Okay, the attraction was more intense than he’d ever felt before, but why? That was a mystery. One of life’s little jokes. Another ‘it just is’.
So what was he going to do about it? What did he want to do about it? How far was he prepared to go with it?
For sure their chosen pathways didn’t match up. He was law, order and security - albeit sometimes a little shadowy depending on what agency he was contracted with, but still under the jurisdiction of the law. Shea was knowingly taking her clients for a run, feeding them false and vague information supplied by her observations of their reactions. Both of them dealt in a little subterfuge, yes, but the outcomes and goals were different - the subterfuge his team sometimes dealt in was to obtain information to be given to law agencies and security, hers was for money.
A knock on the doorframe took his attention from Shea to the man standing in the doorway. It was a welcome diversion.
“Edward,” Aaron greeted the plain-clothes officer of the Australian Federal Police.
Moving into the room, Edward dropped down into the chair opposite the desk. “Your information was spot-on.”
“Was it, now.”
“Fred Russo has been taken into safe custody until the trial, and Mac and Co, as your pretty security agent call the gang, have been arrested.” Edward wriggled around to get more comfortable. “The boss is very pleased.”
Aaron smiled slightly. He just bet he was. A major gang in gaol, a prime witness safe, the trial of the decade coming up.
“He sent me to give you his personal thanks.”
Aaron’s lips twitched in amusement. Personal didn’t include a man as important as that coming personally to see him.
“Your surveillance team did good work following Mac and Co.” Edward rolled his eyes. “You really need to get Marietta to use titles that aren’t so corny-sounding.”
“Marietta is Marietta.”
“She sure is.” Edward frowned. “I think she was checking out my arse when I walked past her yesterday.”
No doubting that.
“I’m sure I saw your sour-puss receptionist giving her the evil eye, too.” Edward grinned. “Has she been giving him a hard time again?”
“Marietta is Marietta.”
“Damn, that woman is something else.” Edward rubbed his belly. “I’m starving. You want to join me at the pub for an early tea?”
Actually, it didn’t sound like a bad idea. Aaron glanced at the clock on the wall. Five o’clock. “I’m in.”
“Great. Only you need to chat a bit, mate, or people will think I’m talking to myself.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Warms the cockles of my heart.”
Aaron let Raymond know he was leaving early before going out to the SUV. Edward was leaning against the passenger door.
“Got dropped off,” he said. “You’re my ride.”
“I’m honoured.”
“You should be.”
As they pulled out of the driveway, Aaron glanced at The Mystic Room. The door was shut, no doubt Shea was conning some gullible person out of their hard-earned cash.
Edward leaned forward in the seat to see. “So how are you getting on with your new neighbour?”
“Fine.”
“Had a reading done yet?” He gave a bark of laughter as Aaron slanted him a look. “Thought maybe that’s where you got your information!”
Oddly, Shea had joked about something similar. The woman had a sense of humour and wasn’t above teasing. He liked it. There was a sudden urge to see her smile more, hear her laughter.
There was just so much more to Shea Winters.
The pub was the sort of place Edward liked - rough, in the less desirable part of the city, and to make his day even better there were ten big Harley Davidson’s parked outside.
“Bikies.” He rubbed his hands. “Let’s go throw a scare into them.”
“If they came at you, Ed, you’d crap your daks.”
“Yeah, but you never know what excitement will come out of it all.”
“Everyone making for the door when you start skidding in your undies.”
“Ha ha, and everyone says you don’t have a sense of humour.”
“People say that?” Aaron asked unconcernedly.
“Just a few - you know, the cops, the VIPs, the crooks, basically the entire city and beyond.”
“And here I thought you were going to exaggerate.” Aaron locked the SUV.
“Mate, you don’t seriously think locking your car in this place will keep it safe?”
“I live in eternal hope.”
“You live in dreamland, but whatever.” Edward disappeared into the pub.
Following him inside, Aaron glanced around. Yes, ten big bikies were seated at a couple of the middle tables, loud in both speech and dress with their sleeveless vests, shaggy hair, leathers and bike boots. Several had bandannas around their heads. Some were muscular, some were running to fat, all were tough.
Upon seeing Edward, they smirked.
“Cop in the house!” one of the big, burly blokes hollered.
A rippled went through the crowd, some turning to check out the newcomers expecting to see a cop in uniform.
Edward grinned, gave a little hand wave. “At ease, people. I’m here to save your lives, not kick your arse.”
“Damn.” The burly bloke shook his head. “That kind of talk will get your arse kicked, Eddie.”
“Yeah, well I don’t have to worry about that.” Edward jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Got my guard dog with me.
The bikie leaned forward, saw Aaron, grinned wider. “Wells! Mate, what are you doing keeping company with this bastard?”
“Waiting for him to say the wrong thing to the wrong bloke and get himself squashed.” Moving forward languidly, Aaron held out one hand. “How are you doing, Snake?”
Snake clapped his palm against Aaron’s and squeezed. Hard.
Aaron squeezed back. Harder. Hard enough that Snake cursed and yanked back on his hand. Smiling faintly, Aaron released him.
“Shit, man.” Snake flapped his hand around, opening and closing his fingers. “You been pumping iron again?”
“Just eating my greens.”
Snake laughed.
“Speaking of which,” Edward said, “I’m starving. My stomach is eating my backbone. Let’s belly-up to the bar and get food.”
“Catch you both ‘round,” Snake said.
Aaron gave him a small finger salute and followed his friend to the bar.
The barmaid eyed them both. “Your usual, Eddie?”
“Biggest burger you got, Yolanda, loaded with chips and don’t spare the onion rings.”
“Obviously you’re not looking to score with a woman.”
“You mean the onion rings?”
“I mean the onion rings.”
“Man’s gotta keep his strength up.”
“And his farts down,” she drawled. “How about you, darl’?”
Aaron smiled. “I’ll have the pasta and salad.”
“Salad? Please, you’re embarrassing me.” Edward held up a finger. “One beer. We’ll be sitting over there.”
“One beer and you’ll wait right here and take it with you, you lazy sod.”
“Geez, the service here is starting to suck.”
“You say that every time.” She pulled the beer, placed it on a coaster and set it before him. “Twenty bucks even.”
“Holy shit. Have the prices gone up?”
“Same as it was last week, the week before, the month before.”
Muttering, Edward fished out his wallet and handed over the cash.
Yolanda looked at Aaron. “What’ll you have, darl’?”
“Coca Cola, thanks.”
Edward rolled his eyes. “Straight?”
“Just this once I’ll live it up. On the rocks.”
“Coke on ice coming up,” Yolanda said.
“You do live it up.” Edward shook his head.
<
br /> “Wild to the bone.” Aaron paid for his meal and took his drink.
The men walked over to the table in the corner away from the window. It was situated in such a way that they had a good view of the room without being obvious to everyone.
“So, thought anymore abut quitting your dinky security company and joining the Federal Police?” Edward queried.
“I was a cop for several years before going security.”
“This is different. How about it?”
“Not going to happen,” Aaron replied.
“Come on, you’re being head-hunted. They did the same to me and look how I turned out.”
“You really want a comment on that last bit?”
Leaning back in the booth, Edward smirked. “Nothing to comment on and you know it. Perfection cannot be perfected anymore.”
“The force has done wonders for your ego.”
“You always did aspire to be like me.”
“My life goal,” Aaron agreed dryly.
The humour leaked from Edward suddenly, his gaze growing keener as he studied Aaron. “We’ve known each other since school, Aaron. We’ve been through some serious shit together working security in those eastern countries, learned a lot. Those higher up the Federal ladder know there’s a lot you can give them, hell, you give them a lot now, feeding them information, even doing some intelligence gathering if they ask or if your own people stumble across something. You’d be a valuable asset to the Feds.”
Running his fingertips down the side of the glass, Aaron looked around the room, taking in the bikies, the workers, the bludgers, the drunks, the shady characters, and the few people who simply came here because it was convenient.
Yeah, he knew the Federal Police wanted him, had plans on how to use his expertise and experiences. But… He switched his gaze to meet Edward’s. “It’s not what I want.”
Edward sighed. “Aaron, I know we saw some bad shit, even did some bad shit all in the name of protection. But with the Federal Police there are other laws, organisations. You’d be a member in a bigger team.” He took another sip of beer, placed the glass back down on the table. “The back-up would be a lot better.”
“We didn’t exactly work as lone wolves back in the day,” Aaron replied. “We worked for lawful companies.”
“Yeah, but what the Feds have would boggle your mind.”
“You think?”
Edward paused. “Maybe not.”
A corner of Aaron’s mouth quirked.
“You wouldn’t have the worry of running a company,” Edward tried again.
“I don’t worry about running my company. I like running it. It’s my company, my people, my contracts, my choices.”
“You’re the boss, the boss doesn’t get to run around and do all those exciting things. You have to push the paper, de-ink the pen, do the rosters.”
“Raymond does the rosters, I just check them before he pins them up.”
Edward waved the minor detail away.
“I go out on the odd job,” Aaron added.
“On your armed response and retrieval security detail?”
“Know about that, do you?”
“Are you kidding me? Of course I know about it. Everyone in the law departments knows about it. Not exactly approved of in many enforcement circles.”
“I have the paperwork, the licences needed, the training, expert people on the job, and no complaints so far from my clients on our response time and results. Armed response and retrieval, but weapons are only used when the situation calls for it.”
“Handy to have friends in high places who can help push through a concept like yours to make it reality.”
Aaron took a mouthful of Coke. Friends in very high places, and he neither sought their approval nor took shit from them, and for that they respected him.
“But that’s not why the politicians and VIPs from other countries as well as here want your company,” Edward stated. “It’s because they know you deliver.”
It was true, but not having a big ego, Aaron simply nodded.
“But you only go out on the odd job,” Edward pointed out. “Boring.”
“I coordinate situations as required.”
“From your Control Centre.”
It was rare that Aaron didn’t coordinate an armed response and retrieval. Any job that was dangerous, that involved clients under direct threat, had his close attention, and if coordinating responses was required he and Ryan did it together, one from the ground and one from Control Centre. Several times they’d been on the ground together doing a rescue when called in to help by a family, individual or company. Situations overseas and interstate were monitored closely, there wasn’t one step taken that he and Ryan didn’t know about, didn’t oversee from afar if one of them couldn’t be present, but they also had to trust their teams and the leaders and let them take control if and when needed, especially if things happened fast.
No need to reveal all that to Edward, though he might already know given the department in which he worked and simply be playing dumb. “I also have an extremely efficient second-in-command.”
“Ryan.”
“Yes.”
“But as you say, you only work the odd job.”
Aaron smiled slightly. “It’s enough for me.”
“Is it?” Sceptically, Edward raised an eyebrow. “You were always in the thick of things, giving the orders, making the decisions, heading the security teams. Those were some exciting times, Aaron, you have to admit that. Exciting, scary, and sometimes even bloody boring.” He paused. “A lot of times bloody boring. Seriously, who can get excited at a party full of VIPs you have to protect and you can’t even get a decent alcoholic drink or shag a top-notch sheila because you’re on the job?”
Aaron gave him another wry look. “You really wanted to shag some of those women we protected?”
“Well…” Edward thought a moment. “No.”
“Good, because you went and married a wonderful woman who works in a clothes shop and puts up with your cocky shit.”
Edward’s eyes softened. “Kerry is the love of my life.” In a split second he changed, lolled back in the booth, slung an arm along the backrest. “Anyway, she’s lucky to have me. I’m the catch of the century.”
Amused, Aaron took a mouthful of Coke as he watched his friend. Edward acted like a man who’d shag the nearest pretty woman interested in him, but the plain and simple truth was that he loved his wife, was completely loyal to her, and would kill anyone who hurt a hair on her head. The man talked the talk, but if a woman came onto him, he’d run the run - the other way. The only time he led a woman on was during a sting, and he drew the line at anything intimate. Not for anyone would he risk his marriage.
Aaron liked Edward, they’d shared not only their childhood but also some hair-raising, dangerous times working security. His respect for Edward was immense. He was glad his friend had found his niche in the Federal Police but the same deal wasn’t for him.
When Edward opened his mouth to try again, Aaron beat him to it. “I built my company from the ground up, got a good team. We have good contracts and do what we can when we can to help out the government in-between. I like being my own boss, making the decisions, taking the responsibility, working in the parameters of the law, even the grey side when needed. I don’t crave that same head-rush I did when we were younger. I find running my company suits me just fine. Don’t worry, Edward, I’m not getting soft, I have my finger on the pulse at all times.”
“You get soft?” Edward snorted. “Not a chance in hell.”
“Tell your bosses my final answer is ‘no’. I appreciate the offer, I’m happy to help where I can, but Wells Security is all I’m interested in.”
“Fine. But they won’t be happy.”
“Not my problem.”
“And there’s the hard-arse we all know and love.” Edward paused. “You know they’re head-hunting Ryan, Ben and Gail?”
“Yes.”
&nbs
p; “Of course you’d know. He-Who-Knows-All. What’ll you do if they take up the offers?”
“Their decision.” Aaron knew Ryan at least wouldn’t leave.
“You hand-picked your security team.”
“Not all. Some came to my door looking for work.”
“Because you came highly recommended when they wanted to leave specialist areas like the military, the police, negotiators, field operatives, undercover agents, etc.”
No point denying the truth.
“Which means,” Edward stated, “that the likelihood of them leaving you is slim to none.”
“Again, their decision.”
“Unless they do something you don’t like then their arse is out the door, and that, my friend, is your decision.” Satisfied he’d had the last word, Edward looked up as the waitress, Jackie, appeared with plates of food. “About time. I thought the cook was waiting for the potatoes to finish growing so he could peel, cut and deep fry them.”
“Just eat your food, dickhead,” Jackie replied.
“Is that any way to speak to a member of the law?”
“I’m being polite. You want the other version?”
“I’m on a day off. I can’t be bothered arresting you for insulting an officer of the law.”
She flipped him the bird and walked off.
“That’s what I like about this place.” Edward picked up the burger. “Honesty. What you see is what you get.”
Laughing, Aaron picked up the salt shaker and put a light layer over his food.
A companionable silence settled over them as they ate, Aaron letting the sounds of the patrons flow over him.
He had to admit back in the day he had thrived on the head rush of security, the dangers of protecting VIPs in eastern countries, flying on private jets, dealing with the public and his clients alike, and both could be extremely difficult. He’d been in shoot-outs, bombings, rushed clients to cars and sped them away, just as he’d spent many a time guarding rooms and politicians as they’d attended meetings, delegations, and a hundred and one other things that were enough to make a man’s eyes cross in boredom. But he’d never been bored, always alert, studying the people, learning their habits, their giveaway signs of nervousness, happiness, sadness, anger, shadiness - so many emotions they thought they hid but revealed in such tiny ways. It was a skill he’d put to good use then and now.
The Wells Brothers: Aaron Page 12
