He wasn’t used to contemplative Tag. “I do, boss. Every single time.”
He wasn’t even close to being ready for kids. He’d barely had a real girlfriend. He’d lived with a waitress from Top for a couple of months, but it hadn’t worked out. He wasn’t sure there was some mystical one for him out there. He’d managed to be good friends with some of the women he’d shared a bed with, but he’d never felt that spark his friends with wives talked about.
But he was about to be an actual homeowner. It was a first step in trying to move into real adulthood.
“I called you in because I want you to work on a case for me.” Tag handed over a file. “It’s probably nothing, but I got a call from an old friend and I promised him I would look into it.”
“I’m going in the field?” He almost never went in the field. He was a desk jockey. He was the computer nerd.
“Sort of,” Tag replied. “Though you won’t be going far. The client is here in Dallas. She works for a biotech firm, and she’s worried there’s some corporate espionage going on.”
He opened the folder and found a picture of a pretty woman, likely in her early to mid-twenties. She had brown hair and glasses, a ready smile on her face. She wore a white lab coat that hid her figure. But there was something odd in her hands. “Are those crutches? Did she get hurt?”
“She was in a car accident when she was a teenager,” Tag explained. “She can walk, but she typically uses a cane or braces. She’s a chemist and the daughter of a sheriff friend of mine. He’s worried about her. Says since she started working on this project some weird things have been happening. I want you to study up for the meeting tomorrow.”
He closed the folder. “Will do, boss.”
Likely it was nothing. He would look through some computers, make sure her house was secure, and then he would be right back at his desk. Right back to his life of playing video games and being everyone’s fun uncle.
It was starting to feel a little hollow. He was starting to crave responsibility.
It was weird.
He stood.
“And Hutch,” Tag began. “I’m sending someone out with you. I need you to take care of him.”
“You’re sending a bodyguard?” Sometimes he got paired with one of the guards. He could get deep into an investigation and focus so much on a screen that it was good to have someone watching his back.
“I want you to walk Kyle Hawthorne through his first time in the field.” Tag’s expression had gone distinctly serious.
Hutch stared at him for a moment. “You want me to take your brother’s stepson out in the field? Maybe you should pair him with Erin or Michael. Boomer isn’t doing anything this week.”
Kyle Hawthorne was Grace Hawthorne’s baby boy. Baby? Hell, Kyle was slightly older than Hutch and had recently gotten out of the Navy. He had a ready smile, but Hutch saw a bit of darkness in the man that made him worry. He knew all about darkness and the things it could make a man do.
“He can take care of himself.” Tag’s lips kicked up in an amused grin. “Mostly. But I do want you to look out for him.”
And if he got Kyle killed, Sean Taggart would fillet him.
Still, like Tag had said. It was probably nothing. “Sure thing.”
Famous last words. He hoped Noelle LaVigne was worth it.
He walked back out to his office and read through her file. Tomorrow he would go to work.
Hutch, Noelle, and the McKay-Taggart crew will return in Submission Impossible, coming February 16, 2021. Click here to purchase.
Author’s Note
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Submission Impossible
Masters and Mercenaries: Reloaded, Book 1
By Lexi Blake
Coming February 16, 2021
Click here to purchase.
He loves the sweet life
Greg Hutchins is reluctantly adulting these days. He’s settled in his job, recently bought his first house, and has a network of friends he can call family. But there’s something missing in his life, and he can’t quite put his finger on it. When he’s assigned to a case that involves investigating a biochemical company, he meets a woman who’s sweeter than any candy. Maybe she’s just the thing to make him feel complete.
She’s ready for the future
Noelle LaVigne has faced plenty of tragedy in her life, but she’s on the right path now. Between her new job and settling into a new city, she’s got no time for dating or relationships. She’s worked hard to get where she is, and no man is going to push her off track. Except the minute Hutch crosses her path she can’t seem to think about anything but the handsome security expert. He’s there to find a corporate spy, but late-night work sessions make her think they’ve both found something much more meaningful.
A twist they never saw coming
When the case becomes dangerous, both of their futures are on the line. And when the bullets start flying, they will have to learn to trust in each other if they hope to survive.
Treasured
Masters and Mercenaries, Book 21.5
By Lexi Blake
Coming June 29, 2021
Click here to purchase.
David Hawthorne has a great life. His job as a professor at a prestigious Dallas college is everything he hoped for. Now that his brother is back from the Navy, life seems to be settling down. All he needs to do
