“I lead a fire team of four soldiers—me, Lizzy, Marc and Victoria. We’re one of four to five fire teams in a particular squadron. Depending on the contract, fire teams can get moved around in the squadrons based on the needed skill sets for the mission at hand.” Gabe’s jaw flexed, as if he was chewing on the inside of his cheek. Bad habit, or maybe the echoes of an old one already given up. Her dad used to chew tobacco and did that for years after he’d quit. “Our entire current squadron is back on US soil, but only two of the fire teams came west for recovery here in Washington. Otherwise, we’d be at the corporate headquarters in the DC area.”
She couldn’t help looking back over the others. None of them looked injured. In fact, every one of them looked more fit than anyone she’d encountered either at work or walking on the street. It was in the way they stood, the way they moved smooth and soundless. There was a potential for action there, keeping Maylin on edge even before she’d thought to put a definition to it.
“Dislocated shoulder.” Lizzy tapped her left and gave her a feral grin. “Not fit for the kind of rough and ready duty we usually do, but more than fine for the simple bodyguard duty we were doing last night.”
“Broken thumb. Doesn’t seem serious, but you need your thumb to operate a lot of equipment.” Marc scowled as Victoria snickered. “Look. If the other squadron leader hadn’t seen me fumble my weapon on the way into the pisser, he’d have never known.”
“We were already headed here anyway,” Gabe interjected. “No reason to hide it, and better to get it splinted and taken care of.”
“Ah.” Maylin didn’t know what to say.
Was Gabe injured in some way? They all had looked at him, to him, to follow his lead in how much to share. She might not be super-secret military, but she could recognize at least those signs.
“Regardless, we’re all mended and more than capable of investigating your sister’s disappearance.” Lizzy cut the air with her right hand.
“And you have a contract for the hiring of your services?” Maylin could grasp the formalities, and they were there to protect all involved parties. She’d learned that the hard way running her own business.
“Caleb can draw one up. He’s the squadron’s ops person back at HQ.” Gabe didn’t sound worried.
“For investigation into her disappearance and...extraction? Is that what you call it?” Maylin pushed because none of them had committed yet. And she needed it, in writing.
Gabe pushed away from the counter, then hesitated. She lifted her chin and refused to look away from his considering gaze. Finally, he said, “One step at a time. There may be no one to retrieve.”
Not a single one of their faces gave her any encouragement.
Fine. She’d have enough hope for them all. “If she’s out there and we find evidence she is, will you help me get her back?”
She watched as Gabe exchanged a look with each of his people. There was nothing she could read between any of them. But she waited anyway. There were no other options.
“If.” Gabe ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Fine, if. Then yes, we will talk about what it will take to get her back for you.”
*
There were too many unknown variables.
Gabe watched Maylin continue to chat with his team. Considering the way they were already warming up to her, a lot of the investigation work could be done pro bono. If asked, his team members would likely say it was better than being bored.
It was what he would say too.
His fire team might be out of rotation, on leave in the US while they healed up from their latest mission overseas, but eventually they’d cycle back and rejoin a squadron for their next contract. The Centurion Corporation had several squadrons deployed around the world, how many and where depended on the contract and the nature of their clients. Where there was conflict, there was a need for private military contractors.
As much as his team needed the rest, every one of them, including him, had been itching to do something after the first couple of weeks hanging around Centurion Corporation’s Seattle base. That was when Gabe had suggested to their leadership that they take on the lighter duty, local bodyguard contracts. Didn’t require as much physical activity and kept them all sharp.
It’d made sense. Then he’d encountered Maylin.
He watched the woman as she made yet another omelet for Marc and Seth, demonstrating how she made layers of cooked egg and rolled it.
His team was already getting engaged, attached to their client. Maylin wasn’t some aloof wealthy personage hiring them for personal security. She was a warm, genuinely nice, dangerously likeable person with a talent for feeding hungry people.
And she was good at what she did. He’d seen her in action last night. She’d managed her catering team with cool efficiency. Her people came to her with issues and she was calm, decisive in handling anything brought to her attention. Always smiled for the guests, never broke a sweat. And the entire time she’d been worried about her sister and recovering from the craptastic rebuff he’d given her.
Yeah. He’d been slick. A real pro way to handle a situation.
And he might choke on the sarcasm of his own thoughts.
Hell.
He sighed and placed his hands on the counter. His team stopped the chatter almost immediately, all of their attention turned to him. Maylin followed their cues, her green eyes wide. Hopeful.
“For starters, we’ll head back to your apartment and try to get some intel on exactly who is after you.”