“I thought so.” Derek leaned back in his chair with a grin. “And you still haven’t answered the question.”
Mac sighed loudly, her patience waning. “The bodyguard job, smartass.” She looked over at Trevor and Jake again. “Like I was saying, I’ll watch over the senator’s da—”
“I’ll do it,” Grant cut his teammate off.
All eyes shot to him.
“You sure?” Jake asked, looking as confused as everyone else in the room. “I figured you’d want a break from Cantrell duty, seeing as how you’ve done it twice already.”
From across the table, Mac’s blue eyes met his. “I don’t mind doing it, Grant. Really.”
“I said I’ll do it.”
His curtness left her blinking.
Damn, man. Take it easy.
Grant cleared his throat. “It makes sense for me to take on one of the assignments. I already know the players.”
Trevor gave him a curious glance. “Except this time, you’ll be watching the daughter not the senator. Totally different players in that game.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Maybe not. Either way, Cantrell trusts me, and I’ve already met his daughter, which may help put her more at ease.” An odd desperation pushed him to continue. “This will keep me in the loop. Plus, it’ll give me a chance to see if the threats are coming from anyone within her circle.”
Jake and Trevor shared a look before Jake nodded. “Okay. Coop, you’re with the Senator, and Hill will take his daughter.”
“Lucky bastard.” Coop gave him a sideways smirk.
Their boss grinned. “You two stick around, and I’ll give you some basic intel you’ll need. Trevor has some information Ryker sent over for the rest of you to start going through. Anything suspicious stands out, let Trev know ASAP. I’m going to give Coop and Hill what they need and head back home.”
“Speakin’ of home”—Derek stood as he spoke— “I’m surprised to see you here. Liv feelin’ better?”
“She’s better now that the second trimester has passed,” Jake answered. “We’re both just hoping these last three months go by quickly.”
Mac smiled. “I keep trying to get her to change her mind on the gender reveal thing, but she’s dead set on not finding out the baby’s gender until it’s born.”
“We both are.” Jake beamed. “Plus, Mike is supposed to be back for the birth, and Liv thought it would be more exciting for him if we wait.”
“About damn time her brother came back,” Trevor commented. “I’m hoping to talk him into joining the team.”
“Me, too,” Jake nodded. “He wasn’t too receptive when he left. I figure I’ll wait until after Liv delivers to open that conversation again.”
Back in the day, Olivia’s brother, Mike had been on the same Delta Force team as Jake until he was pulled into a deep cover assignment that lasted over a decade. It also required everyone in his life to believe he was dead.
Mac squealed. “I can’t wait for the baby to get here. My vote’s for a girl, by the way. And I’m totally going to teach her all the kick-ass sniper tricks I know.”
Grant tried not to grumble. He was happy for Jake and his wife, especially after everything those two had been through. But he had a sense of urgency to get this job started as soon as possible.
Wonder why.
Finally, after the baby talk ceased and the others left to go meet in Trevor’s office, Jake, Coop, and Grant went over some basic info.
For the next several minutes, Grant shared with Coop any pertinent information he’d learned from his time spent guarding the senator. Once that was covered, Jake handed Grant a folder with intel regarding Brynnon Cantrell. Basic information they needed when taking any personal bodyguard assignment.
Age. Date of birth. Place of residence. Occupation...
“She flips houses?” Grant asked aloud. He couldn’t help but be a bit surprised by that fact.
“She does,” Jake confirmed. “And she makes a pretty good living doing it.”
