed, I’m still coming to grips with it. This heat is relentless. The food is good though, although I may need to slow down on the burgers and tacos,” he replied with a smirk as he patted the flat muscles of his abdomen. The fact was Kinglsey Knight was in perfect shape. Years in the Navy as an underwater explosive expert had honed his body so it was all muscle and sinew with not an ounce of extra fat.

Nick rolled his eyes, but Kingsley could still feel a shadow on the man. Shane had told him that his friend had gone through a lot and still needed time and work to recover fully.

His eyes caught on Caitlin Carter as she took Killian, her German Shepard, through his paces. When he had met her, she had been training Killian to replace her last dog Mayhem who had recently retired. As a K-9 handler with the LAPD, Caitlin had years of experience to go with her well-earned reputation as one of the best handlers and trainers on the force. Growing up with two prestigious veterinarians as parents had set her in good stead for her job. He watched as she gave Killian—who for shits and giggles she called Kill for short—a series of commands that he obeyed with a blinding loyalty. Knight thought that a few more K-9s on the team would be a good call. That was something to discuss with Shane and Emme for sure.

Over on the assault course, the rest of the team were going through their paces. Malco Aguilar, another member of the group, was stretching his muscles off to the side before he attached the running prosthetic that gave him more absorption and energy return than a regular one. As the hostage rescue expert, he was one of the best and had an unparalleled reputation. Losing his right leg below the knee from a land mine trying to save an eight-year-old girl from her crazy, drugged up father, while working for the Green Berets, had not stopped him in the least.

However, Kingsley knew better than most that people only allowed you to see what they wanted you to see. The new team was a mix of different backgrounds that perfectly fit the diversity of work the Alliance Agency wished to attract.

Emme and Shane wanted to expand hard and fast, and they had a flight out of Miami that night to meet a contact of Shane’s about a contract with the FBI. It was lucrative and would involve them signing an NDA which wouldn’t be a problem as most of them still had top security clearance from their previous lives.

Kingsley cast an eye at Nick as he watched Alex Webb race Wolf Murdock over the course.

It had been designed by Zack, Emme’s former boss at Fortis who was also an ex-SAS commander. They were some of the toughest bastards around, and this course showed why. With it built over the hilly terrain at the back of their new base of operations it meant the operators had to use agility and strength, not just brute force and muscle. It was why Caitlin, Emme, and Mercy—the three women on the team—had some of the best times on the leaderboard.

Wolf raced over the ropes with speed, but Webb had the edge as they crawled through the wet tunnels with barbed wire overhead. It was neck and neck by the time they sprinted for the finish with Webb coming in a split second faster.

Shane, who had been standing on the sidelines away from him and Nick, watching his recruits train, started to walk toward the competitors, a grin on his face as the two men bent at the waist and sucked in oxygen. They had been training together for a month now, and Kingsley could see they were starting to think cohesively as a unit. Kingsley knew Shane wanted everyone to be able to read each other. It could be the thing that saved their lives one day.

“Gentlemen, that was piss poor.”

It wasn’t, but Kingsley knew Shane had done it faster, and so had Zack and Lance when they tested it for him. Not by a lot but enough.

Webb looked up, his bright blue eyes holding a mischievous twinkle. “What’s your time, boss?”

“Three minutes nineteen seconds,” Shane said as he crossed his arms over his chest with a grin.

Webb lost some of his arrogance, but Kingsley saw a determined light go on in the man’s eyes. That competitive spirit that lived in each of them, the same one that would give him the edge when he needed it most.

“Again?” Wolf asked.

“Again,” Webb agreed as the two men walked back to the start to rerun the course.

Wolf Murdock was a thirty-seven-year-old former Texas Ranger. His specialty was infiltration and undercover work. The man looked like he belonged on a cattle ranch, and was often seen in cowboy boots and hat. He gave off a relaxed air that fooled most people into thinking he was safe, and they never realized he was the one hunting and stalking them until it was too late. It was how he’d got his name in the service.

A woman’s scent filtered across Kingsley’s senses, even as he felt her come to stand beside him silently. It was easy to recognize Emme’s signature perfume.

“What was their time?” Her British accent was a reminder he wasn’t home anymore and he felt homesick for just a minute.

“Three minutes, twenty-seven seconds.”

He watched her nod and then twisted around as they heard Cleo approach. Now, that woman had been a surprise. Tall, slim with pale purple hair, perfect skin and a sweet smile that made him think of candy and flowers. It was all a ruse though because their office manager was a shark in clownfish clothing underneath all that sweetness.

She had already whipped the office into shape, sorting out payroll, taxes, invoicing, and setting up email accounts for everyone. She had even had a little training from Dee, one of their consultant hackers, on how to keep the website and emails secure above what an average person would know.

Now, as she bounced across the field in a short, flowery dress that was sexy but demure, he wondered at the excited look on her face.

“Cleo?” Emme asked the question.