Mitch: An Eidolon Black Ops Novel

by Maddie Wade

  Mitch

  An Eidolon Black Ops Novel: Book 5

  Maddie Wade

  Contents

  Preface

  Acknowledgments

  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

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek: Scarred Sunrise

  Books by Maddie Wade

  About the Author

  Mitch

  An Eidolon Black Ops Novel: Book 5

  by Maddie Wade

  Published by Maddie Wade

  Copyright © August 2020 Maddie Wade

  Cover: Envy Creative Designs

  Editing: Black Opal Editing

  Formatting: Black Opal Editing

  This is a work of fiction. Names characters places and incidents are a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as fact. Any resemblance to actual events organizations or persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive non-transferable right to access and read the text of this eBook onscreen. Except for use in reviews promotional posts or similar uses no part of this text may be reproduced transmitted downloaded decompiled reverse-engineered or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system in any form or by any means whether electronic or mechanical now known or hereafter invented without the express written permission of the author.

  First edition August 2020 ©Maddie Wade

  Acknowledgments

  I am so lucky to have such an amazing team around me without which I could never bring these books to life. I am so grateful to have you in my life, you are more than friends you are so essential to my life.

  My wonderful beta team, Greta, and Deanna who are brutally honest and beautifully kind. If it is rubbish you tell me it is and if you love it, you are effusive. Your support means so much to me.

  My editor—Linda at Black Opal Editing. You are always patient and kind and teach me so much.

  To Renita McKinney from Book A Day Author Services thank you for making sure I was true to Mitch and Autumn. It is always important to me to make sure I am inclusive of all cultures and ethnic groups and you made sure I did both Mitch and Autumn justice.

  Thank you to my group Maddie’s Minxes, your support and love for Fortis, Eidolon and all the books I write is so important to me. Special thanks to Paula, Tracey, Faith, Rachel, Carolyn, Susan, Maria, Greta, Deanna, Rihaneh and Linda L, Annemieke, and Alison for making the group such a friendly place to be.

  My Arc Team for not keeping me on edge too long while I wait for feedback.

  Lastly and most importantly thank you to my readers who have embraced my books so wholeheartedly and shown a love for the stories in my head. To hear you say that you see my characters as family makes me so humble and proud. I hope you enjoy Mitch and Autumn as much as I did.

  I am dedicating Mitch to the Minxes.

  Chapter One

  Mitch hooked his thumbs in the loops of his pockets as he looked up at the old building in need of a little TLC. Glancing sideways, he nodded up towards the roofline as he spoke to his friend, Nate. “What would a new roof set me back?”

  Nate owned a similar property three doors away and had completely renovated it into the large family home it was now.

  Nate shoved his hand in his pockets as he stepped back to look up at the broken roof tiles. “Around ten to fifteen grand, I’d say.”

  Nate worked for Fortis Security, a company Eidolon did a lot of work with, and the teams got on well and socialised together a fair bit too. Hereford wasn’t a vast metropolis, so it was expected they would run in similar circles, but it was the fact he and Nate were both snipers that made the two of them tight.

  Mitch whistled thinking of his bank balance, trying to do some quick calculations in his head. “That’s a decent chunk of change.”

  Nate nodded. “It is but these properties are solid. It’s an investment in the long run.”

  Mitch looked up again at the sprawling Victorian home that spanned three floors. It had already been split into four separate flats by the previous owner. That meant he could rent three of them out for extra income.

  He’d been working for Eidolon for a few years now and was happy there. Hereford was home now, and he wanted to put down some roots, invest in his future, and as Nate’s father David constantly reminded him, bricks and mortar were always a good investment long term.

  Glancing at the windows which would need replacing, he could see how the property could swallow money if he let it but as Mitch stared silently, he could also see the potential.

  “Be nice when it’s done up. Most of the work is cosmetic apart from the roof and windows.”

  Nate chuckled. “Make a nice family home one day too.”

  Mitch held up his hands with a raised eyebrow, a grin on his lips. “Hey, steady on, I’m too young for all that.”

  “Yeah, whatever, gramps. I need to get back. Skye has to deliver a cake to a bride at the Left Bank and I need to watch Nancy and Noah.” Nate held up a hand as he walked up the street.

  That was the biggest difference between the two friends. Nate was a devoted family man and at forty-five Mitch was a dedicated bachelor.

  It wasn’t that he wanted to be, or that he played the field the way he used to in his younger days, just that it had never happened. He’d seen far too many marriages fail in his time as a member of SO19, the Firearms division of the London Metropolitan Police Department. So many relationships had crumbled from the pressures of the job, and he had no intention of forcing one just to satisfy convention.

  He would rather wait until he could have what Alex, Blake, Reid, and now Liam had with their women. If that meant it didn’t happen, he’d be okay with what he had.

  Mitch strolled to the back of the property for one last look before he made his decision. Later that day, his offer on the property was accepted.

  Six months later, Mitch was living in one of the top floor flats. Waggs had rented one of the ground floor ones, and Bebe, one of the Zenobi girls, had the other ground floor flat. He’d decided to leave the middle floor for now until he figured out if he was going to increase his living space, but he liked being on the top for now. It suited him having tenants he knew, especially since he’d spent more cash doing it up than he’d intended. That was why the last apartment on the top floor opposite his own was up for rental through an agency. He had little worry he’d end up with a bad tenant with all the hoops people had to jump through and especially with Will, the owner of Eidolon and a tech genius, offering to run background checks on them first.

  His phone rang as he was walking into a meeting with the team and he quickly answered it, stepping aside as Waggs walked past him and into the large conference room.

  “Yep.”

  “Mr Quinn, this is Melissa from the letting agency. We have a potential tenant for you.”

  “Great.”

  “But they can only view the property after hours.”

  “And?” He moved his hand in a wrap this up gesture even though she couldn’t see him.

 
“We were wondering if you could show them around?”

  Mitch sighed, he had no time for this, but he’d be around so he guessed it wouldn’t be too much of an imposition. “Yeah, sure. What time?”

  “Is eight tonight too late?”

  “Nah, that’s fine.”

  “Thank you. I’ll let Ms Roberts know.”

  Mitch hung up and walked into the conference room where everyone was waiting. He clapped Liam on the shoulder as he took the seat next to him. “How are you feeling?”

  “Pucker mate.”

  Liam insisted on using cockney words as a way to irritate the rest of the team who barely understood him half the time, although they seemed to be learning quick enough.

  Mitch nodded, glad to see his friend back on rotation and fighting fit again, after the gunshot wound he’d received protecting the woman he loved.

  Jack, their boss, banged the table with one hand. “Listen up. We have a few things to cover.”

  The room grew silent as everyone focused on the job first and foremost.

  “Firstly, we’ve had word from the Palace that the Queen wants to do a tour of the commonwealth next year.” Jack flipped a pencil end over end as he spoke. “That means we’re up. We need to plan it, visit locations, and prep. Her usual security will continue with the day to day stuff, but this is where we shine, gentleman. We need this contract if you want to keep making money.”

  “What about the threat inside the Palace? Has Gunner given us anything useful?”

  Decker leaned back in his chair, the coolest cucumber in the room, and the most well-dressed. He lived in a suit while the rest of them wore jeans, combats, or training gear. Perhaps it was because as the profiler, his brain was his biggest weapon, whereas the rest of them were more the brawn.

  “He’s meeting me in two days and says he might have a name for us by then.” Jack sat forward. “Any questions?”

  “You got any closer to hiring a dog unit?” Blake was the one with the most experience in personal protection, having had close contact with the Queen long before they got this contract. He was all in favour of having a K9 unit for the teams. Mitch had to say he agreed, it worked for Fortis well and was the only place they had a real gap in capabilities.

  “I’m interviewing candidates with Alex and Decker on Friday.”

  “What about admin and stuff? I’m sick of getting stuck with that shit,” Lopez said.

  Mitch threw a ball of paper at his head. “Stop whining, you big baby.”

  Lopez lobbed it back. “You try doing it and see how you like it.”

  “Can’t, they need my exceptional skill in the field, nerd boy.”

  “Fuck off, grandad.”

  Mitch laughed at the dig knowing it was a joke. As the oldest member of the team, he frequently got called gramps and grandad—it didn’t bother him in the slightest. “When did forty become old?”

  “When did it stop?” Lopez countered, and the guys cracked up as did he.

  “Touché.”

  This camaraderie was why he loved this team; they laughed, they joked, but when it mattered, they would take a bullet to save one another. It was a similar feeling to the one he’d had long ago when he grew up surrounded by his gang, except the current one was highly trained and mostly legal.

  Until Eidolon, he’d missed the element of belonging that being part of a crew had given him. It was the only part he did miss though. The rest had been too high a price to pay for his best friend’s life. Walking away from the gangs, getting out of South London had literally saved his own life. It was something he’d be forever grateful for, and his mum was the woman he’d always have to thank for it.

  As a single mum since his dad’s death, she’d worked her fingers to the bone to keep a roof over their heads, and not once had he gone without. But ultimately, it was her grit, her strength to drag him bodily to another area and away from the people who would have cost him his life had he stayed, that was the thing he was most grateful for.

  Jack leaned forward on the table catching everyone’s attention, holding a room with his authority in such a way nobody realised it half the time. “Well, Lopez, you’ll be happy to hear that I’ve looked at the budget and hired an office admin.”

  “Thank fuck for that. Tell me she’s pretty, with long legs….”

  “She’s off fucking limits. Aubrey will have my balls if you touch her sister, and anyway, I’m not having you pricks hitting on the office staff and costing me a fortune in legal fees when she sues us.”

  “Madison? Are you fucking kidding me?” Lopez threw his pen down on the desk, shaking his head.

  Madison was a handful to say the least. The team had saved her from a Colombian drug lord after she’d got herself in trouble.

  “It’s a favour for Aubrey.”

  Nobody responded to that because everyone loved Aubrey, Will’s girlfriend, who was also a local police detective.

  “I’m also hiring someone to coordinate logistics for us. Pax has very kindly agreed to help me find someone.”

  “Pax should come work for us. She’d be awesome.” Reid looked at Blake with a raised brow.

  “Not going to happen, my friend. She’s loyal to Roz. Plus, we’d probably kill each other.”

  Reid laughed. “True dat.”

  Pax was the most efficient woman Mitch had ever met, and she’d be a massive asset to the team, but he had to respect her loyalty to Zenobi.

  Jack stood from his chair, leaning his hands on the table. “Well, if that’s all, we can meet here next Monday and go through a detailed list of jobs when I’ve met with the Palace.”

  “Need someone with you?” Mitch asked, not liking the idea of Jack going alone when they knew a threat to the team originated there.

  “Blake is coming with me, but a second set of eyes would be good.”

  Mitch nodded, and everyone stood as the meeting wrapped up. Mitch looked at his watch and figured he had time for a workout before he met the prospective tenant.

  That turned out to be longer than expected when he got into a sparring match with Waggs and Reid, and then Alex joined them. Before he knew what had happened, it was seven-thirty.

  “Fuck, I need to be somewhere.” Throwing his gloves in his bag, he rushed through a shower and shoved his jeans, navy t-shirt, and boots on before jumping in his car and driving the fifteen minutes home.

  Pulling up, he noticed a rusted-out Ford Focus parked on the road outside his house and cussed again. He hated being late for anything.

  Throwing his bag over his shoulder, he stepped through the front gate and came face to butt with the sweetest ass he’d ever seen, and Mitch had seen his fair share. A sexy woman with long black hair in braids was bent over pulling weeds from his garden.

  “You here to see the flat or did I contract a gardener and forget about it?”

  The woman instantly turned and flashed him a questioning smile. Forget the ass, her face was even better, with a regal, oval shape, a warm rose gold skin tone, and lush, full lips meant for kissing. The woman tilted her head to look up at him with eyes the colour of autumn leaves, the longest lashes he’d ever seen sweeping over high cheekbones. Her long black hair was held back from her face in a knot, the rest skimming almost to her waist as she moved towards him, hand outstretched.

  “Mr Quinn, I’m Autumn Roberts.” She waved a hand behind her. “Sorry about that, I couldn’t help myself. Gardening is a bit of a passion of mine.”

  “Mitch.”

  She frowned adorably while rubbing her hands together to get the soil off them and he fought not to grin like an idiot.

  “Sorry?”

  “My name is Mitch.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  He regarded her, taking in the whole package, and found himself intrigued. This woman was beautiful and friendly, a good start.

  “Can I see the property?”

  Mitch jumped. “Oh, yeah. Sure.” He moved towards the door, feeling like a knobend for staring at the poor wom
an.

  He led her to the stairs and looked back at her as she looked around. “It’s on the top floor.”

  He opened the door and let her go in first, wanting another look at her rear end to see if his assessment had been spot-on the first time. Yes, it definitely had. Her curves filled out those jeans perfectly.

  Shaking his head, he walked towards the kitchen area. “It’s fitted out with new units and appliances. Carpets and laminate are also new, so is the bathroom suite and windows.”

  Autumn walked to the window and looked out at the long garden. “Do you allow children? The agent wasn’t sure.”

  “As long as they’re housetrained and not gonna keep everyone up all night.” He’d hoped to elicit a smile from her, wanting to see how she looked with a full grin on her stunning face.

  “Maggie is only five months old, so not exactly.” Her face was motionless as she watched him, a caution about her he didn’t understand but for some strange reason wanted to.

  “It was a joke, Ms Roberts. Kids are fine.”

  She offered him another of her shy smiles and then dipped her head. “When can I move in?”

  Mitch moved to stand beside her and noticed the scent of honeysuckle surrounded her. It was sweet and suited her and made his dick jump with interest.

  “As soon as your references and DBS check come back clear.” He’d actually get Will to run the check rather than the Disclosure and Barring Service who usually did the criminal records checks.