Deadly Testimony (Safeguard #2)(4)
Someone, however, did. “Safeguard Division is relatively new, Mr. Yeun. Most of our permanent resources are out in the field. It is also Sunday.”
An impressively built man stepped around the corner, the one blind corner anywhere near where they were seated.
Kyle stood smoothly as his combined US Marshal and police escort scrambled to their feet. All of them were trying to appear unfazed but none of them had heard the man approach. Maybe it was the open layout of the premises. Kyle had expected to realize someone was approaching—see or hear something—but this man had caught them all unaware.
Having used similar tactics to put colleagues off balance in high-powered boardroom meetings, Kyle had to respect a well-executed play.
Tall, dark, the epitome of quietly dangerous, the man was dressed in a simple black collared polo and black slacks. He held out a hand. “I’m Gabriel Diaz, current lead here.”
Kyle took the offered hand and shook it. The man’s grip was firm and sure without the accompanying effort to squeeze too much. Gabriel Diaz was not a man with something to prove.
“Thank you for seeing me outside of normal business hours.” If such things existed for people who conducted their sort of activities. An offshoot of a private contract organization specializing in personal security, these people were still mercenaries regardless of how impressively they presented themselves.
Kyle, on the other hand, was the proof against his former employer and he needed allies like these Safeguard people.
Diaz lifted a shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “Our line of work rarely keeps the Monday through Friday, nine to five, hours. Why don’t we take one of the pods over here? There are white noise generators to keep our conversation private.”
Kyle proceeded in the indicated direction without waiting for his escort.
One of them, Officer Austin, cleared his throat. “Surprised to see facilities so open to appreciating the view outside.”
Diaz smiled but there wasn’t a lot of humor in the man’s eyes. “We like having clear view on all approaches to the office building. The exterior windows are Thermopane, of course, and blast-resistant. The interior pods are fitted with ballistic-resistant glass in case of unfortunate, unforeseen occurrences. For us, line of sight is incredibly helpful.”
Austin harrumphed. “Business must be going well.”
“We do all right.” Diaz pulled open the glass door to the pod and ushered them in. “Our parent organization, the Centurion Corporation, was willing to invest in these facilities. As I said before, the Safeguard Division is new.”
Deputy Marshal Decker remained a quiet observer throughout. But then, he tended to be a man of few words in Kyle’s experience over the past forty-eight hours. Officers Austin and Weaver didn’t comment further as they took seats on either side of Kyle.
Of course not. Neither of them had revealed personality to speak of over the past several weeks since he’d entered witness protection. And they were both more than minimally put out when he’d insisted on additional security. He’d registered concerns to their superiors at the Seattle PD and the Office of Enforcement Operations responsible for the administration of coordinated US Marshal and local enforcement. Decker hadn’t offered a reaction.
Kyle was not planning to play poker with the man. Ever.
To be honest, Kyle had gone so far because he’d been rattled. There’d been warning signs after the initial appearance at court, escalating to significant threats after the preliminary hearing. None of it could be directly traced to his previous employers, but there weren’t many others with the resources to find him after he’d entered witness protection. Last night’s incident had proven standard safety precautions were obviously insufficient. He was certain there were representatives on the local police force with both the intelligence and sense of humor to be exemplary guardians but, thus far, he’d yet to meet them.
So when he’d encountered someone who might fit his specifications, he’d immediately tracked her down. It hadn’t surprised him at all to find she was attached to a mercenary group. The price tag associated with her services as personal security had been enough to raise even his eyebrows though. The Seattle police department had collectively choked. The OEO had expertly evaded addressing the fees.
“You did mention how new your organization was, yes.” Kyle crossed his legs at the knee, not a posture most men adopted in the United States but Gabriel Diaz didn’t blink. Interesting. Perhaps he’d done business internationally. In Kyle’s experience, body language common to Europe or the Middle East or Asia could make those unfamiliar with it uneasy. “You also mentioned that most of your resources were out in the field. I had the pleasure of witnessing one in action just last night. Were you able to contact her?”
“We’ll want a statement from her.” Weaver sat forward. The woman was brusque at best, and no-nonsense.
Kyle could respect that in a woman but there was no humor left in her. She’d made a career for herself but she’d shown him very little joy in what she did. Cooperating with her was boring at best, unfortunately irritating most of the time.
Diaz raised an eyebrow. “It was my understanding that the Seattle police department didn’t need a statement from Safeguard in regard to the incident last night. My resource was on contract to augment the personal security of a guest at the hotel in question and dispatching potential disruptive elements was within her purview.”