by KaLyn Cooper
Text copyright ©2016 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Paige Tyler. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Dallas Fire & Rescue remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Paige Tyler, or their affiliates or licensors.
For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication & Acknowledgements
About this Book
Author’s Note
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
Epilogue
About the Author
Smoke & Mirrors
Guardian Elite Crossover novella #1 / Dallas Fire & Rescue
KaLyn Cooper
Dedication
I dedicate this book to the men and women who have fought to keep our country free by putting their lives on the line in the military, then come home and continue that selfless dedication as first responders. Thank you for being there for all of us!
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank Janene Putman for helping me with her insider knowledge of the Dallas area. Thank you to my faithful readers Mary Everett, Layla Darnell and Robin Henley for naming the cook. I deeply appreciate the expertise of Dr. Nancy Bartley who taught me about Type 1 Diabetes and Army Col. William Kane (ret) who walked me through a helicopter “hard landing”.
My sincere appreciation, always, for my critique partner, Vikki Vaught, for her ideas and fast final read. A special thanks goes to my editor, Marci Boudreaux Clark. Thank you, Linda Clarkson, for the fast proofreading and final check.
A special thanks to Paige Tyler for asking me to write in her Kindle World.
Cover Artist: Drue Hoffman
Editors: Marci Boudreaux Clark & Linda Clarkson
About this Book
She’s not what she seems. Neither is he. But the terrorist threat is real. So is the desire that smolders between them.
Gwen Shaw overhears refugee teenagers discussing a plot to rival 9/11, but her Arabic is rusty. Besides, who is going to believe the sketchy information from an apron-wearing newcomer, even though she’d recently left the Army as a seasoned officer?
Jonathan O’Neil, new to the Dallas Guardian Security Center, knows a terrorist plot when he sees one on the tempting waitress’ computer. To find out the details of the plan and to stop them, he sets out to seduce her, only to find that nothing is what it seems.
Smoke & Mirrors blends first responders from Paige Tyler’s Dallas Fire and Rescue with KaLyn Cooper’s sexy men from her Black Swan series into a heart-pounding romantic suspense.
Buy this first book in the Guardian Elite series.
Author’s Note
Smoke & Mirrors is the first book in the Guardian Elite series, a spinoff of the Black Swan series. It features Jonathan O’Neil, who participated in an Iraqi raid and rescue with Katlin Callahan and Alex Wolf, the hero and heroine of Unrelenting Love (book #1 Black Swan series). The new Guardian Elite series of novellas feature the sexy men of Guardian Security and the strong women they find and fall in love with.
Black Swan Series
Unrelenting Love: Lady Hawk & Alex (Book #1)
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Unrelenting-Love-Lady-Hawk-Black-ebook/dp/B01HHCZWJ2
Double Jeopardy a Guardian Elite series
Novella Crossover with Hildie McQueen’s Indulgences series)
Coming January 10, 2017
FREE on Kindle Unlimited (for a limited time)
Related to (but not part of)
Black Swan Series
Explosive Combination
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Explosive-Combination-KaLyn-Cooper- ebook/dp/B00IR2H0WO
Noel’s Puppy Power part of the Dog Tags for Christmas anthology
AMAZON: http://amzn.to/2a8EOTS
For more books by KaLyn Cooper, visit www.KaLynCooper.com
Chapter 1
As Jonathan O’Neil opened the door to Up In Smoke, steam wafted into the busy Dallas street. He was immediately saturated with the smell of fried onions, hamburgers, and, of course, bar-b-que. Inhaling deeply through his nose, he savored each scent and… Was that apple pie?
“Why, thank you, son.” An elderly lady smiled up at him as she used the metal bar across the door to steady her shaky steps. “Don’t you just love this place? Best country fried steak in Texas.”
“I’ll bet it is, ma’am.” Jonathan couldn’t help but smile back at her and her friend as he held the door for them.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never been here before.” The second woman’s brown, penciled-on eyebrows nearly reached her white, perfectly-quaffed hair.
“Yes, ma’am, first time,” Jonathan admitted. Give a man a chance. He’d only been in the city twenty hours, most of which had been spent settling into his hotel room and temporary office at Guardian Security, Inc. He’d never considered leaving Miami before…before that night. More accurately, the next morning.
“He’s a virgin.” The first woman elbowed the second and giggled.
The accusation derailed Jonathan’s train of thought. Miami was in his past, and everything that had happened there was going to stay there. And what the hell? Virgin? Not by a long shot. But he wasn’t going to tell these septuagenarians—who reminded him way too much of his interfering Irish grandmother—that he’d lost his virginity as a late sixteenth birthday gift from Sally Ann Crossville, the girl he’d been dating at the time. She hadn’t lost hers that night, but taught him a lot over the next few weeks before dumping him for the star of the soccer team.
“Gladys, he might be a Texas culinary virgin, but with that body, he’s been screwing around for years.” The second woman pushed the first the remaining way through the door.
Gladys stopped two feet away from Jonathan and eyed him from the top of his Guardian ball cap, over the light gray company polo shirt, down the mandatory black cargo pants to the military-style boots. Maybe if he’d worn the new cowboy boots his former staff had given him as a going away gift, he’d look more Texan. But he was technically on duty and in the uniform of the day.
“What do you think, Viola?” Gladys sidled toward her friend. “Bet we could teach this young buck a few things.” Bright sunlight caught the purple streak of hair that ran over Gladys’ ear.
What the hell? Aren’t these two a hoot?
“I just read that Cosmo article online on how to give a great blow job.” Viola smiled up at Jonathan with the whitest set of dentures he’d ever seen. Her faded blue eyes sparkled.
Gladys petted his bicep. “Bet you work out.”
Jonathan stared at the boney hand that squeezed his arm with greater strength than he’d imagine possible from such a small, frail-looking woman.
“Can we come watch you work out?” Viola asked with complete seriousness.
“Do you take your shirt off when you pump iron?” Gladys emphasized the last two words.
Not wanting this encounter to go any further, fearing they might ask him the length of his dick next, he smiled, hoping to ex
tricate himself gracefully. “Excuse me, ladies. I’m meeting someone inside.”
Viola lightly smacked Gladys’s hand away from Jonathan’s arm. “Come on. We want a good spot on the bus bench across from that boxing gym with the big windows. The men should be good and sweaty by now.”
Gladys dug in her gigantic purple purse. “Damn it all. I can’t find my gun.”
“Don’t worry. I have mine.” Viola hauled a 1911 Colt from the depths of the big red bag hanging on her shoulder. “I got us covered.” She took a good solid shooting stance and started pointing the gun.
“Whoa, ladies.” Jonathan grabbed the gun from Viola’s hand and checked the slide. Sure enough, there was one in the chamber. Thank God the safety was on. “Do you—”
Viola reached for her gun back, but Jonathan held it up in the air, out of her reach. “Of course I have a permit to carry. My Charlie, God rest his soul, was a Texas Ranger. And I know how to use that sucker.”
Jonathan ejected the magazine and the chambered bullet before handing the separated pieces back to Viola. “Please be careful with that.”
Expertly, the older woman restacked the bullet in the magazine, popped it back into the gun, and flicked the safety on.
Gladys stepped so close he could smell her faded, old-lady perfume mixed with the restaurant smells that had saturated her clothes. “Welcome to Texas, young man.” Her soft hand patted his cheek. “You’ll learn.” She turned to her friend. “Come on, Viola. I don’t want to miss those executive types stepping out onto the street, all fresh from their shower. Reminds me of my younger days.” With a glance over her shoulder at Jonathan, she told him, “I used to be a looker, you know.”
“I’ll bet you were.” He could see the beauty she’d once been.
When he finally stepped into the restaurant, he wanted to thrust his fist into the air. He smelled baking apple pie. He glanced around the packed ’50s-style diner as he removed his hat and caught site of his new boss sitting at a table in the back with a view of everything and everyone. Their eyes met. A lift of Quinlan Barrister’s chin was Jonathan’s invitation.
He wove his way through the scattered tables, some of which had been shoved together to accommodate larger groups, others had couples chatting intimately. All the food looked amazing. He took the indicated seat across from Quin, hating his back was against the crowded restaurant.
“I see Viola and Gladys waylaid you at the door.” Quin’s gaze swept the entire restaurant, and he nodded at someone behind Jonathan. “Watch out for those two. Gladys groped my ass the other day while we were standing in line to pay our bills.”
“They’re something, aren’t they?” Jonathan just wasn’t sure exactly what that something was and didn’t want to personally find out.
“What can I get for you today, Quin?” The cordial voice caught Jonathan’s attention as the woman reached to refill his boss’s cup. “Coffee?” The question was directed to Jonathan.
Tired eyes the color of good whisky met his, but her smile was genuine. Jonathan flipped over the cup on the table in front of him. “Yes, please.” The desire for apple pie overwhelmed him.
She filled his cup. “Today’s lunch special is meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans.”
Jonathan glanced quickly around the small table for a menu, then up to those gorgeous brown eyes. He checked her nametag. “Gwen, could I see a menu, please?”
Before she could answer, Quin instructed, “Behind you, over the kitchen window, above the counter.” Jonathan turned in that direction and saw a list of everything he loved to eat.
“While you’re checking that out”—she turned her attention across the table—“I’ll take your order, Quin.”
“I’ll have the special.”
“Good choice.” She wrote on her pad. “I made the meatloaf myself this morning.”
That accounted for the dark circles under her eyes. When Jonathan turned back, he noticed that she was quite pretty. Her dark hair was cut in a straight line just below her jaw, directing his gaze to a pointy chin that fit her heart-shaped face. The red t-shirt was loose, but he could tell she had average-sized breasts. Not too much to be fake but enough to be enjoyable. The red apron accented her small waist and the tight jeans hugged her shapely legs down to the red, high-top gym shoes. Quirky. He liked a twisted woman.
He smiled when she returned her attention to him. “Have you decided?”
Yes, he’d made up his mind. Although he certainly wasn’t about to jump into another relationship, he could use some female companionship. He’d been used to getting laid every night, if he wanted it, but for the past month, sex had been the last thing on his mind. Now, in a new city, it was a whole new beginning.
“I’ll have a cheeseburger smothered in fried onions, fries, and a Coke.” He’d work off any extra calories that afternoon in the company gym, one of the many benefits of working for Guardian.
“I’ll get that right out for y’all.” And she was gone. On her way to the kitchen, he watched the way her hips swayed as she dodged tables, chairs, and people arriving and leaving.
Oh, yeah. He didn’t need the same woman in his bed, night after night, tending to his every need and wish. And all-nighters had to be a thing of the past for him. He’d done one-nighters the whole time he’d been in the Marines, just like all his special operations buddies. Being tied to one woman wasn’t for him. Not anymore. He might…no. He was fine. That had been a one off. It would never happen again.
“She doesn’t date.” Quin’s statement made Jonathan turn around.
For the first time, he really looked at his new boss. After years as the number two man in the Los Angeles Guardian Center, Quin had been promoted to manager at the Dallas office. The Southern California sun had given the man’s light brown hair blond highlights that seemed to go with the deep golden tan. But that may have been left from his days as a SEAL.
Jonathan would never tan. He often joked that the sun just made him turn darker shades of white. Maybe if all his freckles would merge together, he’d finally be tan. But that would look weird with his blondish-red hair. He had to stay clean-shaven because his beard grew out copper red as a new penny. He could never blend in the Middle East so he’d stayed specialized in cold weather warfare, spending time in Korea and the Far East. Lot of good that training did him now in Texas.
Refocusing back on the conversation, Jonathan probed, “She turned you down?”
“More than once.” Quin shrugged. “It was worth a try for a taste of that body.” He grinned. “I have discovered, though, that Texas women have a wild side.”
“Good to know.” Jonathan could get a little wild with a woman for a night. And that’s all it would be, one night.
“Did Alex fill you in on the situation here?” Quin asked, referring to the managing partner of Guardian Security. “And you got the memo on Katlin Callahan, right? I heard she’s in Miami a lot. Have you met her?”
“Yes, sir. I’ve guarded Ms. Callahan and her friends several times.” Jonathan had also fought beside her in a shootout against terrorists. “Do you know her?”
“First, no, I’ve never met the woman.” Quin sipped his coffee. “Second, cut the sir shit out.” Quin set the coffee cup down on the saucer with a clink. “I don’t know, or care, how things were done in Miami, but in my center, when we’re alone, management is on a first name basis. Yeah, I’m your boss, but we need to function as a team. When you’re in charge of the center, I expect you to give the same answers and directions that I would. In front of our men, we can be more formal.”
Jonathan liked this man already.
“But when it comes to Alex, and now Ms. Callahan,” Quin continued, “I expect you to treat them with the respect they deserve as the company’s owners.” He sat back in his chair and grinned. “Now, what do you know about Ms. Callahan that I should know?”
“She’s not what she seems.” Jonathan had to watch his words carefully. He knew her covert identity and that she wa
s the leader of an international team of female assassins. He’d seen her in action two weeks ago in Iraq. The woman was as lethal as any of his SpecOps teammates had been.
“Most women don’t show you their real side until they get that diamond,” Quin stated perceptively. “I’ve heard she’s quite the party girl, and your buddies in Miami often had their hands full with her and her friends.”
“Yeah, they like to go out and have a good time, but they deserve some downtime,” Jonathan defended the women he now respected more than any others in the world. He wasn’t sure he could ever handle dating one of Katlin’s team members, but understood what Alex saw in her. “Never underestimate her. She’s smart as hell.”
Gwen floated in with arms full of plates and slid his drink onto the table. “Your order will be up next.” She was gone as fast as she’d appeared, commenting on the hot weather as she set plates in front of a table of cops.
Wanting to change the subject away from the company owners, Jonathan was about to ask if Quin had met the police chief yet when his thoughts were interrupted by a woman’s shrill voice.
“I figured I’d find you here.”
He turned to see a woman in a yellow sundress, with salon-perfect hair, clacking in four-inch high heels toward the back of the restaurant. Oh. My. God. Someone’s in trouble. Jonathan looked around for a guilty face, but he read only astonishment from the other patrons. A few hid smirks as they darted their gazes away.
“How dare you freeze my credit cards?” The Texas twang rang thick through every word.
Quin’s gaze was quartering the room, searching for the culprit. When his eyes met Jonathan’s, he lifted one shoulder a quarter of an inch.
The clacking stopped next to Jonathan’s chair and a manicured hand smacked the table. He looked at the half-dozen rings she wore on just that hand and mentally totaled their worth. A family of four could live comfortably for several years on just those jewels.
