His Guarded Heart
By Lia Davis
Genre: MM Military Romance
Blurb
Senator Beau Beckett refuses to lay low because of a few death
threats on postcards. His new bodyguard isn’t going to convince him otherwise.
At least not until the threat becomes real and his four year old daughter’s
safety is jeopardized. He has no choice but to work with his cocky and sexy Agent
Wolfe to stay alive.
Federal Security Protection agent, Judd Wolfe doesn’t play by the
rules. His out-of-the-box way of getting things done lands him a babysitting
job. But being Senator Beckett’s bodyguard while staying out of his bed becomes
his biggest challenge as passion ignites between the men.
Excerpts 1:
“I discovered
a pattern in the computer systems Smith hacked into.”
Judd nodded
as he leaned over Tate’s shoulder while the other agent explained his theory on
the breaches. The computer systems Smith had hacked were all high-security
sites ranging from foreign weaponry and security to classified US government
files. A few were JAG case files. “He’s definitely looking for something to do
with Beckett.”
Sims shook
his head. “Information on the senator. It doesn’t make sense. Everything is so
random.”
“The senator
is at his office every day. He most likely has the same routine. Why wouldn’t
Smith just take a shot?” Judd straightened. They were missing something. Some
key piece of data.
“The JAG
files Smith stole were case files Beckett prosecuted.” Sims flipped through the
pages of the folder in front of him.
Judd shook
his head, still not a hundred percent convinced. “What about the weapons and
security files?”
“Not sure
about the weapons file. Most of them weren’t classified, and the information
can be found on most public sites. As for the security files, Smith could use
some of the information to bypass security at the senator’s office. Or he could
just be using them to throw us off his trail.” Closing the file folder, Sims
handed it to him. “My full report is in there. You’ll find everything you need
to familiarize yourself with the senator, as well as my theories on Walter’s
motives.”
Suspicion
crawled up Judd’s spine like icy fingers on sunburned skin. “Why do I need
this?”
At that
moment, Daryl stormed into the room, hard lines etched into his face. “Wolfe,
my office. Now.”
Dread smacked
into Judd, weighing down his chest as he followed his boss into the office.
They may have been friends for over fifteen years, but when they were at work,
Daryl didn’t hold back on the ass-kicking. Standing with his feet apart, Judd
waited.
“I’m this close.” Daryl held up two fingers
pressed together before turning to the window. “I can’t cover for you anymore.
In fact, I’m done. That whole idiotic fly-off bullshit this afternoon was my
last straw.”
Judd stared
out the window past Daryl’s head. He remained silent, not because he had
nothing to say, but because his CO was right. There was no excuse for his
impulsive nature. It was irresponsible to run into the warehouse without
further research. Like every other choice in his life, the act had been
reckless.
He’d been
forced into retiring from the Air Force due to medical disability, but he knew
the truth. His commanding officers had finally had a worthy excuse to push him
out. He’d been right to follow his gut then. Just like he was now.
Walter Smith
needed to be stopped.
Turning to
face him, Daryl pinned Judd with a hard stare. “This case is your last chance.
The only reason I’m not kicking you out on your ass now is because I need to
ensure the senator stays alive, and I can’t afford to be shorthanded with
Marshall on leave.” He pointed to the folder Judd clutched in his hand. “Study
that file until you memorize it. I do mean every note before you go to the
senator’s office in the morning.”
Judd glanced
down, then back up. “Why me? These are Sims’ notes.”
“Because
you’re Beckett’s new bodyguard.”
Excerpts 2:
“I don’t need
a bodyguard.” Beau fisted his hands atop his desk.
“It’s not
your choice. The orders came from—”
Beau slammed
a palm against the wood, silencing his chief of staff, then took some deep,
slow breaths. Notes on postcards weren’t reason enough to call in a Federal
Protective Service agent to cover his personal security. “I know where the
orders came from.”
FPS didn’t
usually play babysitter unless the orders came from the President, which told
Beau they had made a threat assessment and the results must be grave. Yet, no
one would explain to him how serious. With a sigh, he sat back in his chair and
tapped his fingers against the desktop. “It was two separate incidents, both of
them accidents.”
Jaw
tightening, Greta folded her arms and stared at him. No doubt his chief of
staff wanted to choose her words carefully. If she’d known about the notes, she
wouldn’t have waited this long to escalate the security issue. “I have to disagree,
sir. Those so-called accidents were avoidable, and happened in public places.”
She pointed
to the file she placed on his desk upon entering his office. “The file has
everything you need to know about your new security detail.”
Exhaling a
heavy, growl-like breath, Beau opened the file and scanned over the details.
Judd Wolfe
Intelligence Security Lead
Federal Protective Services, Homeland
Security
“Would you
like me to cancel your dinner reservations?”
Beau raised a
brow and returned his attention to Greta. “No. I’ll just take my babysitter
with me.”
She pursed
her lips. “Judd Wolfe is not a babysitter. He’s a highly trained operative.”
“I can read.
Thank you, Greta. That is all.”
When she
didn’t move, he raised his gaze to meet hers and lifted a brow. With a huff,
she pivoted on her heels and left. Beau returned his attention to the file.
Wolfe had served in the Air Force from the time he turned eighteen until three
years ago. The records in front of Beau said it was an honorable discharge due
to an injury in the field, but gave no details. Figures. Military documents listed only the most basic information.
Nothing else.
A heavy knock
on the door drew his attention. It swung inward, revealing a tall man with lean
muscles that filled out his white button down and black slacks well. Even the
briefcase in his hand didn’t take away from his attractiveness. Beau studied
him from his shaved head to the strong, clean-shaven, yet familiar face before
he locked onto the agent’s stern stare. The dark brown depths told him nothing
of the man’s emotions. Cold and uninviting. The memory of a younger version of
the man before him flashed across Beau’s mind. Then it dawned on him. Beau had
represented Judd Wolfe a couple of times during his time as a JAG.
“I see the Air Force didn’t make you less of
an ass.” Beau watched one dark brow rise.
“No. I’d say
the same about you.”
Beau stifled
his amusement behind a slight rise of his mouth. As his lawyer, Beau had found
it entertaining to get under Wolfe’s skin. “Who did you piss off to get
babysitting detail?”
Judd lifted
one shoulder as he moved to the windows along the wall behind Beau, scanning
the grounds outside. “The list is too long.”
“So tell me, why has Homeland Security put a
bodyguard on me?”
Meeting his stare, Wolfe narrowed his eyes. “You’ve been
targeted for assassination.”
Excerpt 3:
Beau had been
in his office working like any normal day for an hour, his staff still unaware
that he had a huge target on his back. His stomach was in knots from letting
his daughter go off with Agent Summers. It was hard to concentrate. Every five
minutes he checked the time, wondering what Angel was doing.
“You need to
relax Senator, before someone notices and starts asking questions.” Like the
day before, Judd sat in a chair in the corner of the office.
“Can we get
this over with?” Beau was going to go postal any moment. Couldn’t he just go to
the news station and tell Smith to meet him somewhere, end this bullshit once
and for all?
“Are you
supposed to be signing something or meeting with someone?”
Beau rolled
his eyes and thumbed through the report Mark had dropped off the day before.
The pros of the expansion project outweighed the cons, as he’d expected, so he
signed off on the report and turned to his computer to type up the draft.
A loud,
deliberate sounding yawn came from Judd a moment before he stood. “I’m going to
hit the head. You need anything?”
“From the
bathroom? No thanks.”
Judd’s arms
caged him in his chair as the agent lowered himself to Beau’s level. They locked
gazes, and Beau saw a mix of playfulness peeking out from behind worry. There
was a long hesitation before Judd spoke. “Make it look real, senator.”
Beau narrowed
his gaze on his bodyguard as the agent left the office. Shaking his head, he
returned to the computer and set to work. About three minutes later, a large man
in a ski mask barged into his office, gun drawn.
Beau jumped
up, stumbling backward. Judd had said to make it look real, so that was what he
would do. He gripped the headrest of the chair and flung it at the gunman. The
guy deflected the chair, giving Beau time to dart out of the office and call
out to his chief of staff. “Greta call security.”
With
wide-eyes, she scrambled toward him. “I already did.”
Beau shoved
her down the hall toward the front. “Have you seen Judd?”
Shaking, she
stuttered. “N-no.”
She screamed
just as the masked man grabbed ahold of Beau’s arm and jerked him to his side.
The barrel of the attacker’s gun pressed into Beau’s temple. “No one move.” The
man barked as he tugged Beau to the door.
The sound of
feet pounding on the floor drew Beau’s attention to the rush of people
scattering out of the way. Then he locked gazes with Judd, who blocked the exit
with his gun aimed at Beau’s attacker.
“Let him go,
Smith.”
Without a
word, Mr. Ski Mask pointed the gun at Judd and fired. Beau yelled, his heart
stopping briefly as he elbowed the guy in the stomach hard enough that his grip
slipped. Beau advanced toward Judd but didn’t make it. Pain exploded in his head
and he fell to the floor, the room around him going dark.
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