Hard to Forget

  “Looks like princess has a new move.” Kyle laughs from the sidelines. “So tell me, Laney, are you going to take down a guy by having a bite of his dick? I guess it’s an effective method. Whatever works for you. You are only a girl, after all.”

  My cheeks burn and shame rises in my belly. They think I’m a great big joke. All of them are standing there, laughing, so sure I’m never going to be a part of their team.

  “How do sweaty balls taste?” someone else yells out.

  “Aw, stop it,” Kyle croons. “Princess is upset.”

  They’ve called me princess since the moment I joined the team, and right up until now I’ve been okay with it—I took it good-naturedly. Not today, though. Anger bubbles in my chest and shame rips through my veins, making my whole body feel tingly and hot. I shoot daggers at Kyle, and before I think about it, I charge towards him.

  His eyes widen for a split second before he takes a step back and his hands go up. He’s not quick enough, I catch him around the waist and he stumbles backwards, losing his footing. His big body sways and it’s not hard to shove once more with all my might and take him down. We go together, me landing on top of him. I straddle his hips and lift a hand, slapping his face so hard his head swings to the side.

  “Who’s a princess now, jackass!” I bark.

  Then I get off him, glaring at the rest of the team as I storm into the elevator.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Knock knock.

  I ignore the knocking sound on my office door.

  Knock knock.

  Nope. I won’t look up.

  Whoever it is decides they’re going to come in anyway, and when I look up from the case paperwork I am studying, I see Nak standing in the doorway with a coffee in hand. He smiles at me and extends the cup.

  “Is that an ‘I forgive you for trying to eat my penis’ gift?” I mutter.

  He chuckles and walks in, closing the door behind him. He pulls the seat across from me out and sits down, sliding the cup towards me. “No, it’s because the way those men treated you out there was unfair.”

  “No, it was fact,” I say, staring at my hands. “They think I’m a big joke, and why wouldn’t they? I have yet to take any of them down.”

  “You got Kyle pretty good up in there.”

  I look up and his eyes are soft as he leans in close, putting his elbows on the table. “You’ve got what it takes, Laney, I don’t doubt it for a second. But I can’t let you out into the world until I’m confident you won’t get hurt. I care about my team, and I’m not ashamed of having a woman on that team.”

  “Aren’t you?” I whisper, meeting his eyes.

  “Shit no,” he says. “I didn’t hire you because I felt sorry for you, Laney. You’ve seen my team, I only take the best.”

  I drop my gaze to my hands. “Then you must have had a brain fart the day you met me, because I’m far from the best.”

  “Look at me,” he orders and I immediately look up. “I see raw talent in you, Delaney. I have seen it from the moment you walked in my doors looking for a job. Being a woman has nothing to do with having talent. You have to work harder, you have to be more focused, but it doesn’t mean you are incapable of doing the job. With the right training, a woman that’s half the size of you can take down a fully grown man.”

  “I’ve done all the training,” I whisper.

  “Yeah, you have. You just don’t believe in yourself.”

  I flinch, his words hitting me like a slap. I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. Nothing comes out because he’s right. I don’t believe in myself. Not really. I believe I’m capable, but I never push myself that extra mile. I guess I hold back because I’m scared. What waits outside those doors terrifies me and I’m so afraid of failing, of letting the team town, of letting myself down.

  “I do, it’s just…”

  “You don’t feel like you’re a part of the team,” he finishes for me.

  I look down again.

  He reaches over the desk and flicks my hand, making me look back up at him. “You’re as much a part of this team as any of those men in there, Delaney. Don’t let them make you feel any different. Prove yourself to them. You have all the training to take me down, to take any of them down. If you want a case, if you truly want it, show me.”

  With that, he stands up and exits the office. I sigh and put my head down on the desk.

  Show him?

  Do I truly have what it takes?

  God dammit, yes, I do.

  Tomorrow I’ll make sure I believe it, because I’m going to make him believe it too.

  * * *

  Shutting my mind off as I enter the training room the next morning isn’t easy. My face is expressionless as I walk with purpose towards Nak who is in the middle of the fighting pads, wrestling Duke. I’ve been thinking about this all night, and because of that I tossed and turned, but I’m still determined to show him I can do this. I can be the woman he believes me to be.

  He stops when he sees me approaching, and Duke steps off the pads when he sees me drop my bags. I don’t stop, I walk right up to Nak and throw a punch. He dodges it quickly, his face splitting into a wide smile.

  “Someone looks feisty this morning.”

  It doesn’t escape my notice that everyone has stopped what they’re doing to watch us, but I block it out. I block out that Nak is my boss, and instead see him as someone who is trying to hurt the person I am protecting. So when he throws a punch at me, I duck it and spin around behind him so quickly I surprise even myself. Shutting down my brain and putting my body into action mode, I take Nak’s arm and twist it angrily behind his back.

  He reacts equally as efficiently, and uses his free hand to take my arm and haul my body forward. I make sure my feet land correctly so I don’t go down, and spin around, driving my knee upwards. He moves his leg, protecting his man bits, but I don’t stop. With him still gripping my arm, I use my free hand to land a punch in his ribs as he’s focusing on protecting his junk.

  I have him in position, he’s grunting from the jab to the ribs and bent over slightly, now is my chance to fight him back. I shift my body and turn to the side, using my elbow to ram him in the nose. He takes a few steps back and I use the advantage that gives me, and lower my body, perfecting an amazing side kick that hits him in the back of the knees, bringing him down. As he goes down, I take hold of the back of his head and raise my knee up again, hitting him in the jaw.

  Nak always told us to fight dirty, even during practice. I can’t tell you how many bloody noses the guys have gotten. Of course I didn’t knee him nearly as hard as I would if he was an attacker, but the point has been made. When his hands hit the mat in front of him, I bring my foot up to his ribs once more, hitting him hard enough to send him flat onto his stomach. Then I throw myself on his back, grabbing one of his hands before he can move, and jerking it backwards.

  I’ve officially brought my boss down.

  Pride swells in my chest, and I’m panting with adrenaline as I carefully let him go and stand up. He rolls to his back and looks up at me with wide eyes, blood trickling from his nose and lip. “Mother fucker,” he grunts. “You did it.”

  A smile breaks out and I drop to my knees, offering him my hand. He takes it, jerking my body down so I fall beside him. We both roll to our backs and stare up at the ceiling. My taking him down lasted no more than a minute, all of my moves were quick and well thought out, not giving him the chance to think any of it through. I know I did good.

  “Fuck me, I think I need an ice pack for my nose,” he grumbles.

  I roll to my side and smile at him. “Sorry, boss.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” he says, sitting up. I go with him. “You proved to me and the rest of the team that you’re capable of being as good as them.”

  “So, is that it?” I ask hopefully. “Will you consider me for a case?”

  “Obviously I’m not just going to throw you in the deep end on your own, but the next case Kyl
e gets in, you can go out with him. If you can prove you can do your job efficiently with him, then you’ll start going out on your own. I want you training harder than you’ve ever trained now, Laney. I’m just one person, you gotta keep that shit up.”

  I swallow and meet his eyes. “Thank you, Nak. For believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.”

  His eyes grow warm. “I’ve believed in you since the minute you walked in my front door. I just needed to see you prove it.”

  I look over to the rest of the team, who are all watching with a range of different expressions on their faces. Some look impressed, others look just plain pissed off. “Now I guess I have to prove it to them,” I mumble.

  Nak turns to them. “That might take some time, but you’re on the right path. Congratulations, Delaney, you’re officially part of my team.”

  Finally.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Over the last six weeks I’ve been training with Kyle and Nak every day. Today I’m in the building training because I don’t have a case when Nak enters the training room and barks out my name, followed by Kyle’s. I’m busy on the climbing ropes, but at the tone of his voice I drop down and turn his way. He wiggles his finger, indicating I should come over. Curious, I head over, stopping in front of him.

  “Come with me, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

  I nod and glance at Kyle, who is studying the side of my face. Awkward. As we walk down the hall, I undo my hair and tidy it up, before tying another band around it so it’s in a high ponytail. We reach Nak’s office door and he pushes it open, stepping inside. I stop in my tracks when I see the man sitting on a chair beside the desk.

  I stop because my breath is sucked from my lungs. Just ripped out and tossed to the ground. I stare with wide eyes at what has to be the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen in my life. He isn’t the pretty kind of beautiful, he’s the scary kind of beautiful. The dangerous, deadly kind. His eyes flick to me and I struggle to keep my mouth closed.

  Holy hell.

  His face … it’s so blank. There’s no expression at all, he’s just staring at me as if I’m a picture on the wall. Nothing on his chiseled face moves, not a thing. I take a second to catch my breath as I take him in. He’s tall, I can’t tell how tall but by his long legs I know he’d tower over me. His body is big. I mean … big. This guy has shoulders that would make football stars weep.

  I can’t tell much more about his body, because he’s wearing a suit. It’s sexy on him, sexy in a way I never thought a suit could be. He’s got a simple black jacket over a white button-up shirt. The top two buttons are undone, revealing a firm, bronze patch of skin. His neck is corded, thick and sexy, coming up to a sharply angled face. He has a jaw that looks like it could break stones. Okay, that’s probably a stretch, but damn, he has a strong face.

  His nose is slightly bent, but it is in no way unattractive. His lips are full and he has a scar on his left cheek. It’s faint, but it adds to his scary demeanor. His eyes, though. Holy mother. His eyes are the oddest shade of grey. They aren’t blue grey, no, they’re pure grey. Like the shiny metal of a gun. Gunmetal grey. His hair is cropped short. Normally I don’t like this in a man, but it suits him. It makes him look terrifying, and certainly not like the kind of man who wears a suit.

  “Delaney, Kyle, meet Jaxson Shields. He’s the owner of the massive hotel chain, Elite Nights. He’s in need of a bodyguard and he’s come to me.”

  He needs a bodyguard? Him? Jaxson Shields? A man who looks like he could crush even Nak with a simple snap of his fingers?

  “What’s happening?” Kyle asks, jumping right in as he always does.

  I cross my arms and listen, considering it’s the first time I’ve been in the room when someone has requested our services. I’m curious to see how it all goes down.

  “What’s happened is my business,” Jaxson says. “I need protection, because I don’t have the time to be looking over my shoulder.”

  Holy gravelly voice. My skin prickles at the rich, thick, scratchy sound of his voice.

  “Fair enough,” Kyle says. “What kind of protection are we talking?”

  He directs this question at Nak.

  “Until the authorities can sort out the issue Jaxson is having, then it’ll be twenty-four/seven.”

  A full case.

  Holy hell. A full freaking case.

  “Jax,” Jaxson grunts.

  We all look to him.

  “I don’t like being called Jaxson. And I’ll need someone who can be at my side, as your boss said, twenty-four/seven. That means coming away with me on business, the lot.”

  Oh boy.

  Pick me!

  Nak turns to Kyle and me.

  “I’m putting Laney on this one, with Kyle as her backup. She’s been showing great progress in the last six weeks, and the six cases she’s done have been successful. She’s ready to take on a full-time case. You two can rotate, so you can have few days off in the time you’re working for Jax. Kyle, you will start out with Laney until she’s comfortable, then she can take the reins.”

  “A woman?”

  This comes from Jax, and we all turn to him again. He’s staring at me now, really looking at me. The muscle in his jaw is ticking, and he’s pissed way the hell off.

  “Have you got a problem with that, Jax?” Nak asks. “Delaney is one of my best. She’s capable of doing the same job any man can.”

  Jaxson fucking Shields snorts. Loud and obnoxious. “I highly doubt that.”

  “I can assure you of it,” Nak mutters.

  “No offense,” Jax grunts at me. “But I would rather have a man on my back. I’m not sure you can do anything for me if I’m in danger. Hell, I could knock you on your ass with the flick of my hand.”

  The arrogant piece of shit.

  “Would you like to try that?” I challenge, crossing my arms.

  He stands. I was right, he is tall. At least six feet. He stalks towards me and stops, glaring into my eyes. “I absolutely would.”

  “Mr. Shields,” Nak grates out. “Unfortunately the rest of my team is fully booked. Kyle has a few weeks before he starts another case, and then Delaney is the only one I have left. She’s it. You either take her or you don’t, but I can assure you that you won’t find another bodyguard in this area as good as the people on my team.”

  Jax tears his scowl from me and aims it at Nak. “I have money. I can find another bodyguard.”

  “Away you go then,” Nak challenges. “But if you’ve done your homework, you’ll know that the most elite bodyguards are on my team. If you want one of the same caliber, you’re going to have to splash out big and pull one from another state. But there are clear advantages to having a bodyguard who has experience living and working in the city. If you’re willing to forgo that, then we’re finished here.”

  Jax’s jaw tightens, and I know as well as Nak does that he’d be paying a shit load of money to pull one in from another state. At least double what he’s paying us, and he’s not guaranteed to get a good one. Nak has made a name for himself, people come far and wide to get his team.

  “You’re asking me to put my life in the hands of a female?” Jax spits.

  “If you’d like to try her out,” Nak says, waving a hand at me. “Be my guest.”

  Jax turns to me, and his eyes narrow. “As a matter of fact,” he says, his voice low. “I would.”

  Oh shit.

  * * *

  I stand on the training mat, staring at Jax. He’s taken off his shoes, his jacket, and is only wearing a white button-up shirt and his pants. His hard eyes are trained on me. I swallow, because the nerves inside my body are on high alert. If I screw this up, I am losing my chance at getting a big case. Working that often is a big deal, and if the other guys weren’t booked up, I know they would all jump at the chance. These are the kind of jobs that make your career.

  I would have preferred a few more small cases but a 24/7 case is massive. But that is how Nak runs thin
gs. Once someone passes their training, they are handed big cases right from the word go. Nak has some warped belief that it makes them the best, because they’re thrown right into the middle of it. Even though I was the one held back the longest, I know Nak must believe in me to throw me in the deep end after such a short time.

  “Well,” Jax grunts. “Are you going to show me what you’ve got, girl?”

  Girl.

  He’s doing that on purpose. The asshole.

  “Sure,” I say casually. “When you come at me. Don’t tell me you’re scared?”

  He bares his teeth at me, then steps forward. No lunging. Not Jax, he’s confident, it’s written all over him. He doesn’t need a surprise attack, because he believes he can take me down without it. He’s wrong. When his arm swings out to catch me, I step to the left and swing my body around in a fierce kick, loving how it feels when it connects with his hip.

  He grunts and his hand lashes out, catching my foot while it’s still in the air. He jerks it and I bounce forward on the one still on the floor. I take the chance to catch him off guard and perform a pretty impressive maneuver, using my free foot to hook around his leg, then while he’s holding my other foot, I jerk and pull his leg hard. He stumbles and drops me. I land on my back and bounce up quickly.

  Now he lunges at me.

  He captures me in a headlock and I laugh, reaching around and pinching the skin behind his leg, hard. He bellows and his muscles flex around my head before he lets me go. He moves quick, which is rather impressive, and his foot lashes out, tripping me. I fall to my back and his body comes down over mine, capturing my hands and shoving them above my head.

  “What now, girl?”

  I grin at him, then I take a deep breath and slam my forehead into his face. Nak taught us all this little trick when we first started. There’s a certain spot on your head that if you hit someone else, it doesn’t hurt so much. You don’t have to hit hard, because if you get them in the right spot it sends them into a daze. In this case, I slammed my forehead into his nose. He rears back and frees my hands. I use my free hand to drive my palm into his jaw and he falls to his side.