Grant returned the gesture. “More like made of luck. Dumb luck.”
“You need that in this job,” Sawyer said. “I mean skillset helps, but luck is indispensable.” He sat back at his desk.
“This looks more like a desk job than field work,” Grant said. “Are most days like this?”
Rusty beckoned Grant to his desk and took out files, flipping them open. “Sawyer has a Saudi princess in a safe house right now. She left her husband and that hasn’t gone over well. He’ll head over there shortly. He speaks Arabic so he was the obvious choice for the job. Bryce is working on another celebrity cyber stalker case – it’s become his niche though he doesn’t want to admit it. He took a bullet for Hayley Wild on his first big assignment. It was headline news at the time. He’s been getting requests from top celebrities ever since.
Grant glanced at Bryce. “Hayley Wild the singer?”
“You know it. We kinda became an item after the dust settled.”
“You’re dating her?”
“We’re all dating our former clients. Colt is married to his.” Bryce said
“You’re kidding me.”
“It just happened. Don’t think too much of it,” Rusty said. “Colt is writing a report on his latest assignment, a Vermont mayor in town for a conference who received some threats from unhappy voters. She’s at tome now, safe and sound. I’ve got a meeting with NYPD later to go over some case files; I consult with them. The guys do that too sometimes. I have a new client…”
“Hey!” Colt said. “Everyone check this out.” He gestured at the news on the TV. “This is big.”
A reporter stood outside of an office building with a microphone, talking over traffic. “We’re live at Flux Pharmaceuticals where head researcher Dr. Courtney Carson is about to give a status update on Chorivirus vaccine development.” The screen switched to the inside of a conference room. A woman stood, unmasked, at a podium. She had a no-nonsense look about her and didn’t seem phased by the surrounding sea of cameras. She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat, lowering the mic to meet her mouth. She spoke in a thick New York accent.
“…after working closely with the CDC and the FDA, we’ve had major breakthroughs in phase three trials,” she said. We believe we’re just a few months away from mass production of our vaccine, which will be fast-tracked to meet global demand.”
The Redmond office erupted in cheers.
“Took ‘em a while,” Sawyer said, still staring intensely at the researcher from Flux speaking on screen.
“You’re worried about Lila,” Colt said, referring to Sawyer’s girlfriend, a resident at Brooklyn United Hospital.
“Yeah, yeah,” Sawyer said. “I don’t like an enemy I can’t see.” He clapped his hands. “About damn time they come up with a vaccine.”
“Vaccines are never developed this fast. They require years of research and testing,” Bryce said. “It’s unprecedented.”
“Spare me the nerd talk.”
“You’re just excited you’ll be able to arm wrestle during lunch again,” Bryce said, grinning, as he returned to his computer.
“You got me there.”
Colt turned the TV’s volume down.
Grant followed Rusty back to his desk.
“So. I have a new client,” Rusty said. “Heiress to a Fortune 500 company from Seattle. In town for a charity event. Needs private security while here. Small job. Perfect to get your feet wet. No imminent danger, though she’s been threatened before.”
“You’re giving me an assignment? I thought I was going on a ride along,” Grant said.
“Not an assignment,” Rusty said. “More like a trial. See if you like the work.” He passed the file to Grant.
“Alright, I’m game.”
“You start tomorrow. If you have any questions, call me. Get some rest today, you must be jet lagged. Oh, and thanks for the chocolates. I didn’t actually expect you to get them. Kaylin will be happy.”
“No problem.”
“See you tomorrow.”
* * *
New York Citywas nothing like Colorado or the army post in Afghanistan. It was teeming with people at all hours of the day. Even though they were closed, Grant had never seen this many restaurants in such close proximity to each other. With the new take-out and delivery policies, he could have food from across the city delivered every night.
He had a good first impression of Rusty and his team. They were all ex-army just like him. A true brotherhood. They reminded him of the guys in his old unit. With his body still aching, he knew he would have to give it all he had to keep up with the guys at Redmond. He welcomed the new challenge.
