“I CAN ASSURE YOU, gentlemen,” Alexander said to the two men clad in dark suits sitting across from him. “I am personally involved in every job the company takes on. Even though I may assign another highly-trained agent to oversee the operation, I always make sure I’m fully apprised of all the details, regardless of how small.” He smiled his million-dollar smile at them.
This was the part of owning the private security firm Alexander loathed…wining and dining potential and current clients. He had seen his father in action over the years, always the charmer. The man had loved the satisfaction of knowing he could land a multi-million dollar contract, then plan some sort of clandestine operation that would go off without a hitch…all before he had his morning coffee. Because of his father’s training and tenacity, the company he built was the most well-respected and sought-after private security firm in the country, if not the world. Alexander had agents on various assignments in practically every state and across the globe…some for private individuals, others as government military contractors. He had hoped the days of the hard sell would be behind him. He didn’t feel the need to sit here and give the same sales pitch these guys had probably heard over and over again. The company’s record spoke for itself.
“And that’s why we always come to you first, Mr. Burnham,” one of the men answered. “With your brother taking on a leadership role within the company, we just want to make sure nothing’s changed. No offense, but he doesn’t exactly have the same background as you or your father.”
“That may be true.” Alexander took the tumbler in his hand, bringing the expensive scotch to his lips. If he had to sit and give these men the same song and dance, at least he could reward himself for his pain and suffering with some good scotch. “But I can assure you, even though Tyler may not have been a SEAL, like me, or an operative for the CIA, like my old man, he still has a military background. He may not have run the beaches of Coronado, but there’s no one else I’d trust to help run my father’s company. Even though I have men with that specialized training it appears you think necessary who have been working for the firm for decades, I still value my brother’s skill set above them. He has something the military can’t teach you. A great instinct.”
“We didn’t mean any offense,” the other gentleman said.
“None taken.”
“We just aren’t too familiar with your brother.”
“And you weren’t familiar with me, either, when I took over the company after my father’s death, yet here you still are, even thirteen years later.”
“That may be true; however—”
“Gentlemen, I hope you don’t think it rude of me to say, but—” A buzzing on the table interrupted him. He glanced at his phone to see a blocked call coming through. Returning his attention to the two men who were his father’s first clients when he started the company, Alexander continued. “I have ten-figure contracts with the U.S. government. Your fifty thousand dollar job isn’t going to make sure I can pay my employees for one more day. I’ll forever be grateful to you for taking a chance on my father and his vision, but you know damn well there’s no one who will do a better job. You can stop with all these baseless concerns and just let us handle your security detail like we always have, or you can go find someone else and hope they’ll provide the same services for that small of a fee.” His gaze burned through them. “I’ll let you talk it over while I take this call.”
He got up from the table and stepped away. Rubbing his temples, he headed into the bar area of the restaurant and took a breath.
“Burnham here,” he answered, keeping his eyes trained on the men at the table. While what he said was true, that this contract was small peanuts compared to most of the jobs the company had been hired on, Alexander didn’t want to lose them as clients. He wanted people to still respect the company, even with his brother joining him at the helm.
“Alex,” a voice practically shouted from what sounded like a construction zone. The connection was sketchy, the banging of hammers amplified over everything else.
“Who’s this?” he asked, covering his free ear to try to hear better.
“It’s Landon.”
“Landon?” He shook his head, as if he were imagining things. “I thought you were overseas. I ran into Rayne a few weeks back and she said she wasn’t expecting you home for at least four more months.”
“I am,” he replied, then paused.
Alexander sensed something had to be wrong if Landon called him out of the blue like this. They hadn’t spoken in months, maybe even a year. Alexander knew how difficult it was to find time to make a call while on deployment, particularly if Landon was on a classified mission, which he probably was, considering he was still on active duty with the SEALs. Whatever the reason for the phone call, Alexander had a feeling it was important.
“I need your help.”
“My help?” Alexander raised his eyebrows, intrigued.
“I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important,” Landon declared in a hurried tone. “There’s this girl—”
“A girl?” He couldn’t mask his disbelief. “You call me after we haven’t spoken in who knows how long to talk about a girl? What’s going on in…wherever you are?”
“It’s not what you think. It’s just…” There was a heavy sigh. “We need to do something about what’s happening.” His tone was frantic, the urgency with which he spoke increasing with each word. “There’s just so many of them. For every one reported, there are at least a hundred who go unreported.”
Alexander listened, his mind spinning. He scanned the restaurant, but he wasn’t really paying attention to his surroundings. For all he knew, he could have been right next to Landon. He had known him since they reported to BUD/S training. They connected immediately. Being put through the most rigorous mental and physical training did that. There were times they both wanted to quit, but they refused to let each other ring that bell. In the field, they had run operations together seamlessly. Alexander could always tell just by looking at him or listening to the tone of his voice when something was serious. This was another one of those times.
“Slow down, buddy. You’re not making any sense. What are you talking about?”
“I’ve tried to get the military to do something about it, but they keep saying the rules of engagement forbid us from intervening.”
“And the same would apply to me as a government contractor, so I—”
“Your company has provided security and staff for shelters and refugee camps in the past, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“I’ll take the job,” Landon interrupted.
“What?”
“Every time we talk, you keep begging me to leave the navy and come work for you. If you do this for me, you have my word. I’ll go into the reserves, effective immediately, and work for you. Hell, I’ll even spearhead this.”
“Spearhead what exactly? What precisely are you asking me to commit my company to?”