by Peyton Banks
Myles stepped from his truck and shut the door. He stalked toward the SWAT training facility. It was like a second home to him. Tomorrow, the officers attempting to join their elite group would come here.
He let himself into the large barn where they stored equipment. He didn’t have much left to do to prepare.
Most of the applicants would be attempting to join for the first time. Some of the men and women wouldn’t make the cut. SWAT wasn’t for everyone. It took dedication, teamwork, and an understanding of what a true brotherhood meant.
There were a lot of good men on the force, but not all would be able to keep up with the training.
Myles flipped on the light and glanced around at the equipment. He remembered when he’d made the decision to try for the squad. Myles had been on the force for a year, having joined not too long after he’d returned home. There was no way he would have been able to sit around and do nothing.
He’d always planned to join a police force when he returned from serving Uncle Sam.
Myles was no dummy. He knew what it would take to be accepted on a team. He’d done it in the Army.
Once he knew when tryouts were, he began training. He’d gotten a little lax once he was out of the service.
His conditioning included running five to ten miles a day. Lifting weights and going to the range for target practice. Preparing to join the highly elite team reminded him of his days of basic training.
The need to build up his endurance again was imperative.
Myles has completed the Special Forces Sniper Course, and after years of intense training, he became a master at his craft. He was proud of his extended range technique and skills when it came to him and a high-powered rifle.
Of course, on day one, Mac had busted his balls and rode him hard. At first, Myles was lost, unsure why he was getting the wrath of the sergeant in charge. It wasn’t until he learned Mac and Declan both were former SEALs and it all made sense.
They were both jealous.
That was it.
He forgave them, for not everyone was fit to be a Green Beret.
They had settled for second best and had become SEALs.
Chapter 2
“Columbia SWAT is one of the most decorated squads in the state,” Earl Sutton announced as they walked through the hotel front doors.
Roxxy nodded to the doorman and glanced at her father. Earl was a handsome man at the age of sixty. He was distinguished-looking with his graying hair, carefully shaved beard, and tailored suit.
“I’ve heard many good things about them,” Roxxy replied. She widened her stride to keep up with her father’s. The sound of their suitcase wheels rolling on the floor echoed through the air.
“It will do them some good to be audited and assessed. It will be our job to offer recommendations for improvement.”
Roxxy nodded and followed her father to the front desk of the hotel.
Her father, a former member of the US Army, was a retired veteran who’d begun a company off of an idea he’d had. Logistics Intelligence Services was born a little over twenty years ago. He’d built their company from the ground up. Now it boasted a stellar reputation in which law enforcement agencies could trust.
Roxxy was excited to be in the city. She didn’t come too often. She currently lived with her parents on the family farm that was located an hour and a half away. While here on their assignment, they would be staying in town at a hotel.
“Hello, and welcome. How may I help you?” the desk clerk asked with a smile. He was a handsome man with perfect white teeth.
“Hello, I have two rooms reserved. Last name Sutton,” Roxxy announced. She leaned against the desk. Her gaze dropped down to his name badge—Ryan.
“I’ll be happy to help. Let me bring up the reservation,” Ryan said. His fingers flew across the keyboard. “I will need your driver’s license and a credit card.”
“Two rooms, huh.” Her father chuckled. He pulled out his wallet and handed the requested items to Ryan. “You’re too cool to share a room with your dear old dad?”
Roxxy rolled her eyes. Her father always acted like he was insulted when she didn’t want to share a room with him.
“Dad…” She sighed and turned to him. She loved her father dearly, but they worked together and lived together. She needed a little space, even if it was a hotel room while they were in town. “We go through this every single trip. You know I like to have a room to myself just to unwind and have some me time.”
“We’re in the city. It’s not safe for a woman to stay alone,” her father stressed.
Roxxy couldn’t hold back her snort. She had a beautiful piece strapped to her thigh, and her suitcase held a few of her favorite guns.
She wasn’t worried at all.
“Dad, I will be fine.” She smiled to soften the rejection. “If it makes you feel better, you’re still in the same hotel, and you taught me well.”
His lips pressed firmly together while he returned her stare. “I don’t like it.”
“Here’s your room keys” Ryan interrupted the father-daughter stare off.
Earl focused his attention to the hotel clerk to finish their check-in.
Roxxy breathed a sigh of relief.
She knew how stubborn her father was, this wouldn’t be the last time she would hear this. No matter how well he’d trained her, she would always be his baby girl.
While growing up, Roxxy was the apple in her father’s eye. She was the one he taught how to use a gun at the age of six. Not only had she learned to ride horses, work the farm, and get her school lessons, but she’d learned how to handle a weapon. By the age of ten, she was a sharpshooter. He’d instilled training in her as if she were one of his soldiers. By the time she was sixteen, she could easily hang with one of the many law enforcers who used their training facilities to enhance their infiltrating teams.
In reality, Roxxy didn’t need protection, but in Earl Sutton’s eyes, she was that young Roxxy in pigtails.
“Let’s go, Roxxy.” Her father turned away from the desk.
Roxxy threw a smile to Ryan and grabbed the handle of her suitcase. She pulled it behind her while she followed her father toward the bank of elevators.
They were the first to arrive in Columbia, which was the norm. She and her father usually met with the administration and squad leaders first to go over what would be expected and everything they would need to perform a full assessment. The rest of the team would arrive a day later and join them.
“Sergeant MacArthur was telling me their tryouts are tomorrow. I figured it would be good for me to attend.” Roxxy stepped into the elevator.
Her father entered behind her and hit their two floors.
He ignored her statement. “Why are we on two separate floors?” He handed her the keycard for her suite.
“Well, you always want just a standard room.” She coughed. Her father was extremely frugal and never wanted to spend extra money when he deemed it not necessary. “I have a suite.”
“You and your mother.” He shook his head. His features softened, and he turned to her. “You are growing to be more like your mother.”
“She always says I’m more like you.” Roxxy gave an unladylike snort. Here she was, twenty-eight years old, and they were acting as if she were that sixteen-year-old girl.
The elevator dinged, signaling her father’s floor.
“Have a good night, sweetie. Call if you need me.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
She melted.
She’d admit it.
She was a daddy’s girl.
“Goodnight, Daddy.” She smiled as he exited the car. The door closed, sealing her off from the world. She patiently focused on the numbers lighting up with each passing floor.
Roxxy couldn’t help but spoil herself here and there.
She exited the elevator on the top floor and walked down the hall. Finding her room, she entered it and shut the door behind her.
For
safe measure, she flipped the latch to lock.
“Now, this is what I’m talking about.” She sighed, her gaze roaming the room. It was a luxury suite with a living area decorated with the finest. She strolled through it, tossed her messenger bag on the couch, and went into the private sleeping quarters. A king bed was the star of the show. The blanket was turned down, and a little piece of chocolate was resting on the pillow. The thick comforter called to her.
Leaving her suitcase by the door, she kicked off her heels and marched over to the windows. A gasp escaped her as she took in the view of Columbia laid out before her. The city was picture-perfect. This was certainly different from the quiet country life.
“This is life.” She giggled, moving away from the window. After a long day of meetings with the mayor, the captain, and the two sergeants of SWAT, she was dead on her feet. Afterward, her father had taken them out for dinner. With a full belly, she was ready to relax for the rest of the night.
She made her way into the en suite and halted in the doorway. Her mouth dropped open at the luxury in front of her. The bathroom was fit for royalty with a large clawfoot tub that could accommodate four grown adults, a stand-alone shower, and dual sinks. The marble floor sparkled.
Excited, she rushed in and began stripping her clothes off. She headed straight for the tub. She ran the water and turned to find an assortment of bath salts in a basket on the counter. With a grin, she chose the best smelling ones and tossed them in the tub.
It was officially time for her to relax.
Wrapping the plush white robe around her body, Roxxy groaned. She left the room and headed to the couch. As much as she would love to dive into the large bed and go to sleep, she did have some work to do.
Her ‘break’ was over.
She pulled the files out of her bag, walked back into the bedroom and settled on her bed. She switched the television on to the local news. She wanted to study the files of each member of the SWAT team, ignoring the TV. If she was to do her job thoroughly, she would need to know something about each of the men. She did take notice that there weren’t any women. That wasn’t part of the recommendation they could make, but it was noted.
“I’m sure there has to be a worthy woman who could join,” she muttered. She pushed down her irritation and began plowing through the paperwork.
Her gaze landed on the photograph of the man who had taken her breath away at the station.
Myles Burton.
The intensity of his eyes in the picture made her pause. She studied it, memorizing his features. He was a drop-dead gorgeous man and certainly captured her attention.
His build was something only the gods above had blessed him with. Just the memory of the way his dark t-shirt had highlighted his hard muscular chest, his dark eyes, and that bald head with a shadow of a beard on his face had her almost tripping over her feet. Roxxy was proud of her calm demeanor when she’d returned his heated gaze. Even once she’d spun away, she’d felt his eyes on her.
Just thinking of him sent her heart racing.
“Calm down, girl.” She laughed, fanning herself.
Everything about him screamed the military. Roxxy didn’t need to look at his file to know that.
Her eyes had immediately been drawn to him once he’d come into the bullpen with his partner. His walk was that of a predator. Being an Army brat, she was very familiar with the body language of a soldier.
Roxxy had been too busy ogling the cop that she had missed everything her father and the captain had been speaking about.
She was just getting out of a relationship. Her ex-boyfriend, Korey Norman, had done a number on her. She had thought he had been the one, that they would spend forever together, but that wasn’t the case. She’d been attracted to his deep smooth skin, his country twang, and perfect smile. There weren’t many black cowboys in the area, and she was definitely drawn to the sight of him in a pair of jeans and a Stetson. The way that man sat on a horse had her heart skipping a beat.
The night she went over to his place and found another woman swallowing his cock halted all of her future dreams.
The waitress at the local diner they frequented. Roxxy had always pushed aside his harmless flirting with the woman.
“Baby, I’m just nice. I’m sure she gets a lot of assholes in here,” Korey had proclaimed when she’d complained about his flirting. “You catch more flies with honey.”
Roxxy had shrugged and figured he hadn’t meant any harm and let him off the hook. She was with him, and the waitress was more attentive to them even when she was super busy.
One night a few weeks ago, she had thought to surprise him. She’d just come back from an out-of-town job and let herself into his place with her key. She’d missed him and didn’t want to wait until the next day to see him. It was late, but she’d figured he’d still be up.
Walking into the living room, she’d dropped her purse at the sight that greeted her.
Korey on the couch with the waitress, Anna, on her knees, sucking his dick.
Her gaze met Korey’s, and he instantly pushed the woman off. He scrambled to his feet and rushed to her. Roxxy grabbed her purse and left.
For the next couple of days, Korey had tried to explain himself.
None of the excuses helped, but the one that pissed her off the most was where he put part of the blame on her and her work.
Roxxy, you’re always working. There’s no time for us.
His words echoed in her head.
She’d walked away from the man she’d thought she’d spend the rest of her life with, with a broken heart but her pride intact.
She would move on and find that special someone.
Someone who would love her for her.
Her gaze traveled back down to Myles Burton. His file spoke of him being a decorated member of the Special Forces. She was impressed to read he’d been a Green Beret and had been a sniper while in the military. Continuing her reading, she learned he’d had no demerits on his record. She pulled out her notes from her conversations with Sergeant MacArthur and Owen.
Even though her father had ignored her about the tryouts, Roxxy knew that would be a perfect way to assess the team members of SWAT and their screening process.
Gathering the papers from the bed, she placed them on the nightstand. She snuggled down into the covers and pulled them over her.
She wondered if her mother remembered to give her faithful mare, Sunshine, her treats. Each night, Roxxy spoiled her horse with fresh apples. She had left a bag of freshly picked ones next to her stall. A fleeting idea came that maybe she should call her mother, but she thought twice about it.
Her mother would be insulted if Roxxy didn’t trust her to take care of Sunshine.
A yawn overtook her. She rolled over onto her side and fluffed the pillow. Images of one Myles Burton filled her mind as she drifted off to sleep. Dreaming of the sexy SWAT officer wasn’t a bad thing.
After what she’d been through with Korey, she’d welcome whatever naughty fantasies her brain wanted to come up with.
Chapter 3
There was a crisp chill in the air while the sun hid. For Georgia, it was quite cold. Myles had covered his bald head with a black skull cap to help ward off the cold. Today was the official start of the tryouts to join their elite team. More beautiful weather would have been nice, but at least the meteorologist on the news promised it would warm up later.
Eight applicants had shown up. Not a shabby number. Their city of Columbia wasn’t a vast metropolitan like Atlanta or Miami, so eight was a substantial amount.
Today, Myles and the entire squad was dressed in their full gear. The applicants were outfitted in workout clothing and lined up with Mac striding toward them.
“Good morning,” Mac called out.
The seven men and one woman returned the greeting. Myles followed behind him. His gaze took in the group before him. A few of the men looked familiar, but one, in particular, stood out.
Reeves.
&n
bsp; The young cop had tried out for SWAT before. He was an annoying little shit. He tried to fit in with the guys around the precinct, but there was something off about him. Myles didn’t trust him as far as he could throw him.
Declan had shared with the group the way Reeves and his partner, Cruz, had interrogated Aspen after they had come under attack one day leaving the zoo. Reeves had threatened to handcuff Aspen instantly, earning a top spot on Declan’s shit list.
“This morning, you are attempting to move forward with the process of joining our team. We will not go easy on you. When in an intense standoff, the bad guys don’t give a shit about you.” Mac paced back and forth, glaring at each of the men. “These men are the best, and you are vying for a spot on our team.” He pointed over to the members of SWAT.
Iker, Zain, Brodie, Ashton, and Declan stood off to the side in their identical uniforms, looking every bit of the badass team they were.
“We are searching for a new member who we can trust. Someone we know who can handle the pressure when the shit hits the fan. Someone who is not afraid to charge into a hot situation.” Mac paused his pacing and turned to the group. “Now this morning, Officer Myles Burton will be in charge. You are to do what he says, but know that every member of our team will be judging you.”
Myles stepped in front of the line. He nodded to each of them. “Morning. We’re going to start off with some physical drills to warm up. It’s cold out here, and we want to get your heart pumping.”
Myles’s attention was drawn to the sight of a figure coming toward the group.
He swallowed hard.
It was her.
The woman from yesterday.
Myles caught Mac’s eye and nodded in her direction.
Mac tipped his head and walked over to the woman.
“We’re going to start off with a mile run to help get your blood flowing,” Myles continued. He dragged his gaze from the woman. “Any questions?”
No one raised their hands.
