“Hey, Dad,” Porter said, getting out of the truck and walking around to unload the groceries.
“You’re low on milk.”
Porter nodded. “I heard that. I picked more up.”
“What did Naylor want?” Cy asked without beating around the bush. That wasn’t his style.
“Why ask? Don’t you know?” Porter teased his father. Although it wasn’t really a joke. There was a high probability his father did know.
“The timing is interesting. It comes right after a huge contract was awarded to Anancites to provide mobile encryption for the government. It’s been called the most secure phone in the world. However, that’s more of Kale’s thing than yours. Of course, I don’t think Naylor has the balls to blackmail Kale to work for the CIA. Ahmed would kill him on the spot,” Cy said of one of his best friends.
Ahmed was the former head of security for Mo, the prince of Rahmi, who was also a family friend. His farm was down the road a bit. Prior to being Mo’s head of security, he was an international badass soldier. Everyone in military organizations around the world knew and feared the name. Kale was his youngest child and only son. Ahmed’s daughter, Abby, inherited the soldier badass gene and had been the only female CIA special ops agent. Kale went the other direction. He was a badass hacker, but no one knew whom he worked for. Most likely the government, but he wasn’t saying and Porter wasn’t asking. He was sure his dad probably knew if Porter really wanted to know.
“I heard the daughter is into horses. She’ll be in Lexington tomorrow,” his father added.
“It’s more my thing than Kale’s because Willa Aldridge is a show jumper and Naylor is having me spy on her to determine if she’s a traitor or if her life is in danger. He’s getting me entered into the Lexington Equestrian Event as a reining rider with Miss Trix.” Porter didn’t even try to keep it from his father, regardless of what Naylor told him.
“I figured. I already got Miss Trix cleaned up for you and the trailer will be ready by the morning.”
“So why bother asking me if you already knew?” Porter asked as his father opened the front door for him. Porter carried in the groceries and set them down on the kitchen counter.
“I like to know what you know first. Did Naylor really think he could come onto my property, bug your house, and me not know? He’s slacking then,” Cy scoffed.
“I assume you took care of the bugs,” Porter said as he began to put the groceries away. His father didn’t answer. He just gave him a look that answered for him. “Any advice?”
“Yeah, don’t get caught. My sources say Willa Aldridge is an unknown quantity, could be a wild card. Not much is known about her. Her father protected her after his wife died. Her name is only in the news for business or horses. No boyfriend, no sex tapes, no drunken nights out at the club. On paper she’s a good girl, but those are the worst because you never really know how they’ll react in the real world.” Cy paused for a moment. “Her father is a good man.” Coming from Porter’s father, that was high praise. “He won’t turn unless his daughter’s life is in danger. The question is, what kind of person is his daughter?”
Porter drove through the early morning darkness to the Lexington Equestrian Park where the event was being held. He’d hooked Miss Trix’s trailer to his truck and driven himself. A line of expensive trailers and motor coaches lined the long drive entering the park. Porter was never one to have an entourage. Instead, he simply had an enormous family that would show up at the drop of a hat.
Porter had studied the folders some CIA agent had dropped off for him. He’d gone over them and then asked his father to review them with him. Naylor had thrown him into the deep end with no official training, but what Porter had realized rather quickly was that he wasn’t without training. His father had trained him his whole life without Porter even realizing it.
Porter picked up the important facts quickly in the briefings as well as noting what was not in the folder. Willa Aldridge, twenty-eight years old, equestrian and businesswoman with an MBA. She attended the best schools in the country, was well spoken, had a reputation for knowing her stuff, but there were also rumbling about not being prepared to run a company at such a young age and being a woman. Reports from competitors and from inside Anancites cited nepotism as the reason for her quick climb up the corporate ladder, although all individual reports from people she worked with showed a woman who was highly capable and well-liked by her immediate staff.
When Porter turned his research to the horse world, he found out more about her. She was not a demanding participant. She didn’t request special favors and she didn’t throw fits if she lost. There were no reports of her mistreating her staff, event employees, or her horses. That last one told Porter more about her than the rest of the report. You could tell a lot about a person with how they treated their horse.
Porter had also spent the night practicing with Miss Trix and reading up on the rules of reining. Through his research, he found one of the top reiners was retired rodeo star Levi Eaton. Levi would be his best angle into this world. Levi would give Porter reining credibility while Porter’s cousin, Sydney Davies McKnight, would stop by later today to visit during practice to give him credibility in the ritzy side of jumping. Sydney was a former model and had her own fashion empire now. Porter had run the names of the show jumpers by her and she’d known several of them, including Willa Aldridge. Porter had smirked when he’d learned that. Take that, Agent Naylor, Keeneston’s spy network for the win.
“Name,” the security guard asked as he held a tablet.
“Porter Davies.”
“You’re in Barn A, stall 7. Here’s your welcome packet with your ID, practice information, and parking passes,” the guard said, handing him a thick envelope with his name printed on it.
Porter took it and followed the traffic as the sun began to rise. Apparently the CIA could pull rank. Barn A was the biggest one and was the closest to the arena.
Each barn had reserved unloading spaces for the trailers. Porter pulled into the last opening and a barn staffer jogged over to him. “I’m sorry, this is a reserved barn.”
Porter handed him the ID from the package that listed his barn and gave him access to the entire event. “Reining? You should be in Barn V.” He ran his finger over the list of Barn A horses and riders. “Miss Trix, Porter Davies, stall 7. That’s you. Huh.”
“I was a late entry. I’m guessing they put me in the only open spot,” Porter said with a shrug.
“Then you’re in the right place. Where are your grooms so we can get your horse unloaded?”
Porter smiled at the worker. “It’s just me and I can unload her all on my own. I bet you won’t hear that much today.”
Porter earned a slight uptick in the man’s lips. “I’ll help you then, or at least show you to your stall.”
“Thanks so much.” Porter opened the door to his truck and held out his hand to the man. “Porter Davies.”
The man looked flustered for a second but then shook Porter’s hand. “Jacob Herrera.”
“Nice to meet you, Jacob. Thanks for the help.” Porter opened the trailer and had Miss Trix at the stall within minutes. There were two empty stalls between his area and an elegantly set area with a Cherry Blossom Farm banner overhead. Cherry Blossom Farm was Willa Aldridge’s stable. He knew she’d named it in honor of her mother. Porter had read an article about how every spring they would walk through the park to see the cherry blossoms.
Miss Trix sauntered happily into her stall as Jacob set down the saddle he’d carried in. “Anything else I can help you with?”
“I’ve got it from here. Thanks a lot.” Porter had some more equipment to bring in, but he was used to doing it all himself.
Thirty minutes later, his area was set up. He was done right in time, too, because walking by Miss Trix’s stall was none other than his target.
6
Willa’s bodyguards checked the area before she walked inside. Everyone there had a badge
and had been cleared. She’d flown in on her private jet early that morning and now all she wanted to do was to get settled.
“Why don’t you all go get breakfast?” Willa said to her security team as she stopped in front of Apollo’s stall. Her area took up three stalls in a line. Her groom would sleep in the stall next to Apollo at night to guard him. Then there was all the grooming and show equipment. They also created a little sitting area between Apollo’s stall and the next one.
Willa glanced to the left to find a groom in jeans and a cowboy hat sweeping up the area in front of the next stall. It was only a glance but she’d be stealing a few more. She only saw his backside and that sent a bit of a jolt to her pulse. Willa couldn’t wait for him to turn around.
“If you’re sure, ma’am,” Reggie said, drawing her attention away from the groom. Reggie was a six-foot-three former pro football lineman and head of her security team.
Willa tried not to groan. They were doing their jobs, but it was strange to be surrounded constantly. The lack of privacy was making her anxious and the last thing she needed was for Apollo to sense her agitation. “I’m sure.”
“Deshaun will stay at the entrance to give you some space.” Reggie said, realizing her need for privacy. Deshaun, a former military man turned bodyguard, was quiet and regularly took the sentry position. “Just call out if you need him. Can we bring you back anything?” Reggie nodded his head to Barry, the last of her security team. Barry was a short man with a shaved head and just a scruff of a beard. He also had shoulders wider than the stall door. He was a former MMA fighter, and while he looked preppy, he was deadly.
“I’ll take an orange juice if they have any and an apple for Apollo. Thank you, Reggie.”
Willa took a deep breath and her team walked away. She began checking the setup to make sure it was how she liked it. Her barn team was amazing so it was no surprise everything was right where it should be. Willa walked over to Apollo who happily stuck his head out of the stall for some snuggles.
“Hello, love. Did you have a good trip?” Willa cooed as she rubbed her hand up and down his neck, her forehead against his.
Apollo nuzzled her with his head and moved his lips over her shirt. “I don’t have any treats right now, love.” Willa laughed, but Apollo wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Okay, I’ll see if anyone has anything to hold you over until your apple arrives.”
Willa turned and looked around. She saw a different groom to the right setting up and was going to ask him until she saw the banner the groom was raising—Callum. What she’d give for him to retire and never talk to her again. Willa turned back to the groom with the great butt to find him standing on a stepstool hanging his own banner.
Well, this gave her the chance to see his front. Willa headed toward him after Apollo nuzzled her again, only this time more forcefully. He wanted his treat now.
Willa walked over to her sitting area. Only a small loveseat separated her from the sexy groom. Willa didn’t want to surprise the man who was standing on the stepstool with his back toward her, so she waited for him to step down.
“Have you thought about my proposal? I need a number, Miss Aldridge.”
Willa’s heart stopped dead in her chest. The voice was the man from Florida.
“How much for the skeleton key?” the man she thought might be Mr. Dickerson asked again.
Willa glanced down the barn to find Deshaun talking to someone. His back was to hers, but she could scream.
“Don’t think about it. I’ll shoot your horse before you can call out to your security team.”
Willa turned slightly to her side to look at the man. If she wasn’t sure about the voice, she was sure once she saw him. It was the same nondescript man from Florida, only this time he had a gun in his hand. The gun was in his folded arms mostly covered by a staff windbreaker, but was pointed at Apollo. He was wearing the official event staff polo and ball cap, complete with an all-access badge. He could blend into the crowd in a second if needed.
“There are two ways this plays out, Miss Aldridge. One, you give me a number to take back to my boss. Or two, we kill your father and take it. What’s your answer?”
Willa looked into the average-brown eyes of the average-height man. She had to keep him talking in hopes Deshaun would turn around and see her in distress. “Your boss? Are you from SynCrypt? Is Weldon behind this?” Willa asked as anger began to course through her. Someone was threatening her father, her horse, and her company, and she wasn’t going to stand for it.
Willa moved to step into the line of sight between the man and Apollo. The shot would be harder to make now. He’d have to shoot over her or through her.
“It doesn’t matter who my boss is. What matters is if I shoot your horse now or not. Did you say goodbye to your father? He’ll be dead with one text from me. Now, Miss Aldridge, which is it going to be?”
Willa’s bravado was fading as her brain ran a mile a minute and none of what she was thinking was helpful. Images of her father, Apollo, the company, the work, the contract, what the skeleton key in the wrong hands could do—they all ran through her head, but not a single thing that could help her right now. She needed to tackle him, or punch him, or . . .
“Umph!”
Willa was knocked backward by a heavy weight. She stumbled and then fell right on her ass as the man threatening her was kicked in the head. The heavy weight of a man in her lap had her pinned to the ground. His legs were now tangled with hers, his bottom was in her lap, and his back was pressed against her chest.
“Dammit,” the man cursed with a deep voice that vibrated through her body. “I am so sorry. Is anyone hurt?”
Willa tried to look at the man with the gun, but couldn’t see him around the cowboy hat. The handsome groom had landed his sexy butt right in her lap and was blocking her from seeing anything.
“We’ll discuss this later, Miss Aldridge,” Willa heard the man say.
“I’m so sorry. My boot got you right in the face. Are you sure you’re okay? That stupid stepstool just slid right out from under me,” the groom said from where he was still sitting in her lap. He hadn’t tried to move once. Willa knew this because right now she realized she had grabbed his upper arms with her hands and was currently feeling some very nice biceps. Not once had the sexy butt or the ripped arms tried to move.
“It’s fine.”
Willa assumed the man left since the groom’s head turned slightly as if watching him.
“Miss Aldridge!” Deshaun called out as he raced forward. The man who had threatened Willa had probably walked right by him. “Get off her!”
The groom was hauled to his feet and Willa got a nice up-close look at his backside in the worn jeans. It was even better up close. “It’s okay, Deshaun. Just an accident.” She didn’t want her bodyguard taking out the man who had inadvertently protected her.
“I’m so sorry. Are you hurt?” the groom asked as he turned around and held out his hand after Deshaun let go of him.
Willa saw brown hair with some natural dark blond streaks in it under his cowboy hat. She shifted her gaze from his head to his face. He had a strong jaw and hazel eyes that leaned more toward brown than green and were looking down at her worriedly. “I’m fine. Are you hurt?” Willa asked.
The quirk of the man’s lips told her he thought it was cute she thought anything could hurt him. Willa placed her hand in his and felt the roughness of his palm and the warmth of his fingers as his large hand wrapped around hers. He gave her a little pull and Willa practically flew to a standing position. She’d felt his muscles when he was in her lap, but now she felt them in action. He was actually stronger than he looked where Deshaun probably looked stronger than he really was.
Willa was five foot eight, and this man had her looking up at him. He didn’t let go of her hand as she stood chest to chest with him. Instead he smiled down at her with a mischievous grin as if he knew something she didn’t.
“Miss Aldridge, what happened?” Deshaun
asked. He stood at the ready to rip the man away from her at the slightest threat.
“It was my fault,” the man said finally, dropping her hand and turning to Deshaun. “I was hanging my banner and thought I could reach back a little ways to anchor it, but the darn stool tipped and I landed on Miss Aldridge.”
“Have we met? How did you know my name?” Willa asked suspiciously.
The man’s grin widened. “Because your friend here hollered it through the barn. And no, we haven’t met. However, I can remedy that. Porter Davies.” The man held his hand back out and Willa shook it, feeling embarrassed at being suspicious.
“Willa Aldridge,” Willa said, waiting for that moment when all the pieces fell into place and they realized she was a wealthy heiress. She waited, but it didn’t come. There was no OMG moment, as she called it. Instead Porter just shook her hand.
“Nice to meet ya.” Then he turned toward Deshaun. “Porter Davies.”
“Deshaun Stokes.”
“Military?” Porter asked.
“Yes, sir. You?”
“No, but I know the look. I have lots of friends and family in the military.”
Porter’s gaze then moved to Apollo. He brushed past Willa and stopped in front of her horse. He spoke softly to Apollo as she moved to join him. His hand rested on Apollo’s forehead as she tried to hear what Porter was saying. Apollo tossed his head back in full show-off mode and then hit Porter’s shoulder with his nose.
Porter laughed and Willa watched in wonder as her horse instantly fell in love with the groom when he pulled a sugar cube from his pocket. “Can I give him this?”
“Sure,” Willa answered as she watched in wonder as her horse acted as if he and this groom had been best friends forever. Maybe she should offer him a job. “Apollo doesn’t normally like strangers. I might have to hire you away from your current boss.”
“That would be hard to do,” Porter said, turning around as her horse tried to lick him like a dog. Apollo’s big tongue came out and slurped up the side of Porter’s face as Willa stood dumbfounded. Porter just laughed and hugged Apollo’s head against his own.
Forever Thrown: Forever Bluegrass #16 Page 4