Hidden Impact (Safeguard #1)(16)
“And you have a contract for the hiring of your services?” Maylin could grasp the formalities, and they were there to protect all involved parties. She’d learned that the hard way running her own business.
“Caleb can draw one up. He’s the squadron’s ops person back at HQ.” Gabe didn’t sound worried.
“For investigation into her disappearance and...extraction? Is that what you call it?” Maylin pushed because none of them had committed yet. And she needed it, in writing.
Gabe pushed away from the counter, then hesitated. She lifted her chin and refused to look away from his considering gaze. Finally, he said, “One step at a time. There may be no one to retrieve.”
Not a single one of their faces gave her any encouragement.
Fine. She’d have enough hope for them all. “If she’s out there and we find evidence she is, will you help me get her back?”
She watched as Gabe exchanged a look with each of his people. There was nothing she could read between any of them. But she waited anyway. There were no other options.
“If.” Gabe ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Fine, if. Then yes, we will talk about what it will take to get her back for you.”
*
There were too many unknown variables.
Gabe watched Maylin continue to chat with his team. Considering the way they were already warming up to her, a lot of the investigation work could be done pro bono. If asked, his team members would likely say it was better than being bored.
It was what he would say too.
His fire team might be out of rotation, on leave in the US while they healed up from their latest mission overseas, but eventually they’d cycle back and rejoin a squadron for their next contract. The Centurion Corporation had several squadrons deployed around the world, how many and where depended on the contract and the nature of their clients. Where there was conflict, there was a need for private military contractors.
As much as his team needed the rest, every one of them, including him, had been itching to do something after the first couple of weeks hanging around Centurion Corporation’s Seattle base. That was when Gabe had suggested to their leadership that they take on the lighter duty, local bodyguard contracts. Didn’t require as much physical activity and kept them all sharp.
It’d made sense. Then he’d encountered Maylin.
He watched the woman as she made yet another omelet for Marc and Seth, demonstrating how she made layers of cooked egg and rolled it.
His team was already getting engaged, attached to their client. Maylin wasn’t some aloof wealthy personage hiring them for personal security. She was a warm, genuinely nice, dangerously likeable person with a talent for feeding hungry people.
And she was good at what she did. He’d seen her in action last night. She’d managed her catering team with cool efficiency. Her people came to her with issues and she was calm, decisive in handling anything brought to her attention. Always smiled for the guests, never broke a sweat. And the entire time she’d been worried about her sister and recovering from the craptastic rebuff he’d given her.
Yeah. He’d been slick. A real pro way to handle a situation.
And he might choke on the sarcasm of his own thoughts.
Hell.
He sighed and placed his hands on the counter. His team stopped the chatter almost immediately, all of their attention turned to him. Maylin followed their cues, her green eyes wide. Hopeful.
“For starters, we’ll head back to your apartment and try to get some intel on exactly who is after you.”
She frowned. “An-mei is the one who’s missing.”
He nodded. “And for some reason someone tried to run you down last night and took the time to bug your apartment. Unless you’re involved with the Chinese mafia or some other illicit activity, is it safe to say that sort of thing might be related to your inquiries about your sister?”
Her lips pressed into a tight line and her cheeks flushed pink with either embarrassment or anger. Considering the spark in her eyes, he’d guess both. And damn it, he didn’t like it.
He looked to his team. Every one of their faces was carefully blank. They’d never voice their disagreement in front of a client. They respected him too much to undermine his authority. But the carefully neutral expressions they’d all put into place told him enough. He was being too much of a hard-ass.
He really hated these heart-string contracts. They always ended up a complicated mess.
“Look, it’s the best lead we have, and it’ll take the entire team to sweep the apartment.” See? He could be reasonable. Nice even. “We stand the best chance of getting good intel the sooner we go.”
Maylin nodded, a determined look taking the place of her earlier embarrassment. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Five
“All right,” Marc began. “We know there’s audio surveillance in the apartment. What we need is to confirm whether there’s video. We also need one or more samples of those devices.”
The team was stuffed into an SUV, which normally would be comfortable for a group of four plus Maylin, but somehow seemed a tight fit for Gabe’s group. It wasn’t as if they had a lot of gear or that anyone was particularly bulky in build. Each of them had a strong personality and carried an indefinable sense of pent-up energy. Gabe was driving, while Lizzy had shotgun and Marc and Victoria rode in the back. They’d insisted Maylin ride in the middle row, making her a part of the conversation. She was grateful for it. They didn’t have to but it went a long way toward easing her nerves.