Free Fatal Courage: Shadow Force International, Book 3 (Shadow Force International Romantic Suspense Series) by Misty Evans Page B

stationed at every place so no one had to crane their neck to look at a screen on the wall.
    Jax helped Ruby into one of the chairs. Someone had loaded a side table with coffee carafes, pastries, and fruit. Jax’s environmentally friendly cup was empty, so he refilled it and snagged a heaping plate of food to bring back to the table.
    Ruby, dark circles under her eyes, ignored his offer of a jelly-filled donut for a cluster of grapes instead. “I need a shower and a couple hours of sleep, Emit, so can we get on with this…whatever this is?”
    And whoa. Ruby sounded like she knew Emit. As in knew knew him. Not like he’d simply picked her up from the hospital because she needed a ride.
    “This,” Emit said, sipping his coffee as he fiddled with the touchscreen at the head of the table, “is a debriefing and client intake meeting.”
    “Client?” Ruby and Jax said at the same time.
    “Yes. Client .” Emit glanced up and pinned them both with a hard look. “You’re all over the news and YouTube after your little escapade last night. Ruby, you’re in deep shit with the Feds and your own agency, and neither wants to touch you right now, much less provide security for you. So guess what? As of 0200 hours this fine morning, you became a Rock Star Security client.”
    She sat back, a flustered noise coming from her throat. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t need a bodyguard.”
    Emit glanced at her elbow. “I’m well aware that you have the skills to defend yourself, but you ruffled the wrong feathers last night and someone shot at you.”
    “You don’t know they were shooting at me,” she fumed. “It could have been totally random.”
    Emit continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “Between Beatrice filling me in, and you and I having our talk this morning at the hospital, I can tell you, you’re in need of security. Your former partner is on the run from the government and there are a lot of people questioning your loyalties at this moment. I don’t know who took that shot at you, but there are plenty of players on the game board. Your employer specifically requested I keep you safe and off the grid for the time being.”
    Jax grinned. This was good. Really good.
    Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but was interrupted by a noise in the hall. A thunk, slide, thunk, slide was accompanied by two male voices.
    “Where’s your wheelchair, man? That puppy is sick. I don’t know why you want to kill yourself on those crutches when you can ride in style.”
    Jax recognized the voice and felt a jolt of awesome. Colton Bells, codename Shinedown, was in town to help Emit get the Chicago branch up and running. Colton had been all over the place recently—DC, San Diego, and a few compass points in between. The former SEAL never stayed in one place long. Jax suspected that was due to the fact nasty people were looking for him.
    “Shut up, punk,” Rory, the former SEAL-turned-assassin-turned-SFI computer expert grumbled. Thunkslide . “A couple more months of therapy and I’ll be able to take you with one hand tied behind my back.”
    Jax rose and met the two at the door. “I’m surprised you haven’t killed him in his sleep already, Rory.”
    Rory grunted and shifted one of his crutches to shake Jax’s hand. Colt gave Jax the manly version of hug—a chest bump and a pat on the back. “Righteous undercover work last night, brother.”
    “Fuck you,” Jax said good-naturedly. “It was Ruby’s fault.”
    “Hey,” she complained from behind him. “I told you to leave me alone. If you hadn’t followed me back to the club…”
    “You might be dead,” he interrupted.
    Emit pulled a chair out for Rory as he introduced the mad computer scientist. He also introduced Colton to Ruby, using his code name only. Standard protocol. Because of the sensitivity of most of the SEALs’ backgrounds, clients never knew real names. Ever. “Let’s get to work, people,” Emit said.
    Once settled, Rory updated them.