Drew: Lighthouse Security Investigations Read online

  Drew

  Lighthouse Security and Investigations

  Maryann Jordan

  Contents

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  27. More By Maryann Jordan

  Chapter 28

  Acknowledgments

  Drew (Lighthouse Security & Investigations) Copyright 2019

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

  If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, then you are reading an illegal pirated copy. If you would be concerned about working for no pay, then please respect the author’s work! Make sure that you are only reading a copy that has been officially released by the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design by: Becky McGraw

  ISBN ebook: 978-1-947214-44-6

  ISBN print: 978-1-947214-45-3

  Created with Vellum

  Author’s Note

  Please remember that this is a work of fiction. I have lived in numerous states as well as overseas, but for the last twenty years have called Virginia my home. I often choose to use fictional city names with some geographical accuracies.

  These fictionally named cities allow me to use my creativity and not feel constricted by attempting to accurately portray the areas.

  It is my hope that my readers will allow me this creative license and understand my fictional world.

  I also do quite a bit of research on my books and try to write on subjects with accuracy. There will always be points where creative license will be used in order to create scenes or plots.

  1

  Drew sat in the surveillance van, much preferring to be closer to the action. But since the man they were hoping to trap knew who he was, he had no choice but to stay out of sight.

  He glanced to the side, looking at his co-worker, Walker, seeing him tight-lipped and on edge as they monitored the progress of the two women moving through the museum.

  His gaze drifted around the van, never taking for granted the top-of-the-line equipment that was at their disposal. Radio equipment, computer monitors, computer and security jamming devices, as well as specialized—although not necessarily legal—equipment for altering security cameras so that it could make it seem as though they had never been there. Most of it he had no idea how to use but was glad to work with the others who did.

  Known as Keepers, they worked for Lighthouse Security Investigations, a company created by a former Special Forces and CIA Special Ops, Mace Hanover. Mace hired former SEALs, Rangers, Special Forces, Deltas, and Air Force Special Ops who had also been trained as CIA Special Ops.

  Besides Walker in the van, another co-worker, Bray, sat near the front as he also monitored what was going on inside the museum with the two women.

  One of the women, Julie, was Walker’s. Or at least Walker wanted her to be. She was a woman he had rescued on a mission in Mexico but was now being followed and threatened by a high-level member of a drug cartel. In fact, Drew was the one who set up the sting by letting Joseph Martinez know where Julie was going to be so that they could catch him in the act of trying to silence her.

  The other woman, Babs, worked with the Keepers, but never in the field. She was a behind-the-scenes employee, and that was what had Drew wishing he was inside the museum and not out in the fuckin’ surveillance van.

  Drew leaned back and stretched, his long arms in front of him while he moved his neck back and forth, hearing the familiar pop in his spine. A flash of pain hit him but then left quickly. It was a miracle that the van held the men and their equipment comfortably, considering that none of them were small men. He topped them all, having finally stopped growing when he hit 6’7”. His mom had despaired when he was growing up, always having to buy him new clothes and shoes.

  The sound of the women talking casually as they looked at the exhibits kept his mind focused on the mission. Not that he ever had trouble keeping his mind on a mission, but this was different. He could not understand why—or maybe he did not want to understand why—it mattered more because it was Babs.

  The women were well-monitored on the inside of the museum by several more Keepers. They were sure Joseph was going to attempt to harm Julie, and now they played the waiting game to see when he would make his move.

  Listening to the audio, they knew the women had walked around many of the exhibits and finally decided to go to the bottom floor of the museum where a food court was located. He could hear the women chatting as they ordered sodas and then moved to a table. Another Keeper in the van, Tate, worked the equipment to keep down the background noise so that they could continue to hear the women clearly.

  Julie was nervous, but Babs laughed and told her that they were under surveillance and had nothing to worry about.

  A smile slipped over his face at the sound of Babs’ laughter. He often teased her just to hear the sound. He sighed heavily, and Walker looked over at him.

  “I know you hate this shit,” Walker said.

  “I figure it’s worse for you,” he replied. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through with that asshole after your woman.”

  Walker swiveled on his chair, pinning him with a hard stare. “Babs is in there, too.”

  Drew opened his mouth to retort but snapped it shut, unable to come up with a witty reply that would not be total bullshit. Babs. Barbara Mabrey. Rubbing his hand over his chin, he turned back to the monitoring equipment, listening to the sounds in the cafeteria and the two women chatting. He fought to keep the grin off his face at the sound of Babs’ familiar southern accent, remembering the first time he met her.

  “Hell, you’re kind of big to be a Flyboy, aren’t you?”

  I looked down at the woman sitting at a desk near the entrance to the main compound room of Lighthouse Security. An impish grin on her face caught me by surprise, but it was her hair that drew my attention. She wore her dark hair cut in a spiky pixie, hot pink coloring the tips. Little makeup adorned her face, but it was not needed to draw attention to her flawless complexion and large almond eyes.

  My first reaction was to offer her my panty-melting smile; after all, it’s served me well over the years. But I quickly remembered I was not at a bar picking up a woman, but on my first official day on the job. I dropped my wide smile, cleared my throat as I stuck out my hand, and mumbled, “Drew. Robert Drew.”

  She placed her much smaller hand in mine to shake and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Drew Robert Drew. But since you’re our resident pilot, I think I’ll stick to Flyboy.”

  I had wanted to say something else, perhaps even something witty, but
she had already turned to greet the next new Keeper walking into the room. As I moved toward Mace, I still felt the tingles in my fingers from her touch.

  At first, he thought she was just someone Mace hired as an administrative assistant, but he should have known Mace better than that. Even Marge and Horace Tiddle, the Lighthouse caretakers, had been a former Seal and a CIA Special Ops. Now older and retired, Mace trusted them explicitly, having worked with them in the past.

  When he found out that Babs had been a CIA Special Operator, his admiration for her ratcheted up beyond the initial bolt of lust he felt. In the last couple of years, she had let her hair grow longer, but they never knew what it might look like. One day the ends were blue; another day purple streaks ran through them. Lately, she seemed to be letting her natural hair color shine through with just a few highlights.

  She worked out in the gym with them, and her body was taut and fit…another thing that caused lust to hit him. Southern, like him, they bonded quickly, something he never did with women. She was confident, almost to the point of cocky, and could make him laugh and hard all at the same time. He easily gave in to the first and fought to hide the second. Just being around her made his days better.

  “Hey, y’all,” Babs called out. “Sorry I’m late, traffic was horrible.”

  I knew there was no traffic within twenty miles of their location, and I fought a grin as Mace looked at his ever-efficient, but often late administrative assistant.

  Babs shrugged, placed her hands on her lean hips and said, “Well, it was worth a try. To be honest, I just overslept.”

  “Late night, Babs?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.

  She grinned, wiggled her eyebrows right back at me, and said, “Hell, yeah. Found me a big old cowboy, decided it was time for me to save a horse.”

  The other Keepers laughed, but I groaned, shaking my head, realizing the last thing I wanted to hear about was her love life. As co-workers, there was nothing I could do about the attraction that simmered underneath the surface whenever we were together. But that did not keep me from thinking about it.

  He knew he did not always hide it well, though, now that a few of his friends would tell him to get off his ass and do something about it. But he and Babs were just friends…co-workers. At least that was what he told himself, even when he was alone in bed at night jerking off to the thought of her. He could not take a risk that it would go bad and how that might affect LSI. He…hell, they all owed Mace a great deal, and he was not about to mess that up.

  But as he was around her more and more, the layers slowly peeled back, revealing a deeply-multifaceted woman, and it became harder and harder to stay away. She seemed to know when a Keeper needed an ear to listen or boot up their ass.

  When she was giving advice to Rank about the woman he was protecting and falling in love with, she said, “If you think she’s in danger, then it’s your job to keep her safe. How you do that is up to you, but don’t underestimate her. She sounds like a smart woman who has a kind heart. That doesn’t make her incapable of understanding that she might be in danger.”

  Hearing her offer that wisdom to Rank, I winked and said, “Damn, girl. I knew under all that badassery there was a woman with a heart of gold.”

  Gaining the response I wanted, she threw her head back and laughed. I fuckin’ loved watching her laugh. Full-throated. Full gut. She then stood, winked at the others, and flipped her middle finger at me as she walked away. I fuckin’ loved it.

  He had never had a close friend who was a woman before. Usually, if he was attracted to someone, it did not take long for them to get horizontal and then move on. But working with Babs and getting to know her had him craving just being in her presence. He never knew what was going to come out of her mouth, but every time he thought about it, the desire to kiss her quiet moved through him.

  Groaning, he forced his thoughts back to the mission at hand and continued listening to the women’s conversation.

  “I didn’t order a diet drink. Did I get yours by mistake?” Babs said.

  Julie replied, “No, I ordered two regular sodas.”

  After a second, Babs said, “Ugh. It must be flat.”

  The sound of slurping could be heard before Julie said, “Mine is fine. It’s not flat at all.”

  “Damn, I thought I could drink it because I’m thirsty, but that’s nasty.”

  Hearing Julie offer to let Babs have some of her drink, Drew closed his eyes and wondered if Joseph was even going to make an approach. Maybe we have this all wrong. Maybe all the hints I dropped to him about where Julie would be today fell on deaf ears and he’s got something else planned. The two women had been in the museum for hours, and it seemed if Joseph was going to make an attempt he would have already done so.

  Suddenly, the sound of screaming jolted the men inside the surveillance van, and he listened as Julie screamed, “Babs! Babs! Oh, my God! Babs!” After just a second, her next scream of “Help!” sent chills straight through him.

  Moving with a speed that did not seem compatible with his size, he leaped from the back door of the van, Walker right behind. Still monitoring what was going on inside the museum through their earpieces, he heard another Keeper, Bray, calling out for an ambulance for Babs. As his feet pounded the pavement toward the front door of the museum, he heard Walker call out.

  “I’m going to the cafeteria’s back entrance. If that’s where Joseph was, that’s where he’s coming out.”

  Hesitating for only a second, he caught Walker’s eyes, a flash of uncertainty moving through him. Joseph or Babs? Never one to hesitate in the middle of a mission, he was relieved when Walker urged, “Go. Go to Babs.”

  They separated, and while Walker ran toward the back of the building, calling out his position so the other Keepers would know where he was going, Drew did the same as he ran up the front steps of the massive white granite museum. Dashing past the information desk, he ignored the call of the receptionist when he did not stop to pay an entrance fee. Spying the sign for the cafeteria, he ran down the hall.

  Pushing people out of his way as he ran down the steps, he called out to Bray to let him know he was there. The room was large and filled with people, but with his height, it was not difficult to see where he needed to be. Another Keeper, Josh, was busy moving people back, and as he raced over, he could see Bray on the floor next to Babs.

  She was pale and writhing in pain, clutching her stomach, but the sight had the air in his lungs rushing out, seeing that she was still alive. Jerking his gaze over to Bray, he listened as Bray rattled off, “Poison must’ve been in the drink. I got no fuckin’ clue what it is. Heart rate elevated. Blood pressure elevated.”

  Without thinking of the possible consequences, Drew dropped to his knees next to Babs’ twitching body. Scooping his arms under the back of her, he jerked her upward, her head flopping against his forearm across her chest.

  Suddenly, her body spasmed, and her stomach expelled its contents, throwing up the liquid she had drank, and hopefully the poison with it. He was scared, though, knowing it could be just as dangerous for someone to vomit up poison, depending on what type it was. Too late to worry about that now, he shifted his ass to the floor, pulling her against him as she continued to gag, nothing else coming out.

  “That’s it, Babs. Get it out, get it out.” He now rubbed her back gently, continuing to murmur, “Gonna be okay, you’re gonna be okay.” He had no idea if his words were true but prayed he was not lying.

  The paramedics made it to the cafeteria and slid her from his arms. He hovered nearby as they inserted an IV and loaded her onto a gurney. Her face, still pale, made it hard for him to suck in air, each breath burning.

  He looked up, seeing Julie opening her arms as Walker rushed over to embrace her. Before he had a chance to ask, he heard Walker say, “It’s okay. We got him.” Walker conversed with Julie for a moment, but those were the only words Drew needed to hear.

  He held Walker’s gaze for only an instant, co
mmunication silently moving between them. With a chin lift, he turned and moved with the paramedics rolling Babs outside to the ambulance.

  Climbing into the back with her, he ignored the protestations of the paramedics. One glare from him and they quieted, turning their attention back to Babs. And he did the same.

  2

  Several hours later, the hospital declared Babs to be out of danger. Blood tests revealed Joseph had used cyanide…not particularly creative but very effective. While fast-acting, she had not ingested enough to cause quick death, thankfully giving them a chance to get medical treatment.

  She had been moved to a hospital room for overnight observation. Drew stood outside for a while, giving an upset Julie a chance to be with her until Walker had finally led her away. Mace and his wife, Sylvie, had also been in, Mace’s tight jaw indicating his fury that one of his Keepers was injured.

  As Sylvie and Mace walked out of her room, Drew looked at his boss. “Where is he?”

  “Safe. You going to be up for a flight tomorrow morning?”

  With a curt nod, he said, “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  Mace turned to walk out of the hospital room, then stopped and looked over his shoulder, first at Babs lying in bed and then toward Drew. “Life’s too fuckin’ short to pass up opportunities.”

  Drew watched him walk out of the room after throwing out that cryptic statement. Pushing that aside, he walked into the room and looked back down at a still-sleeping Babs. The room was quiet, the lights down low. He stared at her pale, smooth complexion. Thick, dark lashes lay in crescents upon her cheeks. Her long, dark hair was braided and pulled to the side. An unflattering pea-green hospital gown covered what little part of her body was not buried beneath a blanket.