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Jay followed his friend down the corridor to a high-tech, windowless conference room. Jay heard the solid thump of a bulletproof door closing behind him. There was a video wall along the right side of the room, and on the left, a huge Company B logo was displayed.
“Have a seat,” Lucien said, gesturing to the leather armchairs around the table.
Jay sat down. He took his sunglasses off and set them on the table in front of him.
“Let me tell you a little about what we do and what we can offer you,” Lucien said.
“Who are ‘we’?”
“Myself and four other guys—two of them were Army Rangers—you met them yesterday at the bar, one was a SEAL and the other is ex-CIA. We are a unique private security force and we operate as a team or unit the way we would in the Corps. That much would be the same. We want you to be a sniper but you won’t be working with a scout—we don’t have the staff for that.”
“What kind of missions are you taking?”
“High-risk, high-pay missions from the private sector.”
“Really?”
“Yes, usually we protect or rescue ordinary citizens when our government can’t go in and do so. The families or companies have the money to afford us,” Lucien said.
“Like who?”
“Usually executives kidnapped in South America or kids who go missing or land in trouble. We’ve had a few jobs that involved the DEA and Border Patrol, but to be honest I think we’ve all agreed those aren’t our favorites.”
Jay chuckled. “I can understand that.”
“Your role, if you choose to join us, would be to use the skills you have now, mainly as a marksman,” Lucien explained.
Jay was one of the top-rated marksmen in the world.
“Okay. I’d be the sniper. How often do you need one?” Jay asked. Rescue missions didn’t always require a man with his skills.
“More often than you’d guess,” Lucien said. “T-bone, the SEAL, is good with long-range shots, but he’s not you. And we need him in other roles. You’d provide expert cover. If you decide to come on board you’d be paid a monthly salary plus a bonus based on the danger factor of the mission.”
The amount that Lucien mentioned was eye-opening; Jay had had no idea his skills with a weapon were worth that much. But he was looking for a change in lifestyle, not just his income bracket. “How often would I be gone? And what would I do when we aren’t on a mission?”
Lucien leaned back in his chair. “We monitor security and provide bodyguards for the affluent in Southern California. Also, when dignitaries are visiting we’re usually the detail assigned to guard them. So that keeps us busy. You’d have two days off a week, unless we are on a mission, and you would work regular hours.”
“Sounds tempting,” Jay said. Really tempting. It would mean closing one chapter of his life and starting another. Here. This job would give him a way to romance Alysse and do it right this time. But he hadn’t stayed in one place since he’d left North Texas. And he had a really hard time picturing himself in a home.
“Good, I want you on my team, Jay,” Lucien said.
“When do you need to know if I’m in?” Jay asked.
“When are you due to re-up?” Lucien asked.
“Two weeks. I’m on leave until then.”
“Why don’t you think it over tonight and let me know tomorrow?” Lucien said. “Then you can come and work with us for a few days, see if it’s really what you want. I’d hate to have you regret leaving the Corps.”
“Do you regret it? I thought you were going to be a lifer,” Jay said.
“At first I hated it. I just wasn’t cut out for civilian life, but then, once I got involved with these guys at Company B, I found my place. It’s helped me a lot to be able to still use my skills but to sleep in my own bed each night,” Lucien said. “Plus I have a steady woman in my life. She’s more important than the Corps. For a while I didn’t think she would be. Oh, I’m making a mess of saying this.”
“Nah, I get it. Women are complicated,” Jay said.
“You spoke a mouthful,” Lucien said with his smooth Cajun accent, and Jay smiled. They’d had a lot of fun in the old days even when they were on missions, and there was something about working with his friend again that appealed to him.
“I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know what I think,” Jay said.
He left the offices a few minutes later and drove toward the Hotel Del Coronado but that wasn’t really where he wanted to go. He wanted to see Alysse again, and if nothing else, at least talk to her.
