Chantal didn’t have much time. After his therapy session, Sunny slid into the seat and looked around the office. Alexis sat nearby and offered him a reassuring smile.
“Thank you, Miss Chantal. My leg feels better.” He clutched the jar of lotion on his lap as he stretched out his sore thigh. The amputation was just above the knee and Chantal hated seeing those blisters from the prosthetic rub. He needed a better artificial limb.
He needed everything she hoped she could give him. His worn clothes looked gray and hung off his thin frame. A bruised cheek spoke of a rough life on the streets. He mentioned recently finding accommodation in a hostel, but worried about his sister’s safety.
“You look tired, Sunny. How many hours do you work?”
He shrugged a thin shoulder. “Too many. I won’t go back to that orphanage. They tried to take my sister away—split us up. I can provide—I’m planning to send Roshani to school next year.”
“Good. How about this year?”
Sunny frowned.
“We’re looking for a caretaker for the clinic—someone to learn from the ground up. We’re including accommodation—we have living quarters at the back.”
“Okay…” Sunny shook his head in confusion.
“Sunny, I’m offering you the job. But there are conditions.”
He straightened his back, looking wary.
“Your sister will go to school. You will attend online classes. You will only see to the clinic’s needs once your classes and homework are complete.”
“I… I have no idea about computers.” His eyes darted about the room.
“That’s okay. Alexis will teach you and we’ll send you on a course.”
“How much?” Sunny’s chin jutted forward and Chantal’s heart broke. He expected a low-ball offer—a similar salary to the pitiful hundred dollars he currently earned.
“Two thousand dollars to start.”
His eyes widened. “Per year?”
“Per month. Two thousand per month.”
Paling beneath Chantal’s gaze, Sunny looked shellshocked.
“Yes.” Alexis smiled. “As long as you attend classes. I help with the running of the center and will teach you everything you need to know.”
“I know nothing about being a… a caretaker.”
“That’s okay. I’m confident in your abilities. Say yes.”
“Ah. Yes, Doctor…Okay. Yes.” He licked his lips and sat back.
Chantal pointed to a calendar. “Call me Chantal, and you’ll start next week. In the meantime, I’d like you to fetch your sister and get settled in your new rooms. I’ll leave a welcome package on the bed.”
That package would include new clothes for the pair. A new laptop for Sunny and shoes and toiletries. The fridge in the center’s kitchen was fully stocked.
“Who… who are the men walking around?” He looked back at the door nervously. “I can’t accept the job if they could hurt Roshani.”
Bless him—he’d sacrifice the job to shield his sister.
“They are here to protect me. There are bad people trying to hurt me.”
“I’ll protect you!” Sunny stood and stuck out his chest. “They’ll fight me first.”
Chantal smiled at his voracity. “That’s not your job, honey. Your job is to learn and grow and help your sister. And to take care of the closed clinic when we are away and helping patients. Can you do that?”
“Yes. I will never rest.”
Both women laughed, and Chantal corrected him. “You will definitely rest. This isn’t a sweat shop. You never have to work those hours again. Come, Alexis will show you around and give you a key.”Chantal walked with them out into the hall and introduced Sunny to the other staff as they headed to the connecting accommodation. His eyes sparkled with excitement and she wanted to hug the kid. She glanced at her watch—only fifteen minutes until her date.
“Chantal. A word?” Gage approached from behind and she excused herself and joined him down the passage.
“Yes, I know—we’re leaving.”
“Fuck the date. I wanna know why you hired someone without consulting your teams.”
“Excuse me? Listen, buddy. I don’t need your attitude—I have my own!”
“Which may need an adjustment. You never said you were hiring the teenager. We haven’t performed a background check—for all I know, he’s a card-carrying mercenary. You’ve just provided the perfect opening.”
Her temper flared. “And you’re an ass! I’ll hire whoever I want and if you don’t like it, there’s the door.”
“Agent Hendrix has a point.” Wyatt joined the discussion. “We’re not saying you can’t hire him—but we need a heads up.”
“I got the go-ahead from the charity. I’m not kicking that kid back to the streets.”
Wyatt raised his hands. “We’re not saying that, it’s just—”
“You’re all pushing the wrong buttons today. Get your boulder asses out of the way.”
Gage followed her to the changing room and Chantal turned to glare. “What?”
“Your soft heart could get you killed.”
His quiet words got on her last nerve. “Take a hike. Thanks to all your complaining, I’m late.”
Watch out for “Striking Blow.” (Strike Zone Book #2)This is Pearl and Antonio’s story. Filled with international intrigue and subterfuge.Striking BlowColombo.Sri Lanka.Pearl needed directions—a map—a freaking GPS back to herself. Finding her worth again meant starting with a physical transformation. For starters, the blonde princess staring back at her in the mirror wasn’t real, and it was time to pack “socialite barbie” away in a dark drawer; time to step away from the two-hundred-dollar haircut and her designer lifestyle.Of course, that wasn’t the reason for the hair clippers clutched in her nervous grip or the box of Brown Sable hair color on the counter. Returning to her natural shade would help to hide her identity. Pearl’s monstrous ex-husband wouldn’t be happy with her escape
Christmas Day, two months later. Quantico, Virginia.“Connie, grab the salad tongs. They’re in the drawer next to the sink.” Gage leaned over and placed the large salad at the center of the table. He paused to look around his new home. So, maybe his whirlwind romance with Chantal had moved a little fast. He’d ended up spending the rest of the year in Virginia, commuting between DC and Quantico as the investigation into the Sri Lankan attack dragged on via multiple debriefings.Gage spent every spare moment with Chantal and wanted more—a cemented life with the gorgeous chiropractor. A home. Not just any home—a place they’d chosen together. Technically, they’d moved into their own place, but…“You used my first name without a reminder. Finally.” The ambassador tapped Gage on the arm with the tongs and grinned. “Your secret salad dressing had be
One week later. Welikada Prison, Colombo. “Are you sure you’re up for this?” Gage asked, his concern evident. “I’m fine—just a little tender.” Chantal lied, but she needed to have this conversation. She stood with Gage in a dark passage. The rest of the team remained on guard outside the walls, and Dishan waited in an adjacent courtyard. Team Five insisted on accompanying her, regardless of their debriefings and orders. Chantal’s heart twisted, knowing they mourned the loss of their teammate. Local and U.S. teams had retrieved the ambush victims’ bodies, and DSS would fly Jason’s remains back to U.S. soil. Gage looked restless, and she knew he was concerned over their surroundings. Welikada Prison was the largest prison in Sri Lanka. Regular prison clashes resulted in numerous deaths. They weren’t exact
National Hospital.Colombo.The reunion with her daughter had been short-lived. Connie and her detail met them at the National Hospital. Chantal had been rushed from the helipad on the roof to the third floor after Gage’s men radioed ahead, coming in hot on a military chopper. Hours later, her daughter lay in a safe and comfortable bed with Gage by her side.Connie cradled her third cup of coffee and watched the couple from the door. Their heads touched as Chantal whispered with the team leader. His easy smile indicated his affection as he tucked Chantal’s tangled hair behind her ear. They both looked like they’d survived a war—or a plane crash. The MSD agent had better not break Chantal’s heart.The lash marks on her daughter’s arms and neck had Connie turning away. She’d give them more time.
As they converged on the courtyard, a mercenary fired from the shadows and Gage aimed and took out the threat. The man fell just as Chantal’s scream alerted them to her location. Gage switched to berserker mode, abandoning his training as he rushed the door. “Chants!”Gannon wrestled him away. “I’ll use an explosive breach. Hang back!”“Fucking hurry! I’ll do it.”“We need steady hands.” Gannon knelt beside the door and pulled out the putty. He worked quickly and stepped back.“Clear!” Gannon yelled, and the door blew inwards. Gage followed, rushing into the small space. His heart paused as he took in the carnage. Blood pooled on the rough floor, and Harris lay across Chantal with a blade to her neck. Gage recognized the knife as his own and savage regret surfaced.“One more step, and I’ll kill her.”Gage gave direction. “Chants, don’t
Chantal paused to examine her bleeding hands before switching from the window to her chain. She knew, if she slept anymore, she’d waste time. She began a fresh count to five hundred, and would switch tasks unless she made progress with either the bracelet around her ankle or the chain link.It took an agonizing moment to lower herself to the ground. Her body screamed with exhaustion and relentless pain. Was this how her mom felt every day?And Chantal had wanted a break—thought about walking away? What kind of daughter was she, to abandon her impaired mother, to run off and “find herself”?Except she’d found herself—with Gage. Each moment they’d spent together was etched in her shattered mind. For the hundredth time, she analyzed their last moments together. And Alexis… the way she’d looked before pulling the trigger and deliberately firing past Chanta