The Last Protector(Clayton White #1)(16)

My God, am I in love? Veronica felt her cheeks blush. Oh shit. Am I really? Deep down, she knew the answer to that. And she’d known for a while now. She’d had other lovers, but she had never dared think of any man as hers before. Not until Clayton White.

I have no time for this, she thought, her stomach in knots. No time at all.

Maybe they could continue to see each other from time to time, once her father was fully sworn in, once Clay was assigned other duties? The inauguration was only six weeks away. She was planning on being there, of course. It would be nice if Clayton could be her plus-one at the ceremony. Not as one of her close-protection agents, but as the man in her life. She had a feeling her dad would approve of her relationship. Alexander Hammond didn’t give his blessing easily, but it wasn’t much of a leap of faith to say he was fond of Clay.

Especially since Maxwell’s death in Afghanistan, she thought, remembering how devastated her dad had been about Clay’s dad’s passing.

Sometimes she wondered if her dad already knew about them. He was a very, very difficult man to read. If he did, he hadn’t confronted her about it or mentioned anything to her mother. Veronica’s mom wouldn’t be able to keep that kind of secret for long.

She sighed. Heaven help her—she needed Clay in her life.

She used the hair dryer to defog the mirror and spent the next ten minutes getting ready for her big night.



While Veronica was getting dressed, White changed into his tuxedo, which wasn’t super comfortable with the soft body armor underneath his shirt, and returned to her room. He replaced his earbud in his ear and performed a radio check with XJD-31 to ensure proper communications. He then confirmed that all of his five agents were in position and that the site was green, free of imminent danger. Nobody had anything to report. They were ready to go.

When Veronica came out of the bathroom, he took an involuntary step back. She was beautiful. She wore a long, fitted red dress with a pair of black Louboutin stilettos. Her unruly brown hair was now loose and cascading in soft waves over her shoulders. Her green eyes were sparkling, just like the simple but elegant diamond necklace she wore.

“You clean up nicely, Mr. Bond,” Veronica said before White could utter a single word. “You look dashing in that tux.”

He opened his mouth to say something witty but decided otherwise. “And you look marvelous, darling,” he said in his best British accent. “Absolutely marvelous.”

She gave him a flirtatious smile. “Shall we?”

He hesitated. His heart was beating so fast he thought it was going to come right through his chest. Suddenly, the only thing he could think about was the blue box in his pocket. Veronica seemed to sense his hesitation.

She frowned. “What’s wrong, Clay? You all right?”

White took a deep breath, smiled, and got down on one knee in front of her. From the breast pocket of his tuxedo jacket, he pulled out the small blue box. He cracked it open, revealing a two-carat diamond engagement ring.

Veronica jumped, covering her mouth with her hands. Her eyes lit up in surprise.

“Veronica Hammond, I’m no saint, and I’m no hero. I’m just a man who loves you. But every moment I spend with you, you inspire me to become a better person. Your passion to make a difference in this world is contagious. I want in. I want to be part of your future, and you part of mine,” he said, pausing before his voice cracked.

Veronica’s eyes shone wet. Her bottom lip trembled.

White continued, “Most people don’t believe in soul mates. I do. I swear I’ll stand by your side through the good days, but also through the worst of days. Veronica Hammond, will you—”

And that’s when White heard the first gunshot.





CHAPTER TEN


The Ritz-Carlton


San Francisco, California

Van Heerden knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet, but the operation had started smoothly. Two of his men had already reported back to him. The Secret Service drivers were dead, and Van Heerden’s men had taken possession of the two government SUVs. They had performed well, and, most importantly, silently. As far as Van Heerden could tell, no alarm had been activated. The Secret Service mobile communications unit van was next. He didn’t expect the two well-trained mercenaries he had assigned to the van to encounter any serious resistance. Once the mobile communications unit was down, the two men would move out of the danger zone and go to a staging area a couple of neighborhoods away to await further instructions.

Van Heerden inserted a magazine into his pistol and racked the slide. He then released the magazine and pressed another round into it, assuring a full load. He reinserted the magazine into the pistol’s grip and dropped the black suppressor into his coat pocket for later use.

“Albert, this is Chuck,” crackled a voice in his ear.

“Go for Albert.”

“I’m with Daniel, and our target isn’t where he’s supposed to be. We walked the whole floor twice. Do you want us to breach the room?”

Chuck and Daniel were Van Heerden’s best men. The three of them had served together in the Recces, and they had all transitioned out of the South African military around the same time. Chuck and Daniel were highly capable warriors, hence the reason Van Heerden had tasked them with the most important assignment. Their job was to neutralize the bodyguard standing outside Veronica Hammond’s door and secure the vice president-elect’s daughter.