Code Name: Genesis (Jameson Force Security #1)(54)

I jump, reaching for the door handle.

“Get rid of the purse and phone,” he says.

I glance at my phone—at my message typed and ready to go. A sharp pain hits me in the center of my chest for everything that’s probably becoming lost to me in this very moment. My thumb taps the send icon, and the message whooshes away.

My phone falls from my hands. I shrug, making my purse land beside it. After I open the door and slide into the passenger seat, I feel physically sick to my stomach to be sitting so close to him.

I force myself to face him. “You swear you’ll let Lynn go?”

“Scout’s honor,” he says with a leering grin.

“You have no honor,” I snap.

The smile slides from his face, and he bares his teeth. “When I finish with you, you won’t be so sassy.”

His eyes roam over my face, and I pray he doesn’t focus in on my earrings. They’re my only link to Kynan.

He doesn’t pay them any mind. Instead, he says, “Put on your seatbelt.”

I do as he says, woodenly pulling it across my chest and clicking it into place.

“I’m sorry for this,” he says, and I’m surprised by the genuine remorse in his tone.

“Sorry about what?” I grit out, seething with anger he’d dare to apologize for his atrocities.

“About this,” he says, and I feel a sharp pinch in my upper arm. A syringe is plunged in to the hilt. When he pulls it out, my head swims. I’m immediately dizzy, and it’s hard to focus on his face. “Sorry I have to drug you. I like it when you fight, but I need you docile for now.”

“Fuck you,” I try to snarl, but the words are thick and slurred. He’s amused. I can tell by his laugh. It’s the last thing I hear before darkness takes me.





CHAPTER 25




Kynan


When the doorbell rings, I leave my spot at the kitchen island, which has become my makeshift office since I’ve been at Joslyn’s house. She offered me her office, but I didn’t want to disrupt her normal flow of work throughout the day. She spends a lot of time in there, jotting down notes for new song lyrics and playing tunes she made up in her head on a keyboard set up in the corner, which she translates into written music.

I make my way to the front door, disable the alarm, and open it to find Saint Bellinger standing there.

I don’t know much about the man. He’s as mysterious as the night, but he comes with good references. The main one is from my former business partner, Jerico Jameson, whom I bought my company from. Jerico served with Saint briefly in the Marine Corps. He’s apparently a master of breaking into places and moving about unseen. Due to the fact he’s had military training, it makes him a prime recruitment opportunity for me.

Saint is immediately distinguished by the fact he’s wearing a custom-tailored suit that probably costs more than what most people make in a month. His dark hair is perfectly styled. Despite his large build, he stands there with grace. Smiling, I stick my hand out. “Kynan McGrath.”

His return grip is sure and strong. “Saint Bellinger.”

I move out of the threshold, beckoning him into Joslyn’s house. Once he’s in, I close the door, resetting the alarm.

He notices this, nodding at the security panel. “Not often I see a well-accomplished male feel the need to arm the security system while he’s home in broad daylight.”

Chuckling, I pivot away from him, walking into the kitchen. “It’s become force of habit. I’m constantly on my girlfriend’s case to make sure it stays armed at all times.”

The minute the word “girlfriend” rolls off my tongue, a warm feeling pulses through me. I realize how immediately accepting I am of the concept Joslyn is truly mine again.

What other titles will I have for her? Fiancée? Wife? Best friend? Lover? Co-parent?

None of that freaks me out. Instead, it all feels very, very right.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?” I ask as Saint follows me into the kitchen.

“Sure. Black.”

As I set about to make him a cup of java, I fill him in on Joslyn and her stalker. When I finish, I say, “That’s why I’m here in California. But I’ll be headed back to Pittsburgh as soon as this case is wrapped up.”

“I’m interested to hear more about your company,” Saint remarks as he takes a seat at the kitchen island. “Jerico tells me you’re going in a new direction from what he originally envisioned.”

I chuckle, leaning my forearms on the countertop opposite of where he sits. “No offense to Jerico. He’s my best friend. But let’s just say I was getting a little tired of installing security systems and providing bodyguard services to celebrities with big egos and low self-esteem.”

Saint takes a sip of his coffee. After he sets the mug down, he asks point blank. “How exciting is the work you anticipate doing going to be?”

I shrug. “Anything from rescuing a kidnap victim from a South American jungle to stealing shit from America’s known enemies. It’s totally off-the-books stuff our government doesn’t want to be associated with but will gladly pay to have done.”

Saint nods in understanding at the same time my phone buzzes on the counter where I left it next to my laptop. I glance down, seeing a notification Joslyn has sent me a text.