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He turns to Liv. “I thought you looked familiar.” His eyes bounce between them.
They have the same shade of auburn hair. They both have a smattering of freckles under their eyes, the same gold-flecked hazel color. There are obvious differences, but they could be cousins or even siblings.
Liv holds out her hand. “So you’re my brother? Nice to meet you. I’m Liv.” They both laugh. I file it away for later. Garrett came recommended by Jim. He was in the Marines and protected a wife of a high ranking Afghani militant. She gave out much needed secrets for US protection, and he and his team got her out against impossible odds.
I turn to the other guy who looks intimidating as fuck, even though I’d never admit it. He carries himself with a natural confidence. If Mark can handle three thugs, Dylan Walsh can handle six with one hand tied behind his back. I might exaggerate a bit, but the point remains. He’s who I want to protect Liv.
The price tag was expensive, but he’s worth every penny with his long list of experience. Army Special Forces for four years, two years in the FBI’s black ops program that may or may not exist, before coming to work for Maddox where he’s been for several years. The dude has seen some shit. This assignment is cake for him, but that works for me. Liv deserves nothing but the best.
He holds his hand out to me and we shake. “Dylan Walsh.” I nod.
“Luke, and this is my girlfriend Liv.” She smiles and holds out her hand. He shakes, but the scowl that appears to be permanent never leaves. Liv’s face falls, and she steps closer to me.
He’s here to protect her, not be her best friend, but she can’t fear him. I’ll sort that out later. She shifts again, so I squeeze her hand as they head to the trunk to get their bags. She smiles at me and relaxes.
I let Mark get them signed into Nova and settled in their room while we clean up the gym.
A little while later, we meet in the living room. They’ve both changed into more casual clothes.
“Dylan and Garrett have gone over the info we sent on Scotty and the secretive nature of our location. They’ve both signed NDAs to keep the tech they see here confidential. And Liv, just so you’re aware, all Maddox officers go through a rigorous vetting process that takes months before they’re employed. You’ll be just as safe with them as you are with me,” Mark says.
She looks at each of them before she nods to Mark. “Have they found Scotty yet?”
He sighs and shakes his head. “No, he’s in the wind.”
She chews her bottom lip and looks to the side. “What is it, babe?” I ask.
She sighs and looks around the room before she faces me. “Scotty said something about a next time. That I shouldn’t fight it, to make things easier. I think he has something planned."
A lump forms in my throat at the scared tone of her voice. The fucker needs to pay for that alone. Jordy takes over for me. “He could have just been trying to scare you, but it doesn’t matter. That’s why we’re here. He won’t be able to do anything with you inside this fortress.”
She nods, and my jaw clenches. They should have caught him by now. I take her hand and try to relax. I can’t figure out the connection between Scotty and my mom, and it’s putting me on edge. The sooner they find Scotty, the sooner Liv will be safe and we can get answers.
