AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hear Chelsea gasp beside me.
“Shot? And you want to send your guys there?” she demands. I shrug whilst continuing to drive.
“Our people are all ex-forces; they have been trained to be on high alert at all times. They know how to handle any situation they could find themselves in. That’s what makes our company so different from others.”
“So, you only hire ex-SEALs?”
“No, not just SEALs,” I reply, shaking my head. “We have ex-Navy, Army, RAF, Marines, Police and Firearms officers. All must have had hands-on experience with dangerous situations. For example, me and Pippin specialised in hostage situations. Houdini was explosives and fieldwork. We can all handle a number of different weapons; we know how to disarm someone and negotiate. There’s very little we haven’t experienced.”
I stop at a set of traffic lights and turn to a quiet Chelsea.
“You’ve gone very quiet.”
When Chelsea turns to look at me, I have no idea what’s going through that head of hers. Did I scare her with how well we are trained?
“Will you ever be in danger like your guys?” she asks softly.
“There will be times. We would never ask our people to do something we wouldn’t do ourselves. We might be the company's owners, but we will still get our hands dirty if necessary.” I look back at the lights and curse quietly as they change to green. I glance at Chelsea to see her deep in thought.
“What are you thinking, Chels?”
For a moment or two, she remains quiet, and when I glance at her, I find her staring out of the window.
“I never thought of the fact you would ever be in danger. I don’t like the thought of any of you getting hurt,” she replies softly as I feel her eyes land on me. We stop at another set of lights, and I take advantage of the moment. I turn to look at her as I lift her hand to my mouth and press a kiss to her knuckles.
“We have faced many dangers in the past and made it through with only a handful of injuries between us. You don’t have to worry about us; we are good at what we do,” I tell her with a wink, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.
“I can’t help but worry; I care about you all.”
I kiss her knuckles before letting go of her hand and continuing the drive to the restaurant.
“We care about you too, Chels,” I tell her as I glance to the side quickly. “A lot.”
???
“I find it hard to believe that someone as young as you has any real experience in security. I hear you were a former SEAL like Anderson, but did you actually see any real action? Or are you training your employees from stuff you learnt from a handbook?”
I stare at Mr Godfrey in front of me, amazed by the man's audacity.
“With all due respect, Sir. Would you have any doubt of Calvin's ability to train our employees if you were meeting him for the first time?” I ask, using every tool I was taught in my training to keep calm and not lose my shit.
“Well, I’m guessing he has quite a bit more experience than you.”
“Actually, I am seven months older than Calvin, and I joined two years before him. I already had three successful hostage situations under my belt before he had finished his training. In fact, the day Calvin Anderson completed his training, I was on the other side of the world dealing with a situation where thirty-three girls were being held at gunpoint in a building filled with explosives. I helped with the safe release of twenty-six of those girls. So please tell me how Calvin has more experience than me.” My palms are sweating from the anger that is rushing through me. How dare he question my experience.
“What happened to the other seven girls?” The guy next to Godfrey asks. I take a deep breath and feel my leg shake under the table as the sounds of them screaming ring in my ears.
“They didn’t make it. There were three men in the room with them, all armed. They started arguing among themselves, and one shot the other. Unfortunately, the bullet went straight through him and hit a canister which contained mustard gas. We got them out of the room they were being held in, but all died within days of their injuries.”
I feel something touch my shaking leg and look down to see Chelsea's hand on my thigh. She squeezes it, letting me know she’s there, before letting go and holding my hand under the table. I am so grateful for her support in that moment.
“You may see that failure as proof that I shouldn’t be in charge of a security firm, but I have saved more lives than you’ve had hot showers. I remember the names of every single person we lost and will still remember them until the day I die. Every death has left its own scar on me, and I have taken their loss and turned it into a learning experience. I am trained to hunt, protect and to kill; don’t underestimate me because of my appearance. If you were to sign the contract, this baby face would not think twice before stepping in between you and a speeding bullet.” I feel Chelsea stiffen slightly and give her hand a soft squeeze.
“Do you wish you tell me I don’t have enough experience now? Or shall we discuss the terms of our contract?”
19
Chelsea
