Page 62 of Deadly Alliance

Chapter Twenty-Three

Emme feltthe excitement curdle in her tummy as she ran to answer the front door. Swinging it back she took in the man that was standing there and ushered him in with a smile.

“Kingsley it is so good to see you! How was the trip?”

He stepped in, a massive rucksack on his back and gave her a grin as he dropped it inside. “Trip was good. I’m excited to get started.”

“Have you sorted out digs yet or will you stay here with us?” Emme and Shane had decided to offer the spare rooms to the team members until they could find a place of their own during the relocation.

“I’ve rented an apartment close by, but I can’t move in until the end of the month, so only a few days. I can crash at the motel.”

“Absolutely not, we have room here. Come through. Shane is on the back deck looking through the application forms we have filtered.”

Emme walked through the long hallway that led to the back deck. It was so hard to believe she was here in Miami living her dream with the man she loved. It had taken them a few months to handle the logistics of it all and Shane had come out before her while she helped sort a few issues at Fortis. He had managed to come back to the UK for Christmas though, and she had flown back with him.

Her family had not taken the news of her move to the States well, although they had seemed to like Shane well enough. She knew it would take time for them to come to terms with things and despite them all being pains in the ass she did love them, and knew it was from a good place. But she had her own path to forge and that was what she and Shane were doing—together somewhere where she had the freedom to do that. She had no doubt her brothers would drop in though and she hoped they did and saw the woman she was becoming not the girl they all thought she was still.

The crazy man had proposed properly to her on their first night in this house that now felt like home, insisting that from the very beginning those rings had been hers and he wouldn’t settle until they were all back on her finger where they belonged. A date was not set, they were in no rush and being his fiancée was enough for her.

The year could not be starting any better for her and Shane. They had secured the premises, and she loved her new home. It was like waking up in a dream every day. Emme had to keep pinching herself to make sure it was real. Pushing through the doors she smiled at Shane as he looked up and then seeing Knight moved to his feet to shake the man’s hand.

“Hey, Kingsley, good to see you.” Knight took it and grinned back. “Do you prefer Kingsley or Knight?” Shane asked with a quirk of his head.

“Good to be here. I’m excited to get started and I prefer Knight, only my mum and sister call me Kingsley.” He laughed then.

“Knight it is then and good because the first thing we need to do is finalise the team. We have it nailed down to these nine, but I would appreciate your input.”

Knight pulled up a chair beside Shane as Emme set out drinks for the three of them.

They had already talked about how things would be run, and although they would ultimately be in charge neither wanted to run a company that was just for profit. They had agreed they would take pro-bono cases if they felt it was right and they also wanted to take every advantage of the experience of the people they would hire, and that meant listening to what they thought and their opinions on things.

She loved what she’d had with Fortis and wanted to create a similar atmosphere of family here. Emme had had a few conversations with Zack and Lance who had offered valuable input for them, and she knew it wouldn’t be the only time she turned to the two men for guidance.

Shane spread the application forms on the table. “First up we have Alex Webb, thirty-three, ex-Delta Force and has expertise in counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence. He has received a commendation from the brass and comes highly recommended.”

Knight nodded as he took his file and read through it, nodding. “He seems like an excellent candidate. What are your plans regarding getting them to gel as a team?”

“We’re planning to put them through the same training regime and bond building that Purgatory uses. Similar to any SF unit so we can make sure they work together well and form a cohesive unit. So that when it is put to the test we know they will work as one,” Emme answered.

“Okay, next up we have Malco Aguilar, thirty-four and a former Green Beret. Expertise is hostage rescue and counter-narcotics. He is an amputee and was honourably discharged after a landmine explosion caused him to lose the bottom half of his right leg. He is a personal recommendation from Owen Sorenson.”

“Good enough for me,” answered Knight as Shane handed him the next file.

“The next is my friend Nicholas Hale. Nick is thirty-seven, and we were in the Teams together. He lost his sister to Ellen Long,” Shane said with a tight voice.

Emme rested her hand on his leg knowing he still struggled with the loss of his best friend’s baby sister. He took her hand and squeezed gently before he winked at her.

“Nick is a mechanic and strike ops expert. He is my recommendation, but if people feel it will cause an issue, I won’t have him on the team.”

“Not a problem for me, at all.”

Shane seemed to relax a bit. And Emme would have overruled Knight’s objections anyhow.

“Good.” Shane blew out a breath knowing his friend needed this badly. “Now we have Mercy Broussard, age thirty. She is NOPD SWAT, but quit before starting to work as a stuntwoman, and she is also an acrobatic flight expert and bush pilot. I think she will be instrumental and Emme has met her and was very impressed. Dee has been her friend for years and vouches for her.”

“She seems very competent, and I didn’t see any chips on her shoulder.” Knight nodded.

“Wolf Murdock is thirty-seven, a Texas Ranger and former US Marshall. His skills lie in infiltration and undercover work. He recently got out of a long-term undercover operation with a Columbian drug cartel and wanted out. Like most undercover work he was finding it more and more difficult to be radio silent and not lose himself. He wants a change of pace, and I think he will be a great asset to us for short-term undercover work, even for training.”