Guarding Kinsley: Brotherhood Protectors World (Texas Guardians Book 3)

by Barb Han

  “Sure beats the jungle.” Gabriel took the offering. “Good to see you, man.”

  “Good to be back.” The comment could be taken on a whole host of levels.

  “What’s next?” Gabriel motioned toward the wedding setup. “After marital bliss.”

  “Stick around. Do some good for other people,” Daniel said.

  “Superhero stuff?” Gabriel shot back. “Too bad I forgot my cape.”

  “That’s not a bad idea.” Damon’s eyes lit up. “You could come to work with me again. Take Orchard up on his offer.”

  “It was a joke.” Gabriel cut the thought off before it could gain steam.

  “Orchard has the right idea here,” Damon said.

  “So does Bear in the wilderness. Those are probably good for someone—”

  “Just not you.” Damon finished the sentence. His friend shot a look that said he understood. Gabriel had a feeling if he stuck around it would become even harder to walk away.

  “Should I be offended you didn’t show up to my wedding?” Orchard teased, staring at his screen. Even though he made a joke no one laughed.

  “Your venue was a little hot for my situation.” Gabriel left it at that.

  “There you go again, talking about things we can’t see. Next thing you gonna tell me is Santa Claus is in the chimney and Sasquatch is locked in your garage?” Daniel’s comment came off as a joke, but Gabriel sensed it was anything but.

  Gabriel could go into details. Jaden and Daniel would want—no need—to help. There was no way Gabriel could allow that.

  These guys had found true happiness and he wouldn’t, couldn’t, take that away from them. Besides, the man who was after him was the worst of the worst. He was relentless and patient—two qualities that put soldiers on top. He wouldn’t stop until Gabriel was dead.

  “Don’t you have a honeymoon to go on?” Gabriel teased.

  Daniel cracked a rare smile. Although, seeing him smile hadn’t been so rare in this conversation. There was something different about him. Happy? “As a matter of fact, I do.”

  “And you’re about to say those last two words with an official-type person present.” Gabriel couldn’t help himself. The joke told itself.

  Music had started. It was time to make an exit.

  Gabriel listened to Lauren as she lowered her voice and leaned in close to speak to her husband.

  “The caller said to tell you that a hit has been ordered on a young female college professor. Her name is Dr. Kinsley Greer.”

  There was no way Gabriel heard right. His mind played tricks on him because he’d been thinking about Kinsley a lot lately.

  “Does he know why?” Jaden’s concern was stamped in the creases in his forehead.

  “He didn’t say,” she admitted.

  “Does he know who ordered the hit?” Jaden continued.

  “Someone who goes by the name of The Russian.”

  Chapter 2

  “What did you say?” Gabriel turned his laser focus to Lauren. He gave a little head shake in order to clear his ears. There was no way in hell he’d heard correctly. Why on earth would The Russian be after Kinsley?

  Lauren glanced at her husband who nodded, urging her to repeat what she’d said. Jaden had connected the dots.

  “Dr. Kinsley Greer is in trouble and if we don’t get to her…” Lauren flashed her eyes at Gabriel like she was unable to say the words.

  “Did I hear you right? The part about a hit?” Talk about a small world. Gabriel couldn’t begin to process the coincidence but he sure as hell was glad that he was there to overhear the assignment. He knew firsthand how deadly The Russian could be.

  Lauren looked at him bleakly. “Yes.”

  “When? Where?” Could Gabriel stop the attempt on her life in time?

  “She’s in Dallas at Southern Methodist University. The Presidential Library is there and she’s scheduled to give a speech today.” Lauren studied him. “You know her, don’t you?”

  “You could say that.” Kinsley most likely never wanted to see him again but she couldn’t deny knowing him once or how much they’d meant to each other back in the day.

  Jaden stood there, arms folded, his mouth twisted in the way it always did when he was thinking hard on something. “Who called this in?”

  “He said he’s been trying to reach your friend, Gabriel, and would only say that his name is Puma,” she said.

  The three men exchanged glances and now it made sense. Puma’s real name was Lincoln Stanwick, a.k.a. Linc, and all of Gabriel’s close friends had heard about Kinsley. He wasn’t much for words but when he did speak it was about her.

  They all told their one who got away stories while spending weeks and sometimes months together on a mission. They talked during long, boring stakeouts or while hold up at a safe house for days or weeks on end. Out in the real world of 9–5 jobs, grocery runs and wedding dates no man would divulge as much about himself to another man.

  There was something about being on a mission or out in the jungle for days that turned into weeks that got their lips moving. Secrets spilled in the jungle, stayed in the jungle.

  In this case, Gabriel was glad because Jaden and Daniel knew how much Kinsley meant to him. Clearly, so did Linc.

  “Did you tell him that Gabriel is right here?” Jaden asked.

  “No.” She was already shaking her head before she spoke. “I didn’t know he was here.”

  Made sense.

  “But I wouldn’t have said anything even if I did. This Puma guy…is he real? Is he someone you know?” she continued, speaking low like she didn’t want the baby to hear.

  Jaden nodded and the thought that everyone’s past could come back at any time—good or bad—seemed to strike Jaden and Daniel at the same time. Daniel bowed his head and lowered his voice when he said, “We all knew the risks when we took the job.”

  Somehow, Gabriel doubted it. There was no way his friend would’ve taken that job if he’d been able to look into the future. Seeing the difference in him now, seeing him happy, felt right.

  Gabriel refused to see how empty his own life seemed by comparison.

  “We know the tip is solid. What’s the plan?” Daniel asked.

  “You’re going to get married,” Gabriel quipped. “Jaden is going to stay here with his wife and child. I’m going to handle whatever threat Kinsley is facing.”

  “There’s no reason for you to do this alone, man,” Daniel said.

  “I’ll snatch her and we’ll figure out a plan together. There’s no reason for all three of us to go for a quick grab,” Gabriel reasoned.

  Neither of his friends seemed thrilled with that answer. Gabriel would break out on his own if he had to. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

  Lauren touched Jaden’s arm. “I’ll leave you men to talk.”

  Jaden kissed his wife and the tenderness between the couple punched Gabriel in the gut. It was probably because he’d been thinking about Kinsley again. He wouldn’t allow his personal feelings to get in the way of his mission.

  “I’ll be in and out,” Gabriel started as soon as Lauren was out of earshot. Out of respect for her he’d kept silent.

  He waited for Daniel or Jaden to argue. Neither did.

  Daniel shuffled his feet and looked Gabriel in the eyes. “I’m a phone call away. I’m serious about that. You get into something you can’t handle and I’m there.”

  “What about your honeymoon?” Gabriel was relieved at least one of his friends seemed to know when he would lose a fight. Besides, Gabriel was wasting time standing there. He knew exactly where the Presidential Library was, and he could hop in his plane and get there within the hour.

  “We’re spending it low-key,” Daniel said.

  “No beach? No sand and surf?” Gabriel asked.

  “Honestly? I’ve had enough beach and jungle to last a lifetime and she would rather spend the week on a lake in a cabin than on a resort with other people. And, before you get any crazy ideas, we’ll
be spending it as a family. My bride has a lot of catching up to do with her daughter.” Daniel motioned toward a teen who seemed to be watching out for another little girl.

  “Who’s she?” Gabriel motioned toward the younger one.

  “That’s our other daughter.” Daniel’s smile faded. “She lost everything in an earthquake in Haiti and we’re adopting her.”

  “Looks like she gained a damn fine family,” Gabriel said.

  “I’m looking forward to you meeting them both. But I know you have something to take care of first.” Daniel offered a man-hug.

  “We good, Jaden?” Gabriel turned to his other friend after embracing Daniel.

  Jaden had that look, like his wheels were turning.

  And then he nodded. He’d been studying his cell while Gabriel had been talking to Daniel. “Her talk is at four-thirty. You’ll have to hurry.”

  “This is my past. She’s special. I have to make sure she’s okay.” Gabriel didn’t need anyone’s permission. He was still standing there talking out of respect for his friendships.

  Jaden’s gaze rose up to meet Gabriel’s. He already saw in his friend’s eyes what he needed to see. Words weren’t necessary.

  “Go get her. Keep her safe until we can put together a plan. We’ll put our heads together tonight and touch base with you as soon as we have something solid.” It would do no good to argue with Jaden, so Gabriel didn’t. Instead, he man-hugged Jaden and thanked his friends.

  “Best wishes on your big day, man,” he said to Daniel. “You deserve that family over there.”

  No one deserved it more.

  Gabriel paused for a moment, just long enough to watch Daniel walk toward his future.

  And then Gabriel headed toward his past.

  Kinsley Greer walked the wide concrete block path toward the entrance to the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on Southern Methodist University’s campus.

  She had plenty of experience speaking to classrooms full of fresh-faced college students every day. She’d finished her graduate studies in the prestigious northeastern university she’d attended a year early thanks to an insane work ethic and, basically, no life.

  She’d given countless lectures during her time as a teaching assistant and now as an adjunct professor. So, getting ready to walk into a room full of people and having the cold clammy hands of a PhD candidate ready to defend a thesis caught her off guard.

  Veering around the square fountain, she willed her fingers to loosen their grip on the book in her hands, her book, The Surprise of European Terror Groups.

  Launching in the World Trade Center room of the library had been her publicist’s idea. Considering the amount of interest Blake Henderson had garnered for the sold-out event his plan seemed to be working.

  Speaking of Blake, he was supposed to be waiting at one of the benches on either side of the glass doors. Kinsley glanced around in case he was off to the side making a call. Blake was practically glued to his cell phone and always had been. The two had met at university at a pub, dated for about two seconds before realizing that wouldn’t work, and had been friends ever since. Right now, she wished she knew where he was.

  Kinsley shifted her weight from foot to foot as she scraped her teeth across her bottom lip—a nervous tick she’d picked up taking finals.

  The sun would be out for another couple of hours or so. She scanned the area, tilting her head until her face was in the sun again. It felt good to be in Dallas with the sunshine warming her face.

  Memories flooded her. Some of them were good. She’d gone to high school in Cedarville where she’d met a guy who’d turned her life upside down.

  There were other memories, not so pleasant, that she wanted to ignore but couldn’t. She had a constant reminder of her past in a scar that ran along her cheekbone. She’d spent almost a solid month in the hospital after the car accident that had left the scar there. Her hip didn’t want to stay in place after the crash. There’d been a long recovery, months of waiting for her boyfriend to decide to visit, and then before she knew it, she was accepting an offer from a school as far from the Dallas area as she could get…Maine.

  A clump of her hair fell into her eyelashes, fueled by the cool early October breeze. She tucked it behind her ear, thinking she should’ve pulled her hair up. Although, she never did that when she met new people and the room she was about to enter would be full of random people she’d never met before.

  The scar that ran along her jawline from the base of her left ear to her chin made her self-conscious. But then so did the stylists’ work that Blake had insisted was a good idea. Tiffany Keller’s full-on makeover of Kinsley had her wishing she was home watching a movie instead of putting herself out there with her new book. That alone made her feel exposed enough without all…this.

  Between the improbably large soft curls in her hair and heels that felt more like she was walking on stilts—Blake said if she appeared taller she would come off as more believable—she felt like a top-to-bottom awkward fake.

  Wearing this whole get-up made her feel like she was playing the starring role in a play there’d been no rehearsal for. Her daily go-to outfit consisted of Yoga pants and flip-flops or tennis shoes depending on the weather. Her oversized ARMY sweatshirt was practically her uniform even when it was ninety degrees outside. She didn’t care about the weather. The comfort of the worn-in shirt took priority and she was known to crank the A/C up in order to wear it around her house.

  Her usual beauty routine consisted of a few minutes of mirror time. A half hour before class started or she had to be on campus for her assigned office hours she’d run a quick brush through her hair, which was naturally a little wavy, and throw on jeans and a button-down oxford shirt. Kinsley bicycled to work if the weather cooperated.

  In colder months, she’d throw a navy blazer over that ensemble and if it was really cold a wool scarf and drive in her two-door electric hatchback across campus.

  But then, she hadn’t needed to get dressed up to go into the classroom and teach a room full of undergrads—undergrads who on a good day wore something besides pajama bottoms and an oversized T-shirt with hair that looked like they’d just rolled out of bed. To be fair, most of them had and that was especially true of morning classes. As the day wore on, she’d noticed that the outfits improved.

  Kinsley’s own unofficial uniform got her through the day and provided the ultimate benefit of not wasting time or a decision on what to wear each day. Time was precious considering she had lectures to give, assignments to grade and a book to promote now that it was written.

  Today’s outfit was a navy pencil skirt, hose—who wore those anymore?—and a gray silk blouse with a cream-colored blazer. At least the blazer felt like her.

  Blake had arranged for Tiffany to come to Kinsley’s hotel room in order to help prepare her for the launch. As a result, Kinsley had on more make-up today than she’d worn in the past year, but then undergrad students weren’t hard to impress. Her dating life was on life support, so she wasn’t needing to get fixed up for a hot night on the town.

  There’d been a few men she’d gone out with in the past couple of months. Hank Fields from the business department had asked her to the faculty dinner. And then there was Joe Green, the basketball coach who’d made it clear he’d like to spend more time together. One date had been enough for her to know that she didn’t need a second to realize the two of them had nothing in common.

  And then there was Herbert Dutter, head of the History Department. She almost dry heaved thinking about dating someone who could be old enough to be her grandfather. He had quite the reputation for dating younger faculty members and grad students. He’d moved closer to campus when his wife of forty years left him because of his pandering ways.

  Unfortunately, he was one of her new neighbors.

  So, that was about the excitement of her dating life. She chalked it up living in a small college town where a quarter of the male population was barely more than
teenagers. She consoled herself by saying that she didn’t get out enough. The truth was that there’d been no one to get excited about for a long time. Not since Gabriel and that had ended in disaster.

  Her lack of a social life was one of many reasons that Kinsley needed this book launch to be successful. For one, she needed a distraction from her abysmal personal life. For another, she needed to make all those long hours and nights eating takeout in her office worth something.

  Her thoughts wandered to the last person she’d been serious with. Gabriel Cooper. Her finger absently traced the scar. That relationship had ended in disaster and left a permanent mark on her face and neck. Her parents weren’t right about a lot of things but they’d pinned Gabriel for what he was—a guy who would disappear when life got too tough.

  They’d been all too eager to point out that his life as a foster child on what they’d called a foster farm—basically a home that takes in foster kids in order to staff their ranch—had set him up for being distant emotionally.

  Kinsley realized that her toe was tapping against the concrete when she caught sight of a whirlwind moving toward her out of the corner of her eye. Blake was tall-ish with a runner’s build. He had that improbable hair that seemed to fall into place without much effort. She realized he must’ve spent plenty of time in front of the mirror in order to perfect that effortless look.

  “Blake, I thought you were going to be here early,” she immediately said, not wanting to admit just how much her nerves were getting to her but twisting the book around in her hands.

  “You didn’t answer my calls, Kinsley.” He stalked toward her, his gaze wildly scanning the area. His statement came off as an accusation.

  “What’s wrong?” Something was off. He looked like he was trying to maintain his composure…like someone was watching. It was odd. Blake had the rare and unique ability to come across like he’d just come in from a day of relaxing while he admitted to being wildly overworked and stressed. She’d first noticed this ability during finals week at university. The man never looked tired whereas she’d been told more than once that she wore her emotions like a suit coat.