Securing Blake
Cavanaugh Security Series
C.M. Steele
Copyrighted © 2020
All Rights Reserved
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.
Cover design: C.M. Steele
Cover Image: Deposit Photos
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Three Years Later
About the Author
Chapter 1
Tate
“Damn, it’s hot.” After installing the forensic lab computers, I came out and set my supplies down on the lobby desk. I still had to grab a few more items before starting the next station, but the damn heat had started to fry my brain. I needed a drink, and I needed it now. I walked into the office kitchen and pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge. I guzzled it down in one long drink before tossing it into the recycling bin. Then, I headed back into the main reception area to see the owner approaching.
Sean Cavanaugh was a very cool but inexperienced boss. “Hey, how are you hanging in there?” He took his bandana and wiped his brow. As Texas men, we were pretty damn used to the heat, but when the central air went out, the work didn’t stop. The technician should be here in the next hour or so, hopefully. We were in the process of setting up the company for its opening, but there was a lot to get done before the other employees started. Hell, he had interviews for the next week at least.
“I’ll manage. I need to keep the server room cool, but the door’s sealed shut so we have a little more time before it’s an issue.”
As a fellow former police officer, we understood each other, and it made my interview for the position easy. I knew that failing to make a lifetime career in the force could make you ache to prove yourself. I’d help Sean get there, and hopefully find the satisfaction and retribution I’d been searching for as well.
He wiped the sweat off his brow that had built up again. “I have to go pick up some more drinks. It’s fucking hot as hell in here. I’m glad I took Macy home. This shit is only going to get worse as the day goes on.” Macy and Sean met less than half a year ago, and they were married with a baby on the way.
I nodded. “Smart move.” I cupped the back of my neck, rolling and massaging it. A headache worked its way up the base of my skull, and this heat didn’t make it better. It was early September in Texas. The temps hovered near the records all week, and the meteorologists predicted at least another ten days of it before we caught a break.
We had coffee this morning, but that shit was hot. It was already a damn sweaty job to physically set up the computers. Luckily, advancements in technology made them a lot lighter. The time spent huddling under desks and arranging the wires made it tedious. I loved working with computers, but with the excessive sweat coating my shirt, my mood shifted into dickhead mode. It helped that there wasn’t anyone else here to be nosy or in my way.
“I need you to do me a favor.”
“Okay.”
“I messaged the woman coming in for the HR/Accounting interview that I’m not going to be available today. She hasn’t responded yet. If she shows up, can you let her know what the situation is?”
“Sure,” I answered distractedly, wiping the sweat from my own heated head. He was nearly out of the door when I added, “Oh, shit. Before you head out, we could use some extra fans as well.”
As I said that, his phone rang and from the ring tone, I assumed it was Macy. “Shit, yeah. Of course. I’ll see what I can get,” he muttered distractedly. “It’s Macy.” His voice quivered as he answered. “What’s wrong, baby?” He walked out of the door without another word to me, so I assumed it wasn’t a big deal.
I hoped everything was okay with her, and I sure as hell hoped he didn’t forget what I asked for.
I went back to work because the sooner I got out, the sooner I would get into my air-conditioned pickup. With four other computers to install before uploading all the software required for each job onto them, I had my day booked. As much as it sucked today, it was better than sitting in my office at the Houston PD working for bureaucrats who would rather demote me than protect me. Making the switch had been an easy decision, and so far I didn’t regret it. A year ago, a case I testified in led to a crazy stalker out for revenge. It took a bullet in my side for him to be caught. The force didn’t provide the proper safety measures on my behalf, so I wanted out.
A loud beeping tore through the quiet of the empty office, and that noise could only be one thing—the server room. “Son of a bitch,” I grumbled, wiping my bandana over my face. The central air had given out as soon as we stepped into the building. Sean requested an emergency HVAC visit, but because it was Texas, most were booked up. They should be arriving any minute—at least, they better be.
I dropped my tools onto the floor where I was working in the lobby under the receptionist desk. I needed the damn air on before the servers overheated. Technology hated the heat as much as I did. I loved everything about Texas except when it got like today: unbearably hot. If the servers fried, Sean would be out a lot of money, and I’d be out of a job.
Just as I pulled my head from underneath the desk, I spotted a pair of legs in a tight skirt walking toward me. As my eyes worked their way up, I felt the sweat drip down my face in double time. Who the hell was she?
I stood up, brushing my hands onto my jeans that suddenly felt tighter, constricting around my shaft and taking me by surprise. Luckily the desk stood between us, hiding my embarrassing reaction. For some reason, I couldn’t stop staring at her or even speak. Maybe it was the fact that all the blood rushed from my brain and flooded southward. My circuits were going haywire.
Instead of being civil, I cataloged every inch of her person to my memory. From head to toe, she was perfection. Her eyes were a bright cornflower blue and her lips plump. Her long blonde hair shined from the sunlight beaming through the front window. Her tight suit hugged every inch of her curves, accentuating them in a way that was criminal. A rush of jealousy came over me. Did she know how good she looked? Like sin in
a prim package, waiting to be unleashed. Thoughts of dragging her to me, sliding my hands through her silky hair, only made me hotter. I ached to lick the bead of sweat sliding down her pulse on her neck.
She was the first to say something, interrupting my fantasies. “Excuse me. I’m looking for Sean Cavanaugh. Are you him?” No, but I wish I was. Fuck me. Why was she asking about Sean?
Shaking my head, I found my words. “No. Sorry. He’s not here at the moment.” An irrational hatred came over me when she mentioned Sean’s name. He was happily married, and yet I wanted to deck him like he’d done something wrong.
She gasped, dropped her head down, and then quickly lifted it back up, masking her disappointment. Her emotions hidden, she said, “I’m supposed to have an interview with him.”
Ah. I’d forgotten about that completely the second I’d taken one glance at her. “Yes, he said someone might come in. He left a message on your phone that we had some setbacks and he’s out trying to get everything back to normal.”
“Oh, no. My phone was on silent.” She pulled out a Galaxy S8 and checked it. “Shit. AC’s out? That explains why I’m suddenly sweating.” She brushed her long blonde hair off her shoulder, and I knew it wasn’t the lack of central air that had me burning up. One glance at her, and I felt my pulse ratchet up one hundred-fold. I wanted her, even though it could cost me my job.
“Damn it. I don’t know how long I can wait. I’m not from around here. I have another interview booked tomorrow in Houston.” She scanned her phone again, checking her schedule, I presumed.
“Where are you from?” I hoped to fucking hell it wasn’t too far from here. Somehow the thought of her leaving felt like an unbearable prospect. Strange. I tried to figure out where that came from, but her answer stopped all inner thoughts.
“Ohio.”
“Ohio? And you came all the way here for a job?” Now I was rooting for her to get the job. It wasn’t uncommon, but I wondered about the motivation behind her traveling this far. There were plenty of jobs much closer for sure.
“Yeah, well. I wanted a change.” She paused on the change, leaving me to hazard a guess she left because of some guy.
“From someone?” The words left my mouth before I thought it through.
“Sorry?” Her brows arched, and the tension in her shoulders visibly doubled.
I knew to back off immediately. “Nothing. That’s not my business.” Shit. From the look in her eyes, it was exactly the case. Whatever bastard hurt her needed to be thanked and then fucked up.
“No. It’s not your business, and if you were the boss or in HR, you’d know that’s grounds for legal action.” Damn, my dick got harder, if that was even humanly possible. Her ire was sexy as hell.
“Oh, shit. Tate, getting yourself in trouble?” Sean asked, walking into the building with a travel cooler. “Hello, you must be Ms. Blake Avery. I’m Sean Cavanaugh. Sorry about today’s mess.”
“Hello, Mr. Cavanaugh. Yes, I can understand why the need to reschedule. It’s just…”
“Never mind that. Since you’re here and so am I, Ms. Avery, let’s get this interview over with. And Tate, what’s with that noise?”
“Shit. The servers.” I dashed off, opening the server room door to let out some of the excessive heat. I manually shut them down until we got the air on. I could use a portable AC Unit for the room just in case. Once I got back to the front desk, I packed everything up and walked over to the boss’s office. “Come in,” he said through the open door. She turned her head to gaze at me.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Did you pick up the fans for the office?”
“Shit. I forgot.”
“I need to pick up some fans. I’ll be back in about half an hour.”
“Okay, great. Here’s some cash. If it costs more than that, let me know.” He handed me two hundred bucks. I stuffed it in my pocket. Despite quitting my job, I was well off, having saved and invested wisely over the years, but I wasn’t rich like him.
“Sure thing. I’ll be back,” I muttered again, feeling like an ass the second the words were out of my mouth. The drive to the store passed in a blur. I picked up three box fans and two rotating ones.
When I returned, my dream woman was gone, and Sean and his wife Macy were kissing in the lobby. Seeing me walk in with the fans, Sean said, “Hey, let me help you with that. How many more do you have?”
“Three more.”
“Good. We need one in my office. It’s fucking boiling balls in there.”
“Sure.” We both went together for the second load, and he took one to his office and plugged it in while I plugged one in up in Macy’s office. A sound of the whirling blades created a relieved sigh from Macy as she stood in front of it.
She leaned in and asked, “So that chick that was in here is hired. Sean gave her the job on the spot. Did you see her? Was she pretty?”
“Gorgeous as hell. Why?” As the words left my mouth, I realized what I got myself into. Fuck. Both Sean and I were in trouble. I should have kept my fucking mouth shut. Immediately, I attempted to correct myself. “I mean, to me she was, but that’s just my tastes.” I didn’t have a taste when it came to women. Fuck, it’d had been at least two years since I went on a date, and that was a mess and a half. Apparently, being behind a computer made me a complete novice when it came to women.
“Nothing,” Macy grumbled at my side.
“Come on. You don’t think the boss man would do you dirty like that?” I spoke to him about her before, and I sure as hell saw them together. He was obsessed with Macy. There wasn’t anyone else for that guy. Not even the sexy Blake.
“Macy, what the hell is he talking about?” She stared up at him with tears in her eyes. “In my office, now,” he demanded, his voice low but strong. Instead of letting her walk there, he skipped all niceties and flipped her over his shoulder. “Don’t bother us for the next hour. My wife needs a reminder that I’m only hers.” He winked and then strolled back into his office with Macy, and I went back to work and stayed clear of his office. It made sense that many of the rooms here were soundproof especially when it came to meeting with clients, but I knew that Sean would be taking advantage of it for their alone time.
I made sure to bring one fan with me as I worked on the rest of the computer setups. I was almost done with the actual computer installations when the AC guy arrived. “We’re sorry it took so long, but with the heat, you’re the tenth call.” He provided me with his credentials and work order, but I got a funny vibe from the fucker. Storing his name to my memory, I’d pull a report on him later.
“No, we understand. Let me show you the unit.” I led him to the AC room and he went to work, popping off the metal front of the frame. “Let me know if you need anything. I’ll tell the boss you’re here.”
As I went to knock, Sean opened the door. “I know you said not to bother you, but I wanted to let you know the AC worker is here.” They were both dressed, but Macy’s flushed face and messed-up hair proved what I already knew had been going on in there. They were fucking like bunnies.
“Good. I’ll go check them out after I grab a drink for the wife. We are going to need a full kitchen with a stocked fridge. Walk with me.” I could tell he had something important to discuss.
I locked in step with him back to the cooler with the drinks. “So Macy’s mood is a little off lately. You didn’t do shit wrong, and I sure as fuck didn’t, but I get her jealousy. I wouldn’t have hired the woman if I didn’t get a desperate feeling from her. She needed this job and is almost as qualified as the other guy who came in for an interview. I hope she doesn’t let me down.” I knew all about his relationship with Macy and how it began. He’d saved her from danger more than once, and they have been inseparable ever since. It was in his nature, our natures, to be protectors. I didn’t realize how strong mine was until she’d walked into the building.
“Well, she came all the way from Ohio. That’s a fuck long way for a job. There
’s more to her story. Is there something else you know about her?” I wanted to know what he saw that concerned him.
“There is. She’s had a stalker. He’s in prison, but I’m guessing she wants to move far from home without anyone mentioning it. After our interview, I had to offer her the job.”
I tried to play it cool while anger seethed inside. Stalkers I understood and experienced. “She gave me the vibe of a professional, no-nonsense woman. I doubt you’ll have a problem with her.”
“Thanks for my drink,” Macy huffed, reaching into the cooler for a water.
“Sorry, babe. We were talking shop,” Sean said.
She tossed her hip against the desk in annoyance. “Yeah, yeah. How long do we have before the air is up and running?”
“Twenty minutes,” said the technician as he came into the room, wiping his hands. “I need to install a replacement part that I have in my truck.”
“Hello,” Sean said, sticking his hand out for a shake. “I’m the owner. Once you’re finished, please shout. I’ll get you taken care of. Do you need a drink?”
“No. I got mine in the car as well.” He walked back out and I sat on the reception desk, rocking my leg while keeping my eyes on the back of the guy.
Sean furrowed his brow. “What’s up?”
I nodded toward the direction of the HVAC guy and said, “I got a strange vibe from him.”
“Me too, but not everyone is a criminal,” he whispered, clapping my shoulder. “He could just be a douchebag.” Maybe it was the law enforcement in us that gave us that feeling, but I had another inkling. I better check the back exit.
“So how is the setting up going?” Macy interrupted my train of thought.
Securing Blake: Cavanaugh Security Series Page 1
