Promise to Defend

by Diana Gardin

  See you soon,

  Your M.J.

  Reading it a second time sends a series of shivers coursing through me. I’m not even sure how M.J. got my current e-mail address. After everything that happened between us in college, I made sure to cover my tracks as much as possible.

  I never wanted to hear from him again.

  He was the bad boy, the kind of guy I never would have usually dated and certainly never have again. But at that time in my life, I was more vulnerable than I’d ever been before. I was hurting: deep, dark scars that still haven’t completely healed. And M.J. was there, ready to pick up the pieces and help me get back to the person I used to be.

  But after a while, I realized that he was into some things that I couldn’t handle. Drugs. Crime. Really serious crimes that I had no business being anywhere near. When I found out that the money he’d given me to pay for a semester of tuition that my parents couldn’t afford was dirty, I told him we were done.

  I thought he got the message then. He left school and I didn’t hear anything else from him. Until now.

  Remembering it now, I fold my arms across my chest and shudder. M.J. was unstable back then. I can only imagine what the grown-man version of him is like now. Especially since, based on the e-mail he sent, he’s been plotting our reunion the entire time. I can’t even imagine…my God.

  I’m still holding the phone when Berkeley appears in the open doorway.

  Without pausing, she breezes into my office and scans my face. Her expression softens.

  Tucking a strand of hair over her shoulder, she focuses concerned eyes on my face.

  “What’s wrong?” Her question is instant.

  Closing my eyes to fend off the onslaught of tears, I shake my head slightly. “I…I don’t think I can work today, Berkeley. I’m going to take a few days off.”

  The last thing I want to do is let M.J. ruin what I have going on now. Not for a second. But if he’s searching for me…my office is the first place he’ll look. And after the stress of the past twenty-four hours, I don’t think I can handle coming face to face with him.

  I quickly fill her in on what I found when I walked into my house the previous night. Berkeley rubs my shoulder, her sweet compassion bleeding into her expression. “Just tell me how I can help.”

  I glance down at the floor, shame filling me up and making me feel sick. “You know the ex I told you about?”

  Recognition flares in her eyes. “What about him?”

  “He’s been contacting me. He left town years ago…I thought he was gone for good.” I suck in a breath. “But apparently…he’s back.”

  Berkeley reaches out to rub small hands up and down my arms. “Oh, Olive.”

  “He wants to see me,” I blurt out.

  I never told anyone how I’d been so vulnerable to get involved with a guy like M.J. in the first place. And all I’d told Berkeley about him was that he was a part of my past I’d like to stay there. A bad choice from my youth.

  But now…

  Berkeley’s brows pull together, her bottom lip disappearing between her teeth. “What are you going to do about him?”

  Sighing, I retreat to my desk and lean against it. Looking back to my friend, I shrug.

  “I honestly don’t know what I can do.”

  Berkeley folds her arms across her chest and studies me. “Has he directly threatened you?”

  Picking up my phone, I hand it to her. “He’s much too smart for that.”

  It was one of the things that had driven me crazy about M.J. If he’d only used his brains for good, he could have been an incredible man. He had a father who loved him and tried so hard to keep him on a straight path. I’d tried, too. But there was nothing either of us could do to change the trajectory that M.J. had been on back then. He was determined to follow in his uncle’s footsteps. And his uncle was one of the worst people I’d ever known.

  Gritting my teeth, I take the phone back from her. “He wouldn’t threaten me in an e-mail.”

  Berkeley’s voice grows more serious. “Trust me on this, Olive. You should go to the police with this information.”

  Berkeley is gearing up for war. I can see it written all over her fierce facial expression. She wants to blaze in with both barrels smoking, and I hold up my hands to top her progression before she goes too far down that path.

  “I’ve got this, Berkeley. The police were called when my place was broken into last night. And…Ronin is on it. He’s helping me. I’m actually staying at his place right now.”

  The truth is that calling Ronin and pouring out the information about the e-mails M.J. sent feels as natural as breathing. Ronin hasn’t been in my life very long at all, and he’s already my go-to when I’m having a problem. After learning at an early age that I have to be self-reliant first and foremost, depending on someone else to help me shouldn’t be easy at all. I’d depended on M.J. back in college, for the first time in a long time, and look where that had gotten me. Since then I’ve been on my own. But now, Ronin steps into my life like this big, badasss protector and I’m ready to let him shield me from the man I fear most.

  Berkeley’s eyebrows fly up toward her hairline. “Wait…what?” Her lips curl into a small smile. “That doesn’t sound like you. Did he drag you to his house kicking and screaming?”

  With a roll of my eyes, I twirl my phone in my hands. “Practically. He’s pretty damn bossy.”

  Berkeley’s gaze practically twinkles, but worry still saturates her eyes. “Call him. Tell him what’s going on. I’ll leave you alone, but really…I want you to take all the time you need. I’ll help Paisley on the boutique hotel project, and I’m sure Beth will jump in to help you on the downtown Victorian while you’re out.”

  Sadness permeates my heart. I love both of the projects, and I don’t want to give them up. I’ll try to keep myself involved as much as I can while I’m out of the office. “Thank you, Berkeley. I’ll try to get this resolved as quickly as possible.”

  She closes the distance between us and grabs me up in a tight hug. “Be safe, my friend.”

  As soon as she’s left the office, I grab my phone and pull up Ronin’s name in my contacts. The last thing I want to do is bother him at work. I know that his job is important, and that he has an entire life outside my newfound problems. Listening to the ringing while I wait to hear his voice is tedious, but as soon as his concerned voice comes across the line all the air leaves me in a whoosh.

  “Red? You okay?”

  I swallow, the movement suddenly so difficult. Just the sound of his voice makes me want to break.

  And I never break.

  Comfort. That’s what Ronin’s voice sparks inside me, and I’m not quite ready to think about why that is.

  “No,” I answer with a tremble in my tone. “Can you meet me at my office?”

  10

  Ronin

  The sound of her voice on the other end of the line keeps scraping against my memory. I was just getting ready to head into a morning meeting with the NES staff when my phone rang. I asked Olive if she could sit tight at work, and when she agreed, I told her that I’d meet her as soon as my meeting ended.

  My mind murky with thoughts of her and the fact that she’d just received a threatening e-mail, I take a seat at the long table in the conference room at the Night Eagle office. Leaning back in the leather chair, I rub my hand against the rough stubble on my jaw.

  “What’s up?” Dare Conners, fellow NES member, slides into the seat beside me.

  I barely acknowledge him, because my head is too full of all things Olive and what I’m going to learn about her situation.

  Grisham Abbot walks into the room with our boss—and also his future father-in-law—Jacob Owens. Taking a seat across from us, Grisham shoots both Dare and I a chin lift before leaning forward on his elbows. “Dude. You look like you’re about ready to jump out of your chair. What’s up?”

  Dare leans in closer as Jacob welcomes an unexpected guest: Sayward Diaz.r />
  “Something going on?” Dare speaks quietly, not wanting to alert Jacob to our conversation.

  “I’m dealing with it.” I don’t meet either of their gazes.

  Dare and Grisham are more than friends. In the time that we’ve all worked together at NES, they’ve become more like brothers. And when it comes down to it, I know that if I need them to help out with either Elle’s case or whatever Olive’s got going on, I’ll reach out. But I don’t know all the pieces moving on the board yet. I want to know exactly what I’m dealing with before I share the situation with them.

  Plus, anything I do on my own time concerning Elle’s case can’t have anything to do with NES. I’m on my own with this, and I know it.

  Grisham’s shrewd eyes study me. He pushes his blond hair off his forehead. “You sure?”

  I give a slight nod as I focus in on Jacob at the head of the conference table. Sayward settles in the seat beside Dare, whipping her laptop out of its bag.

  “’Morning.” Jacob’s voice is a permanent bark.

  We all know his gruffness comes from years of having been in charge of some of the strongest, most aggressive men in the world: army Rangers. As all of us served in Special Forces at some point, we’re more than familiar with the nature of his leadership and we all respond to it like professionals.

  “I want us to welcome Sayward back to the fold.” Jacob clears his throat and glances at Sayward. Her eyes remain fixed on her laptop screen, but it’s obvious she’s listening.

  “With Teague gone,” Jacob continues, “Sayward has agreed to step up and join the team. You’ve all had firsthand experience with what she can do on a computer, and I don’t want to let her get away. You guys good with that?”

  I sit up straighter in my seat. “Brains is coming back though, Boss Man.”

  He meets my gaze head-on. “Yeah. I know that. And when he returns, we’ll adjust. We can use Sayward on all the tech, even though Brains is our resident geek. It’ll give him more time to focus on taking a more active role in missions, leading more. He’ll be good with it.”

  I consider it. Sayward really did a kickass job on the last mission, and she wasn’t a permanent member of the team then. I can only imagine what she’ll be able to do after she gets to know us better and has a firm grasp on NES protocols.

  “Yeah. We’re good.” I speak for the team, but Dare’s and Grisham’s nods cosign the effort.

  Jacob has been accepting more and more private ops contracted by the government. We’ve done everything from protecting important international diplomats to bringing down illegal arms dealers in South America. Even though Jacob has a second branch of NES open in Texas, with a friend of his from the army running that branch, our Wilmington base is garnering so much work that adding more team members is inevitable. I think Sayward is just the first wave of what’s to come.

  “Do you have a military background, Say?” Grisham asks.

  She snorts, finally looking up from her screen. “Um, no. Even basic training would be more difficult for someone like me than it is for everyone else. I wouldn’t have wanted to put myself through it. I’m good at home where I’m behind a computer.”

  Jacob speaks up. “She received her training from the School of Hard Knocks. I did a job with her father a long time ago, though. I know Sayward is going to fit in here, gentlemen. Trust me on it.”

  Grisham nods. “Got it.”

  Sayward’s hands leave the keyboard of her laptop, only to begin fiddling with the zipper on her hoodie. She focuses on Jacob and he rubs his hands together in preparation to launch into the meeting agenda.

  “There’s been an unusual amount of illegal activity here in Wilmington over the last few months.” Jacob’s voice goes even more solemn than usual. “My friends at the Wilmington Police Department have been talking about it, but we’ve now had an official request from the FBI’s Organized Crime unit. They want us to step in, put together an op to infiltrate the Margiano crime family and bring it down. I think we’re up for it. But it’ll take about a month to gather intel. We’ll then penetrate the organization, and then bring it down. Once Teague is back with us, we’ll definitely be up to the task. Agreed?”

  We all nod without a moment’s hesitation. “Agreed.”

  Jacob continues the meeting with wrap-ups from a personal security assignment and then dismisses us. My hands were clenched in my lap the entire time, aching to pick up my phone and check to make sure Olive hadn’t called or texted in the last forty-five minutes.

  As the meeting ends, I flag Jacob down and pull him to the side. “I have to get out of here, Boss.”

  He lifts a brow. “Why?”

  I’m almost bouncing on the balls of my feet, ready to head for the truck. I lower my voice further. “Jeremy asked me to keep an eye on his sister-in-law while he’s gone. She’s got something going down. I need to be there.”

  Jacob’s thick, sandy brows furrow. “What can I do?”

  Shaking my head, I take a step back. “I don’t know yet. Maybe nothing. I’ll keep you posted. Keep this between us for now?”

  Jacob nods, pointing a finger at me as I take another step backward, heading for the door. “Regular updates. Got it? You don’t go off-grid. Not even for an hour.”

  Lifting my chin in understanding, but not making any promises, I turn and head out of the conference room, down the stairs, and follow the route leading out of the NES office.

  I shoot Olive a text while I head to my truck.

  On my way.

  Midmorning traffic in the fall is minimal, so it takes me only ten minutes to get to Olive’s design firm. When I burst through the glass front doors, Berkeley is standing behind the counter, and she smiles when she looks up at me.

  Walking around until she’s standing in front of me, she reaches up and gives me a quick hug. I squeeze her back before holding her at arm’s length and nodding my head toward Olive’s office. “Hey, Berk. Olive’s still here, right?”

  She nods, her expression clouding. “Yeah. She’s waiting for you.”

  I stop short in the doorway. Olive is standing by the window, her back facing me.

  I pause at the sight of her, just watching. You wouldn’t know at first glance that she’s feeling threatened. She stands tall, poised as ever. The tendrils of hair hanging down around her slim neck are slightly curled, and I can tell that her arms are folded across her chest.

  The only thing amiss—and I’m pretty sure I’m only noticing because I’ve studied her—is the slight hunch of her shoulders. It’s like she’s trying to cave in on herself…like if she curls up tight she’ll be safe, protected. My chest aches at the sight, and I rub my hand absently over the spot.

  Stepping in, I clear my throat. Olive turns around with a start, and when she sees it’s only me, she lets out a breath.

  “Hi,” she whispers.

  I walk right over to where she stands, stopping only inches in front of her. I didn’t expect to feel so much relief at the sight of her. I knew she’d be okay, but still…

  I tuck a finger under her chin, forcing her to hold my gaze. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

  Her phone already clutched tightly in one hand, she gives it over and pulls her lip between her teeth as I scan the e-mail. A simmer of rage begins to boil in my veins, and when I glance up at her again she looks so close to tears I want to reach through the phone and grab whoever sent that e-mail.

  “Who the fuck is M.J.?” A small spark of possessiveness ignites in my chest, and I try hard not to let it spread. She’s not mine. I’m only keeping an eye out for her while Jeremy’s out of town.

  But I can’t ignore the twinge in my gut, the twist of something dark and nasty. Jealousy? I haven’t felt the emotion for so long, I’m not even sure that’s what it is.

  “He’s an ex. Someone I dated in college. He was bad news then, and his family ties are despicable. I can only imagine what he’s like now. I told him back then that I never wanted to see him again. I thoug
ht ignoring him before I went to Europe would make him go away…”

  She inhales, and I can see her slender throat working as she swallows.

  “Wait a minute.” Confusion flares. “Before Europe?”

  She nods, her face flushing. “Yeah, he contacted me with an e-mail once before. Just ahead of my leaving. And then I jumped at the chance to go, get away from the thought of him tracking me down. It was stupid to ignore it, and now I’m back and…” She gestures helplessly at her phone.

  It’s so obvious that feeling helpless is something she’s not used to. There’s a fearful expression in her eyes, but it’s mixed with this fierce determination, something ingrained inside of her to beat whatever odds are stacked against her no matter what.

  Where does she get that kind of intensity? How’d she become so tenacious?

  She squeezes her arms even tighter around herself, and the urge to take her into my arms becomes almost uncontrollable. “God, Ronin. What am I supposed to do?”

  There are more words on the tip of her tongue, but she doesn’t say them. There’s more to this than an e-mail from an ex. He doesn’t exactly threaten her, but there’s something creepy about his words. And the sight of them clearly scares Olive to death.

  “Why are you so scared of this guy, Olive? What am I missing here?”

  She sighs, hugging her arms around her middle. “I ended things with M.J. because he became obsessive. He was controlling who I saw and when I saw them, where I went and anything else about my life he could control. When I broke up with him, he went crazy, following me, threatening anyone I spent time with. I almost took a restraining order out on him, but he suddenly disappeared and I didn’t hear from him again until a few months ago.”