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Chapter 2
3 Months Earlier
“Hey. You wanted to see me?” Maria asked, poking her head inside Cam’s office.
The normally gruff and grumpy former SEAL lifted his head and gave her a bright smile. Huh.
“You’re in a good mood,” she said, her voice teasing. While Cam may have been the strong, silent type, sparse with his praise and demanding of his employees, Maria respected the hell out of him. Cam and A.J., his business partner, had formed Tactical Solutions International after their final tour with the Navy.
The paramilitary firm handled everything from personal protection to cybersecurity to assisting the government with sensitive overseas operations. The partners at TSI made sure their people had top-of-the-line equipment, extensive training, top-notch field support, and a damn healthy paycheck.
Former Marine Corps Sergeant Maria Teresa Alessandra Ruiz loved her new job.
Well, technically, it wasn’t new anymore, but after three years with TSI, she still felt she had a lot to learn. Every assignment was different, from the way she had to prep to the gear she needed to pack. After twelve years in the military, which she’d also loved, she was thriving in her second career.
“Baby’s sleeping through the night,” Cam said.
“Hallelujah,” Maria answered, laughing.
Maria had met Cam’s wife, Lissa, at a particularly harrowing time for her boss and his lady love. Liss had picked up a stalker, and Maria had been part of the bodyguard detail assigned to protect the pretty ER doc.
Afterward, the women remained friends and kept a weekly running date when Maria was stateside. They’d resorted to long walks in the park during the last trimester of Lissa’s pregnancy, at which time Maria shared more about her own past than she ever had with anyone. Lissa, in her quiet, attentive way, listened with empathy and not pity. For that alone, she’d earned a place in Maria’s small, tight circle of trust.
It was nice to have a girlfriend. Working all her adult life in mostly male-dominated spaces, Maria was comfortable with the ball-busting, no-feels kind of friendship most men offered. Sure, she’d had to earn her place with them, and there had definitely been some dipshits who doubted her abilities, but the men from her unit and the guys she worked with here at TSI had her back. Still, it wasn’t the same thing as having a girlfriend with whom she could share a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and complain about ex-boyfriends.
“I’m gonna take your wife out for a cocktail this week. Make sure you put dad duty on your calendar,” she ordered.
Cam was used to Maria’s pushy personality by now and generally rolled with it.
“Good. She needs a night out,” he agreed.
“I’ll see if your sister’s around. Fiona and Allie too.”
As the only single lady in the group of TSI-connected women, Maria often found herself organizing the down time. She liked the gals a lot. They were easy to be with and supportive of one another.
When she mentioned Allie’s name, Cam flinched, and his face fell. A pit formed in Maria’s stomach.
“She’s not doing well, is she?”
A.J.’s wife Allie had been battling cancer for years. While no one wanted to say it out loud, this last bout would likely be her last.
“No.”
“Maybe we’ll take the party to her. Keep her spirits up. I’ll check in with Liss and see what she thinks.”
Cam nodded and cleared his throat. “Anyway, I wanted to talk about your next assignment.”
Maria had been overseas for the last three weeks, assisting in what turned out to be a glorified babysitting job for a US ambassador’s kid.
“Yes, please,” she said.
Cam’s expression flattened, and he drummed his fingers on the desk.
“Oh, come on. What spoiled rich kid got himself in trouble now?” she asked, rolling her eyes.
“No spoiled rich kids,” Cam promised. “But I need you on another security detail.”
Maria gave him an exaggerated eye roll and sighed. Cam didn’t play favorites or treat her any differently from the men. Everyone worked protection details. She just had a sour taste in her mouth from the last moron she’d been assigned to, who definitely didn’t take her seriously until he’d gotten himself into a jam and needed her to save his ass. Literally.
