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Kellan had already left by the time I got up, but Helen was kind enough to show me around. I spend the next couple of days resting and spending time with my girls. There are moments when I feel guilty for simply sitting around, but my body certainly welcomes the respite. I take naps with Miley and Avery, spending plenty of time outside as well. There is so much to see around here, though I do my best to stay out of everyone’s way.
We have food and warm beds. We have TV, toys, and books on almost every shelf in this place. The service staff are all wonderful and kind folks who live in North Platte and drive up here every morning and evening to make sure everything is well taken care of. Marcus O’Neill, the Director of Operations for Wolfhound Security, was kind enough to give me a full tour of their security wing, which is basically half the mansion, sprawling across three levels and a considerable portion of the back garden. The latter has been leveled and designed for outside training—obstacle courses, running tracks, and several sports fields for tennis and athletics. It is imperative that their agents perform to the best of their abilities in any physical endeavor, especially since they provide their services to high-ranking officials and diplomats who are often in the crosshairs of various hitmen.
The indoor gym is bigger than anything I’ve ever seen, and it’s often packed with agents training. There are two shooting ranges—one on the ground floor of the mansion, and one outside, far enough away from the building to prevent any rogue bullets from accidentally hurting someone. There are several offices and lounges where they meet with their clients, and they even have a few rooms with additional security features for those who need an overnight stay in between their travels. They are safer and easier to monitor than if the client was staying in a hotel.
“We had a nephew of the Jordanian Royal Family stay here just last month,” Marcus says as he continues walking me through the building. “There are so many foreign agents currently on our soil at all times, it’s hard to keep track of all of them, so we prefer bringing our clients here. The mansion is virtually impenetrable and almost impossible to fully scan with outside equipment. We took plenty of pages from the CIA and the DoD’s handbooks when building this.”
“So, it sounds like your military service really comes in handy too,” I say.
“It was a fundamental experience,” Marcus replies in his soft Caribbean accent. “For me, it was interesting, to say the least. Serving in the Dominican military was something altogether different compared to Kellan, Fallon, and Luke’s Navy years.”
“How so?”
“Our military doesn’t have the gear or the equipment that Americans have. We had to make do with very little. It did give me an advantage, though, which is why the guys wanted me to join Wolfhound Security in the first place. I can handle myself without any weapon on hand. That’s very helpful when you lack resources but you still have to save somebody’s life, including your own.”
“Your life sounds oddly exciting,” I reply.
Marcus laughs, the sound booming across the hallway. He’s over six feet tall and massive, with broad shoulders and a muscular build. Dark-skinned and imposing, Marcus can easily come across as intimidating. I reckon he is also deadly, and I would never want to get on his bad side. He’s kind and sweet to me, though, so there are moments when I simply forget who he is and what he’s capable of.
“Our paths in life don’t always go the way we expect them to,” he says with a half-smile. “I would’ve preferred something simpler and more peaceful, but poverty pushed me into the service because it paid well compared to everything else that was available at the time. It made me a better man, however, and I will always be grateful for that.” He pauses as we reach the ground floor again. “Like I said before, Avery, you are free to go wherever you wish. Whatever we have that qualifies as sensitive or classified material is safely locked away. You can tell which rooms are accessible and which are not based on the electronic locks and the color of the lights.”
“Right. Red for locked, green for open. Got it,” I reply. “Well, thank you for the tour. Luke was going to do that, but I guess he’s a busy man, too.”
“They travel together for business once in a while,” Marcus says as he escorts me into the lounge area. “It doesn’t happen often, especially since Kellan still has his full-time sheriff’s duties, but he and Luke partner up when it comes to bagging a bigger client.”
“I see. So they’re bringing in a bigger client now?”
“Hopefully, the biggest we’ve had yet. It would be a fixed-term gig for the next few years. I really can’t say anything else about it though.”
“I understand. It’s more than I need to know,” I chuckle nervously. Honestly, my intention is to keep my head down for as long as I can, to rest and look after my girls, and to get my paperwork and finances back in order, making enough money to be able to move us somewhere else. “I think I’ll just settle down with a book here until Kellan returns. He did text to tell me he’s coming back today, and that he wanted to talk to me about my ex.”
Marcus nods slowly. “If you need anything, I’ll be in my office. You have my number, as well.”
“Thank you.”
Once he’s out of the study, I linger around the bookshelves for a while, trying to figure out which book to read. Helen has my girls for the rest of the day and I’m grateful for the break. The time alone helps me get my thoughts in order. I need to start looking for work while I’m here, and I’ve asked one of the staff members to save me a copy of the newspaper when the press materials are delivered tomorrow morning. I don’t have access to a computer just yet, but Helen said I might have more luck finding remodeling jobs in the local classified ads, anyway.
I find a book that entices me enough to get me flipping through its pages, but my mind soon wanders back to the events of the past few days. Eventually, I feel my eyes closing, intrusive thoughts dissolving as I let my body shut down for a bit. My girls are safe, so I can relax.
“Avery,” Kellan’s voice has me bouncing back into the real world with a startled gasp. “It’s okay, you’re okay. It’s just me.”
“Oh, hey,” I mumble and blink a few times as I remember where I am.
I look around and notice the skies outside darkening. “You fell asleep,” Kellan says, still kneeling by my armchair, one hand politely resting on my knee.
Helen was kind enough to bring me some of her more casual clothes, though her jeans are a tad oversized for me. I can still wear them with a belt, though, at least until I have access to my bank account again so I can buy some new stuff for myself and the girls. The sweater conceals most of my curves, but I still feel naked under Kellan’s piercing green eyes as he looks at me.
“I think the adrenaline of the past couple days is finally wearing off,” I say, smiling sheepishly.
“It’s okay. I just got back and I wanted to stop by and see how you were doing.”
“I’m fine, really. Eager to start getting my life back together, first and foremost. Do you think we could go to the bank tomorrow? Or the police station? What do I need to do first in order to access my funds again?”
Kellan smiles. “I know a guy who can help you with everything. We’ll meet with him tomorrow and he’ll get you started.”
“That sounds shady, that you ‘know a guy,’” I can’t help but laugh nervously.
“I promise you it’s not. I’m a law man. I have friends in all kinds of places, including government agencies and state institutions,” he says. “They’ll gladly help if I ask. And they’ll make it easier for you to get another passport and driver’s license. You’ll need both for the bank before they can issue you another card.”
