Singe (Guardian Protection #1)

“Take the goddamn muffin,” Johnson pressed.

Propping my hand on the back of Leo’s driver seat, I turned all the way around, giving Johnson my full attention. “I said I’m good.”

He cocked his head to the side, his hard jaw turning to granite. “You got a fucking problem, Levitt?”

I did. I so fucking did.

Johnson had been riding my ass since our run-in on Monday. It wasn’t like I’d never worked with a prick before though. Hell, in LA, there were more pricks than not. I’d become quite skilled at ignoring the office bullshit. However, not even I was skilled enough to ignore the boss.

Yep. My boss. Such was my shitty luck.

As it turned out, Aidan Johnson was not only Leo’s best friend, but also his number two at Guardian Protection. From what I’d gathered, Leo handled the clients while Johnson managed the men.

Needless to say, this made his fucking with me exponentially easier.

On Tuesday, I’d shown up at a quarter to seven only to realize I’d never been issued a security card. I stood in the garage for a full hour, pressing the buzzer on the elevator to no avail, before one of the other guys showed up. Fun fact I’d also not been told: Work starts at eight. Seven is only on Mondays for the weekly meeting. When I finally walked through the front door, it was approximately two minutes past eight, and Johnson then chewed my ass for being late on the second day.

I refused to leave that day without a card for the elevator and the front door. Conveniently, Johnson stayed locked in his office all afternoon. It was seven p.m. before he got his shit together and gave me one.

I shouldn’t have been surprised when I showed up on Wednesday and the damn thing didn’t work. Yet, somehow, I still was. When I finally gotten through the front door—a mere sixty seconds before the clock struck eight—I was informed that my new-hire paperwork had been misplaced. I sat in Leo’s office for two goddamn hours, filling out a second set. No sooner than I was on the last page, Johnson sauntered in with a file folder in his hand, stating he’d found it. Sure, this could have been some clerical error, but the wink Johnson tossed my way as he let me know he’d rearranged the guys in order to cover my assignment for the day—my first assignment—said otherwise. It all worked out though. At least according to him, because I got to spend the rest of the day in his office, watching actual VHS tapes about sexual harassment and professionalism.

Then, on Thursday, my new access card miraculously worked after I’d gotten there at six thirty to ensure I got inside on time. When he rolled in at well past nine, he let me know that he’d “forgotten” to tell me that I was being trained in the security room that night—at eleven p.m. So, basically, I’d hauled my ass up there for no reason other than for him to fuck with me. I happily went home and then dragged myself back up there at eleven only to find out there was a full-time staff in the security room and the guys who worked in the field—like myself—were barely allowed to step foot in there, much less “train” on how to work the equipment.

So yeah, when I’d shown up this morning, I’d been exhausted and sick of his bullshit. And, boss or not, I was done taking it.

Holding his gaze, I seethed, “Sorry. I missed the page in the employee handbook where not eating a fucking muffin was a problem.”

He regarded me impassively as he stated, “Page twelve. Paragraph three.”

I gritted my teeth. “You know what? Fuck you.”

“Jesus Christ, what the hell is with you two?” Leo chimed in. “It’s a goddamn muffin, not arsenic. I’ll eat it.”

“Why are you here?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Making sure you don’t fuck this up.”

My blood boiled. “It’s a kid’s birthday party. I’m relatively sure I can handle it.”

He grinned arrogantly. “See, I’m not sure I agree.”

“What is your fucking problem with me?” I kept my gaze locked on Johnson but turned my words to Leo. “No disrespect, Leo. I appreciate the opportunity. But I’m done with the games. You want to ride along and introduce me to your client? Great.” I jerked my chin toward Johnson. “But I don’t need a babysitter. Either you need to have a word with your partner here or I’m going to have to seek employment elsewhere.”

Johnson clapped his hands. “Fan-fucking-tastic idea.”

“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa,” Leo said, slamming the truck back into park. “What the hell is going on here?”

Johnson opened his mouth, but I got there first. “In short, I’m quitting or you’re kicking this piece of shit out of the car.”

Leo’s head snapped back, an impressed grin twitching at his lips. “Oh, really?”

I shoved my door open and returned his glare. “Really. I wanted to be here. To work for the best—with the best. But I’ve been here a week and, with the exception of having to replace my phone, spending an entire afternoon watching bad ’80s sexual harassment videos, and getting my chain yanked around about my schedule, I’ve done not one thing productive. I appreciate the opportunity. I do. But, if this is how you operate, maybe I’m not a good fit for Guardian.”

Leo blinked at me for several seconds. Then, using his thumb and his forefinger, he wiped around the corners of his mouth before lifting his gaze to the rearview mirror. “Sexual harassment videos?”

Johnson smirked. “Found ’em on Ebay. Cheap as shit. Overnight shipping was a bitch though. The hardest part was finding a VCR. That damn thing cost me a fucking mint.” His grin faded as he leaned back in the seat and folded his thick arms over his chest. “Besides, I think it would be good for all the guys to watch ’em.”

This. Motherfucker.

Leo continued to stare at him in the mirror. “The only female employee we got is my wife. Someone sexually harasses her, they end up jobless and, more than likely, lifeless. I think we’re safe.”

“Can’t ever be too safe,” Johnson replied sardonically.

Leo’s eyes narrowed on his friend. “You gonna tell me what this is really about?”

“Nope,” he replied curtly.

“Right.” Leo snatched the truck into reverse. “Shut the door, son.”

I shook my head. “I’m not doing this.”

“Yeah, you are.” He threw his arm around the back of my seat and angled to see out the back glass as he gunned it out of the parking spot.

I was barely able to get the door closed before it took off the side mirror of Braydon’s BMW parked next to us. (I definitely needed to ask for that raise.)

“Fuck, man,” I growled.

“So here’s how this is going down. You two are gonna patch this shit up.”

“I’m—” I started, but that’s as far as I made it.

“I’ve known Johnson for a lot of years. He can be a short-tempered bastard, but there isn’t a man in my office who would think twice about taking a bullet for him.” He kept his gaze pointed out the windshield as he pulled into traffic. “You know why that is, Levitt?”