by Renée Jaggér
I frowned. “Who peed in his bran flakes? Or is he always like that?”
“He takes some getting used to.” Ronan’s eyes sparkled with a smile his face didn’t show as he rose to extend a hand to me. “I’m glad you came. I was starting to think you wouldn’t.”
I shook his hand the way I’d been taught in my job interview classes. A good, firm handshake was supposed to be the best introduction. “To be honest with you, I almost didn’t. Working for you seems like it might be kind of dangerous.”
“Would you believe me if I said it isn’t usually?”
“Probably not.” I glanced at the piano. The last time I’d seen one of those must’ve been while I was deployed. There was a music school in the village where we were stationed, and you could tell time by the different songs being played. The more complex the song, the later in the day it was.
“Do you play?” he asked, pulling me out of the memory.
“Only Chopsticks. Afraid I’m not all that musically inclined.”
“It helps me think. But we can go elsewhere. Walter, the last head of security, didn’t like being in here either.”
I realized he was frowning, and I was holding myself stiffly. I must’ve looked uncomfortable as hell. “No, it’s not that. I don’t care. It’s just… Well, this is awkward. I haven’t been to a job interview in a long time. My friend got me the job at Kloud9, and before that, I was in Iraq.”
“Then don’t think of it as a job interview, at least not in the traditional sense.” He gestured to an empty chair and pulled another one over. “Most job interviews are pointless, you know. By the time you’ve shown up, the employer has already done all the research they need and made up their mind.”
“And have you? Made up your mind about me?”
Ronan smiled and crossed his arms. “Why Kloud9?”
His question surprised me. I’d been expecting an answer, or at least a non-answer, not another question. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve got an exemplary record as far as I can tell. You’re more than capable with a gun. You made some very good shots last night. You reacted quickly to a potentially dangerous situation and saved lives. Even when you misjudged what you were up against, you were able to act under pressure. I’m sure some of that is thanks to your military background, but not everyone could do what you did.” He leaned forward. “You know you are worth more than that place was paying you. So why work there?”
I shrugged. “What else should I be doing?”
He sighed and sat back, his expression disappointed. I hadn’t given him the answer he was hoping for.
I need to recover. “When I came back, work was scarce,” I continued. “I could’ve taken a job in a factory, I suppose. I know they pay more, but I didn’t want to stand on a line every day doing mindless work. I want to help people. To matter.”
Ronan nodded slowly. “I understand that. But with your training, you’d be a great candidate for a more traditional line of work. You might make an excellent police officer, for example. Why security and not the police academy?”
I considered the question carefully. A lot of former military went into law enforcement, but it wasn’t for me. “Too much red tape. I knew there would be situations where I’d want to intervene, but all the rules and regulations would keep me from being able to do anything. The idea of walking away from someone I could’ve helped doesn’t sit well with me.”
“Now, that I believe. The position I want to offer you has some rules, but for the most part, I’d leave things to your judgment. I need someone who won’t wait for permission to act if the situation calls for it, but who also knows when to back off. I won’t lie to you. Most days will probably be boring, but if last night proves anything, it’s that I need someone capable at my side. You proved you can handle yourself, even when going up against something…unusual.”
“Something?” I repeated. “Not someone? What was that guy?”
He crossed one leg over the other and folded his fingers over his knee, staring at me in silence.
“No offense, Ronan, but if you can’t tell me what the threats are, how can you expect me to take the job?” I stood. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not sure it’s for me.”
He waited until I was halfway to the door before saying, “The creature that attacked me last night was a vampire, and I have every reason to believe he won’t be the last to try. My life is in danger, Callie. So is yours.”
Chapter Five
I wouldn’t have believed him if he hadn’t said it with a straight face. Vampires? Was this guy for real? Then again, I’d seen the attacker grow fangs and move supernaturally fast. He’d also turned to dust when I drove an oversized stick into his chest. Those things fit vampires, as far as I knew.
That didn’t mean I had to buy his story. I folded my arms and stayed where I was. “Let me get this straight. You want me not only to believe vampires are real but that for some reason, they’re out to get you? You do realize you sound like a paranoid weirdo? Why are they trying to kill you?”
“You saw him.” Ronan avoided the question and rose to his feet. “And it’s not just vampires. There are other things. Whatever they are, I’m confident you can handle them.”
I shook my head. “I really don’t think—”
“This isn’t the first time you’ve encountered them, is it? You saw them before in Iraq.”
My jaw snapped shut. How could he know about that? Not only had I been told not to speak of it, but every mention of the incident had been wiped out of the records. My dead squadmates had been officially listed as missing in action.
Ronan walked to a small shelf near the piano and pulled a file out from under some books. He held it up so I could see it. “I read your account. I know what you saw. I know you believe me, even if you don’t want to. You came here for answers, Callie. You can’t ignore the answer because you don’t like it.”
“You’re not supposed to know about that. You can’t know that. The records were all destroyed.” I clenched my fists to keep my hands from shaking.
“Not all the records. I have ways of finding information when I want it.” He opened the file, reading from a document inside. “The perpetrator was bipedal and moved faster than I was able to perceive. I heard Private Jensen call out, then a burst of gunfire. By the time I arrived, he was bleeding out. I attempted to apply first aid in the field, but was unsuccessful.”
“That’s my personal statement.” I stormed across the room and tried to take the folder from him.
He held it out of reach. “You know there are more threats out there than idiots picking fights in parking lots, Callie. Come work for me. Do something that will make a difference.” Ronan lowered the folder and held it out to me. “You don’t have to decide now. There’s a sheet in the front with my offer on it. I think you’ll find it fair.”
I opened the folder. True to his word, the top page contained a list of benefits that came with the position, including a staggeringly good healthcare plan. At the bottom of the page, he’d written a six-figure number. “That isn’t a real salary. No bodyguard makes that much.” I almost asked him what the catch was, but he’d already told me: I’d have to deal with vampires and who-knew-what-else that might be trying to kill him.
I closed the folder. “What if I decline?”
“I think you’d be stupid to walk away, but I won’t stop you.” Ronan put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “The vampire you killed last night was part of a larger group. They’ll be looking to avenge their fallen friend, Callie. You won’t be safe until the threat against my life is dealt with. Not only that, but think about the closure you’d be able to offer the families of your fallen brothers-in-arms.”
I shook my head. “I’m not allowed to tell anyone anything.”
“You’re missing my point. The military might’ve sealed those files and threatened you into silence, but I won’t do that.” He sighed and took a step back. “As I said, you don’t have to decide toda
y. Take the day. Think it over. Maybe re-read some of what’s in that file.
“I will need an answer by this time tomorrow. I can’t go for long without someone to watch my back. I believe you’re the one to do it, but I can’t force you.” Ronan stepped around me and opened the door. “You have my card?”
I nodded.
“Good. Thomas will show you out.”
My mind was racing during the walk to the front door. Ronan was offering me answers. Well, not just me, but answers for the families of my squadmates. Their faces flashed in front of my eyes. I tried to imagine what their families might be going through, and how difficult it was for them, not knowing. They still thought their loved ones were just missing, and were probably holding out hope for a safe return. If I told them their husbands, fathers, sons weren’t coming home, would that help or hurt?
The chill of the November air snapped me out of it. I rushed to my dented wreck of a car and sat in the driver’s seat. I turned the key, fully intending to get back on the highway and drive home. If I hurried, I could still catch Sam before they had class. Even Sam would be able to see that working for Ronan was a bad idea. My predecessor had been murdered by a vampire, and Ronan was certain there were more vampires after him. Not only that, but they’d be after me once they figured out I’d staked the last one.
I don’t need Ronan’s job to protect myself from vampires. What was he going to do for me that I couldn’t do? How about a six-figure income? I sighed and flipped the folder in the passenger seat open for another look at the promised salary. It didn’t feel real to have this opportunity in front of me. Part of me wanted to sign on just for the money. So what if there were vampires involved? I’d already fought one and lived. Hell, I’d already survived two vampire attacks, if you counted the one in Iraq.
Sam hasn’t, I thought. If the vampires did decide to come after me, the loft was the first place they’d look. Sam might’ve been a lot of things, but they weren’t a fighter. They weren’t into guns or weapons or any form of self-defense. If a vampire broke into our place looking for me, that’d be it for them. I had to do something to protect Sam. At the very least, we needed to upgrade the locks and invest in serious home security. We might even be better off moving somewhere else as soon as we could afford it, though they’d want to stay close to their school.
This wasn’t just about me anymore. I had to protect my friend. Besides, Ronan was right; I was more than qualified for the job. And didn’t I owe the families of my squadmates justice? Finding the answers didn’t mean I had to share them, but they’d be there if someone ever came to me, wanting to know what happened.
Then there was the money. A six-figure salary was life-changing. Sure, maybe I could get another, less dangerous job that offered great money and good benefits, but Ronan would give me something I didn’t think I could find anywhere else.
Okay, Callie, those are the pros. Now, what are the cons? Well, I might die, for starters. That was what had happened to the last guy in the position. Not only that, but I don’t know the first thing about Ronan. He didn’t seem like a bad person, and I trusted my gut when it came to people. If there was something off about him, I’d have sensed it.
Once I thought about it, there was only one reason not to take the job—it was dangerous. Since when had I ever turned down something because it might put me in harm’s way? If anything, I had a history of seeking out dangerous work. Looking at the offer from that perspective, this was the perfect job for me.
I sighed and rested my head against the steering wheel. Don’t make me regret this, brain, I thought, and got back out of the car.
Chapter Six
Thomas answered the door when I knocked. “Back so soon, Miss Hart? Did you forget something?”
“I need to see Ronan again.”
He stepped back and gestured for me to go back to the music room. Ronan was at the window by the bookshelf, absently flipping through a copy of Great Expectations by Dickens, as I could see by the title on the cover. Had I ever read that one? It might’ve been required in high school, but I didn’t recall what it was about. It certainly didn’t seem like the sort of thing real people kept in their libraries.
“The only people who read Dickens are high school teachers or masochists,” I said from the doorway.
Ronan looked up from the book and snapped it closed with one hand, smirking. “How do you know I’m not the latter?”
“As much money as you’re offering me, I can’t say I care what you do in your free time. Unless it’s a danger to your personal safety, that is.”
“And here I thought I’d scared you off with my talk of assassination plots and vampires.”
I grunted and crossed my arms. “Scare me? Please, I’ve been on the 70/71 interchange at rush hour on Thanksgiving weekend. You’ll have to work a little harder if you want to scare me.”
He slid the book back into place. “I might yet. So, should I get the employment paperwork for you?”
“First,” I said, holding up a hand, “I have questions I need answered before I sign anything.”
“Fire away.”
“What hours are we talking about?”
He shrugged. “Full-time. Occasional overtime. You’ll be in charge of the whole security team, so the hours are yours to delegate how you want.”
“Travel?”
“I travel several times a week. All your expenses will be covered, and you’ll be paid for travel time on the job.”
“Where to?”
He smiled. “London, Milan, Barcelona, Paris, New York, Berlin… This time of year, I’m doing two photoshoots a week, as many as four a week in the summer.”
I blinked. I’d been halfway around the world, but I hadn’t expected to do a lot of traveling when I got back—not that I didn’t want to. Who doesn’t want to visit a new city every week? But that meant a lot of time on the road in unfamiliar places with people I didn’t know very well. It would seem like being deployed all over again, without the drills. “That’s…a lot of travel.”
“Trust me when I say it gets old very quickly.” Ronan shrugged. “Any other questions for me?”
“A few. There are vampires out there; we covered that much. Anything else I should be aware of?”
Ronan hesitated.
I sighed and folded my arms over my chest. “You want me to protect you, I need to know everything. I can’t protect you effectively if I don’t know what I’m up against. Now, what else out there in the wild world wants to kill you, Ronan?”
“Nothing, I hope.” He frowned and went to sit in the chair he’d occupied earlier, hands folded. “But there are other non-humans in the world. Other powers that you’ll have to be briefed on to do your job effectively. For security reasons, however, I can’t divulge that information until after you’ve signed the papers in your employment packet.”
I supposed that was fair enough. The employment paperwork probably included a non-disclosure agreement that would prevent me from talking to the media about his life and what I saw, but would likely also ensure I couldn’t tell Sam. Venting to Sam about work was part of my daily ritual. Once I signed on with Ronan, I’d have to be careful about what I let slip.
“What about your promise earlier? That I wouldn’t be bound to secrecy concerning the vampires trying to kill you?”
“I stand by that,” Ronan said, nodding. “No one should have to wonder what’s happened to their loved ones, whether they’re alive or dead. Still, I would think very carefully about the information you choose to tell outsiders. It was hard enough for you to learn about vampires, and you saw two of them with your own eyes. Hell, you killed one. The more people learn about the hidden world, the more dangerous their lives become. But I leave that up to you.”
I considered what he said. I was only in contact with a few families from my former unit, and even then, we only emailed a few times a year. There were ways I could help them find closure without telling them everything. Given the edict from the high
er-ups that I keep my mouth shut about the whole ordeal, I’d have to be careful. Everything I told someone else might make them a target.
“One more important question.” I gripped the back of the chair I’d been sitting in earlier and studied his face, watching for any sign his next answer might be a lie. “How did you know what happened to my old unit in Iraq?”
“I told you. I have connections.”
“They must be pretty high-level connections if they knew about that.” I slid around the side of the chair and sat in it, leaning forward. “So, who is it? Someone in the CIA? FBI? Homeland? That’s the only way you’d be able to pull those strings.”
“Why does it matter so much to you how I know what I know?”
“Because if you’re calling in favors with people in the alphabet agencies, that makes you a potential political target. We need to be concerned about more than just supernatural threats, Ronan. You’re human, which means a bullet can kill you as easily as a vampire can. For all you know, there could be a sniper perched outside, peering through your window right now. Threats are all around you, and the more enemies you have, the more potential threats there are.”
The corner of his mouth turned up. “See, right there is why you’re good at this. You don’t trust anyone, do you, Callie? Not even me.”
“For good reason. You won’t even answer a simple question. Do you have government clearance, or don’t you?”
“Yes,” he answered smugly. “Of course I do, although maybe not in the way you mean it. I have a certain political value, but I don’t expect foreign terrorists to take a swing at me. I’m far below their radar.”
His answers weren’t making sense, and he wasn’t willing to give me more until I signed on. Nothing he’d said so far had changed my mind. All our conversation had done so far was cement in my mind that Ronan had secrets, and working for him was going to be a hazard to my health. Good, I thought. No job worth doing is going to be safe. What was the point in living if you didn’t take a risk now and again?