Deadly Testimony

by Piper J. Drake

  On the screen, her potential client leaned forward and started studying the contract. He scrolled through the electronic pages, using the tablet’s touch screen with ease. “I assume this contract is executable immediately?”

  Diaz answered in the affirmative. Neither police officer attempted to read the contract. The US marshal was maintaining standing position almost directly under the video camera and could probably read the contract upside down on the tablet if he chose. She couldn’t see his eyes, so she had no idea whether he was focusing on the contract or the approaches to the pod through the glass walls.

  As it was, the man she was here to meet, and possibly begin guarding, was one hell of a speed-reader. Or he didn’t care about the particulars.

  “The language in your contracts is refreshingly clear and concise, Mr. Diaz.” Yeun delivered the compliment in a somewhat distracted tone, his attention still on his reading. Well, he was indeed reading the fine print, then. Fast.

  Quite the type A personality was Mr. Yeun. Born in Korea and arrived in the US at a young age with his father and mother, he’d taken advantage of the American school system and every opportunity for advancement. Scholarships for college and internships in the summer. He’d managed to build himself a successful career in fairly short order. Hell, his basic credit check showed him to have excellent credit too. She’d be willing to bet he’d tucked a nice parachute for early retirement.

  Even his voluntary testimony in the civil and criminal actions against his former employer spoke of efficient practicality. Whether he was driven by moral and ethical standards wasn’t indicated in the depositions. He’d negotiated a deal with the district attorney for immunity, so he wouldn’t be going to prison or hit with the hefty fines potentially associated with whatever case this was.

  However, the exact nature of the case was suspiciously redacted. A company name stood out in the case though—Phoenix Biotech. Since she’d both encountered the company before and come out of it singed, she wasn’t surprised the case was so covered in black marks.

  Diaz had pulled up what could be found on public record and she’d read it later. For now, she had the basic information she’d require to decide. She was more focused on watching Yeun and his witness protection. The tension between each of them was not at all good. She couldn’t fault Yeun for wanting someone with a personal investment in his safety, even if it came from monetary obligation.

  The remaining question was whether she’d be willing to take this job solo. Yes, she’d be coordinating with the US marshal deputy and two police officers but she wouldn’t have another Safeguard operative at her back.

  Centurion Corporation had their resources assigned to squadrons, each squadron comprised of four to five fire teams. Each fire team was a four-person team. She’d been a part of a fire team since she’d left active duty with the US military and signed on with the Centurion Corporation. A half dozen fire teams, including hers, had moved over to Safeguard but they were still stretched a bit thin with the current contracts.

  It’d been a long time since she’d worked alone for as long as this assignment would take though, with no one to watch her back. The only reason she had the last time had been because things had gone sideways. The days it’d taken for her to reach safety again still played out in her nightmares.

  Yeun chose that moment to stand up, stepping around Officer Austin to pace the interior of the pod as he continued to read. The other man hadn’t given ground, per se, but he’d sat back in his seat to let Yeun by with a roll of the eyes.

  Isabelle was going to guess Yeun had a habit of pacing. Something he’d have to stop if she did take over his personal protection. Especially in front of any transparent glass, bullet-resistant or no. What a marksman couldn’t see, he couldn’t attempt to target.

  Yeun himself was easy on the eyes. But the way he tended to twist his mouth into a frown irritated her. Most of his commentary since they’d entered the pod had been patronizing with a dash of arrogance. The man had attitude and he was on every last nerve of either one of his police escorts.

  That was what was making her pause. Oh, she could be professional. She didn’t have to like the person she was protecting to do her job well. In fact, it was much less complicated if she didn’t like the person. On most of her contracts, she managed a convenient neutrality in terms of what she thought of her client.

  But if the man had soured his police escort over the past few weeks, they’d be a pain in the ass to work with from her perspective too. There was no way she could walk into this on their good sides. Coming here hadn’t been their idea and they were not happy.

  Austin had his arms crossed and Weaver was impatiently tapping her fingers against her knee. Both of them were shooting antagonistic glances Diaz’s way.

  Fun.

  She pulled out her smartphone and texted Diaz. On screen, he glanced down at his phone. “For a basic testimony, it seems standard witness protection procedures would be more than sufficient.” Diaz nodded to the US marshal deputy, Austin and Weaver in turn. “Our services are generally retained for private concerns where the police are not involved.”

  Yeun paused in his pacing and looked up at Diaz. She did like that the man at least maintained eye contact when he was going to address people. “I would’ve thought so too. Last night’s incident shook my faith in the police force somewhat.”

  “Now wait a minute.” Austin sat forward and stabbed a finger in the air, pointing at Yeun. “If you would do as you’re told, there wouldn’t have been an issue last night.”

  Repetitive argument was going to get tiresome too. It was always an exercise in perseverance when she had to deal with the same gripes, defensive commentary and complaints over and over again. Hell, it generally meant she was going to have to consistently reinforce the logic behind every move she made for this mission to both the protective detail and her actual client.

  Ugh.

  Not that she hadn’t dealt with it before but she didn’t exactly approach those situations with happy anticipation either. She’d established herself in any number of teams throughout her military career wading through this kind of bullshit. What she needed was a reason to willingly walk into it now.

  “We’ve covered that.” Yeun apparently didn’t bestow the favor of direct eye contact on everyone. Currently, not Austin. “I do not believe the outcome would’ve been as definitive if those men had come up to the hotel room you all had stuffed me into. At the very least, they’d have been much quicker about threatening me with firearms. I believe you mentioned each of those men was armed and they didn’t seem to have qualms about drawing their weapons.”

  True. The men the night before had walked with the confidence of having an employer who’d get them out of whatever legal trouble they got into as a result of their dirty work.

  “At least down on the lobby level, they were hesitant,” Yeun pointed out. “They were conscious of onlookers.”

  But he’d endangered innocent bystanders. It was a craptastic risk to take.

  “Either way...” Yeun handed the tablet back to Diaz. “I felt my life was in danger. They were not going to stop at an intimidation tactic. And none of us anticipated there’d be this kind of effort to keep me from testifying.”

  Man had a point there.

  “The police force is very busy and last night’s incident isn’t quite enough to convince them of my assessment of the situation. The US Marshal Service follows a minimal force required doctrine which leaves Marshal Decker here working with us alone in the field.” Yeun returned to his seat and looked directly up at the camera. At her. “I’m willing to take action to protect my own interests. If I’m being paranoid and the extra layer of protection is not necessary, it’s only my budget impacted. I think it’s worth the investment for peace of mind.”

  Reasonable. Logical. From what she’d seen, there was no
particular reason to turn it down apart from a distinct lack of enthusiasm for working with these particular personalities. And that was why she should. There was a job to be done and she hated backing away from anything just because the team might not welcome her. She texted Diaz to let him know she’d take the contract.

  Leaving the briefing room, she left the dossier on the table for the time being. She’d ask Diaz to send her the electronic version via encrypted email to study later.

  She strode down the length of the office floor, exchanging nods with the one or two other Centurions working in the office today. As she approached the pod, Yeun saw her through the glass and rose.

  He beat her to the door and opened it to let her in. “It was also more than worth it to meet you.”

  Her dark eyes fastened on him, her gaze coldly neutral. “Seriously?”

  Absolutely.

  Her hair wasn’t drawn back in the tight bun at the back of her head today, but it was still caught up in a serviceable ponytail. It gave her a severe look, accentuating her sculpted features. Hers was an elegant beauty, though it wasn’t delicate. She held herself with perfect posture and everything about her spoke of strength and assurance.

  Trite as it might seem, once he’d encountered her he’d been driven to see her again. Meet her formally. There were few truly interesting people in this world and in less than a minute, she’d proven incredibly fascinating. He’d have spent at least as much as her signing fee just to find her. Had spent as much on the occasional discreet escort.

  This woman though, she was a different type of dangerous and he’d decided it was in his best interest to combine his fascination with the expediency of his need for augmented protection. He also figured it’d be prudent not to suggest services other than those specifically outlined in the Safeguard contract for personal security.

  He had a strong sense of self-preservation.

  The possibilities though, they were crossing his mind at speed now that he was face-to-face with her again. She possessed exceedingly kissable lips.

  “I haven’t thanked you yet.” He did his best to keep his gaze locked with hers. No wandering. She’d already proven she reacted rather violently to rude behavior. “Miss?”

  She considered him for another moment and he honestly wondered if she’d walk right back out of the room. Instead though, she glanced at his escort and gave each a nod. “Isabelle Scott. I was heading up the security detail last evening for a prior client.”

  Yes, an up-and-coming socialite in the area. The man had hired Safeguard because private security added to his image. It hadn’t taken long to find information about him and find out who he’d hired. Hotel staff loved to chatter about the higher profile customers. Apparently, the man’s only complaint was that the head of his security team was unfriendly and unnecessarily abrupt.

  From where Kyle was standing, he could understand where the man’s commentary was coming from but if Kyle made an educated guess, he’d bet the man had tried to blur the line between business and pleasure and Miss Isabelle Scott made no time for idiots.

  “I was fortunate you were there.” He gave a sincere smile, not something he did often. “Your timing was excellent.”

  She grunted.

  Not a sound he heard from a woman often but somehow, coming from her, it wasn’t harsh. It...reminded him of his mother. He grinned.

  Her gaze sharpened. “Something funny?”

  Where Officer Weaver’s toughness translated to a coarse outward personality, Isabelle Scott’s strength had a predatory edge to it. Pinned by her current ire, he did experience some trepidation.

  But he only smiled wider. “Not funny. No. I’m just impressed.”

  She blinked. There was no commentary to acknowledge his compliment but he thought he saw a hint of a dusky rose blush to her cheeks through her bronze complexion.

  “Normally, Centurions don’t work solo.” She glanced at Diaz and then at the marshal and officers. “But this contract doesn’t seem to need more than one operator to augment the current protection in place and we’re not in the practice of charging a client for redundancy.”

  Confidence. Maybe a defensive edge to her tone. More and more interesting with every moment.

  “Centurions? I thought this company was called Safeguard.” Austin probably tried to sound critical but he only succeeded in grumbling.

  It was Diaz who answered. “We’re all still a part of the Centurion Corporation, Officer. Safeguard, as a specialized division, may have resources rotate in and out from other postings within the Centurion Corporation. Besides, what would you call us, Safeguard-ians? None of us uses a warhammer.”

  “Okay, we got it. Centurions.” Weaver cut off whatever retort Austin was going to give and the two glared at each other.

  That was part of the tedium of having the two of them assigned to Kyle’s witness protection. The only time they weren’t taking shots at each other was when they were mutually annoyed at him. The fun of it wore off after the first few hours. Their commentary got repetitive.

  After weeks of following their directions, sitting in substandard hotel rooms and eating horrible fast food, Kyle had reached the end of his tolerance. It’d taken everything he’d had left to convince them to allow him to stay in a decent hotel for the past few nights and after last night’s incident, he was likely doomed to return to awful accommodations if he left it to them. No. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, go on with so little control over his situation.

  This act, hiring a person with a vested interest in keeping him safe, was his way of taking control back. And preserving his sanity.

  Kyle crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall. When Isabelle’s gaze returned to him, he addressed her, “I’m open to whatever expertise you’d like to share.”

  Her brows drew together. “Protecting you is our business now. Per the contract, you follow my instructions. You don’t and you’re exposed. Maybe dead, if your concerns are correct. I still get paid. But I prefer for my clients to survive and be referenceable.”

  He noted she didn’t say her clients had to be happy and chuckled. “At least our preferences are in alignment.”

  Tiny muscles in her jaw tightened beneath her smooth skin and irritation flared in her dark eyes as she caught the innuendo. He was pricking her temper. It was probably not a good idea, but too often he was extremely entertained by indulging bad ideas. Riling up Isabelle Scott was going to be an exceedingly fantastic bad idea.

  “I’m going to need some time to talk with the marshal and officers here.” She lifted her chin in the direction of the still-seated escorts. “Then I’ll decide what changes you’re going to need to make.”

  That stopped him. They’d already taken him from his home and halted his search for employment. His life was on hold for this trial. “What changes?”

  “Depends on what you’ve been doing up until now.” Isabelle shrugged. “Then we alter your pattern.”

  Kyle opened his mouth to ask more but Diaz rose in a smooth economy of motion. “I’ll take Mr. Yeun to my office to finish signing. You can pick him up there.”

  Isabelle nodded.

  “Now just wait a minute.” Kyle wrestled with his own anger, an unfamiliar feeling. “This is going to go in accordance with—”

  “No, Mr. Yeun, it’s not.” Isabelle’s flat statement cut over him before he could gain momentum. “If you want me protecting you, then you are not calling the shots. I’m the expert in this. Not you. And I intend to use my expertise to keep you safe. That includes not allowing you to run around leading the rest of us by the wallet. You are not the person in charge from the moment you sign that contract.”

  Chapter Four

  Think tank, that was what these new offices were supposed to be.

  At the moment, Lizzy wanted to curl up in one
of the hidden quiet cubbies and block out the rest of the world.

  Okay, there were only a few of those cubbies tucked away behind the main office area and they were specifically for employees who became too overloaded too fast to take themselves home or someplace quieter. The cubbies weren’t just equipped with white noise. They were designed to give a person solitude, time to get their shit together, before they lashed out and became a danger to the people around them.

  Friends and family were safer when the Centurions had an environment to handle those moments.

  The missions they’d gone on overseas and the combat situations they’d seen left their mark. Lizzy was no different. And they were all good to go as long as they had the means to see to their own sanity. Call it self-care. Call it mental management. Whatever. It worked and this was one of those places designed with their particular histories in mind.

  A normal, civilian workplace might have quiet spots or they might not. But the people around them wouldn’t necessarily understand.

  Sometimes ex-military returned home and made new lives for themselves. They remade themselves and put their experiences in the past. Others didn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t. Whatever. So they went into the private sector, joined organizations like the Centurion Corporation. And they found a sort of balance in the structure it provided. Not civilian life. Not military service.

  But in her case, she was torn. Part of her wanted the rest and quiet.

  The other part of her wanted to find a good brawl.

  Instead of seeking out the quiet rooms, she headed to Diaz’s office. He and Kyle Yeun were seated in the armchairs in the corner. Huh. Apparently, Diaz liked Yeun. Otherwise, the two of them would be seated across from each other trading minimal discussion over Diaz’s desk.

  Diaz had seen her through the glass and given her a tiny nod. She opened the door to the office without knocking.

  “Mr. Yeun, if you’ll return to the waiting area you saw when you first entered, you’ll find your police and US Marshal escorts there.” Diaz stood and offered his hand. “Lizzy will be joining you momentarily to take you to your new safe house location.”