Chapter Fourteen
Persephone checked her makeup and hair in the mirror one last time before heading down to the great room to meet the seven men Nick had settled on in just the past week. He didn’t tell her much about them other than the files he offered to show they had the skills necessary to do the job they needed them for, so all she knew was on paper each of them looked like perfect choices.
She trusted him with this job like she’d trusted him with her life. If he believed in these seven men, then she did. Meeting them now was more of a formality.
If Nick wanted these men on the team, then they were part of the team already.
The bedroom door opened and he peeked his head in. “Ready? You’ve got an audience waiting for you.”
Turning away from her reflection, she looked over at him and smiled. “I’m ready. I can’t wait to meet them, Nick. I’ve already got two leads on women who need our help right now, and I expect to hear about more leads later this afternoon. Your team is already very much in demand.”
He held the door open for her, and as she walked past him, he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her to his body. “Have I ever mentioned how much I love your passion for this project?”
Few things made her happier than having his support for her idea. She knew far too many men would have dismissed it as a female problem or a flight of fancy she’d get over. But Nick wasn’t one of those men, and his help and encouragement from the first he heard of her plan helped her make it come to fruition.
“Have I mentioned how this would have never come about without you by my side?” she asked in response to his question.
He simply smiled and kissed her sweetly. “Time to go meet them.”
Remembering the files on each man, she hurried back into the bedroom to grab the stack of dossiers she’d left on the nightstand. “I want to have them so I can put names to faces and information.”
With a smile, Nick said, “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. I have a feeling you’ll be able to keep them straight after today. They’re a pretty unique group.”
As they walked down the hallway to the main house, she wondered what that comment meant. She trusted Nick implicitly, but she didn’t know how she felt about the adjective he’d used to describe them. Unique. It rarely meant anything positive when it was used to describe anything other than artwork, and even then it was often negative.
“Unique? Should I be worried?”
Nick shook his head. “Nope. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll handle whatever needs to be handled.”
Unique made her wonder, but mentioning something might need to be handled made Persephone downright nervous. The women they intended on helping didn’t have time for things to be handled with these unique men.
She stopped him in front of the door to the great room and took his hand in hers. Looking up at him, she hoped he understood how much this project meant to her. “I trust you with my life, Nick, but the way you’re talking about these men is making me nervous. Promise me they’re right for this.”
Nodding, he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles in that way that never failed to make her feel adored. “I know how much this means to you, Persephone. This has become as important to me as it is to you. I would never let anyone ruin this for you. These men will do you proud. Trust me.”
There, in those two words, she heard what she needed to believe in the men he’d chosen.
“I love you and I trust no one in the world more than you, Nick. You saved my life. I hope you don’t think I ever doubted you. I just got a little skittish when you said they were unique and you’d handle any issues with them. It never meant that I didn’t trust you with everything I believe in.”
He kissed her hand again and nodded. “Okay. Ready to meet the team?”
She smiled and took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”
Nick opened the large wooden door and escorted Persephone into the great room where the seven men awaited them. Some stood near the fireplace and the windows, while the others sat on the oversized couch and chairs positioned around the coffee table.
Immediately, she noticed how large all of them were. Nick towered over her by nearly a foot at six foot four, but a few of these men looked even bigger than him. The one who stood next to the enormous grey stone fireplace at the far end of the room looked like he himself could physically move the thing with little effort.
“Gentleman, let me introduce you to Persephone Gilmore, the woman behind the organization you just joined,” Nick announced in a deep voice full of pride she heard loud and clear.
The men nodded as each one was introduced to her by name and his former job before becoming one of their team. First up, he pointed at the tall man with nearly black hair and dark eyes who stood on the left side of the window across from them dressed in jeans and a dark t-shirt that showed off his very muscular arms. His serious expression bordered on angry as he listed to his introduction.
“Roman Gregory, Army Ranger. You want a man who can handle any situation, among other things, he’s your man.”
Persephone smiled at him and looked at the folder containing information Nick had collected on him. Scanning the information, she saw he was unattached but had a girlfriend who was killed while he was serving. No girlfriend since. Expert shot.
Lifting her gaze, she nodded her approval. “It’s nice to meet you, Roman.”
The man said nothing but simply bowed his head in response. The one word that flashed through Persephone’s mind for him was impressive.
Pointing toward the man who sat on the end of the couch furthest away from where they stood, Nick said, “Next up is Hunter McKay. Worked as an LA detective for five years.”
She sized up this second man as he stood to approach her. Tall with light brown hair and green eyes, he had an athletic look to him for a man she knew from his dossier was thirty-two years old. Before she could reread the other details on him, he offered her his hand.
“Great to meet you, Persephone. Glad to be on board.”
Looking down at his hand wrapped around hers, she appreciated his confidence. A woman in danger needed a man who could control a problem, and she had a feeling Hunter had confidence in spades.
“Good to have you with us, Hunter.”
He returned to the couch to sit near the next man to be introduced. Nick pointed toward a muscular man with black hair and stunning deep blue eyes. She had to admit he had a feel to him. It wasn’t confidence so much as flair.
She didn’t know how she felt about that, though.
“I’d like you to meet Gideon Roberts, Navy SEAL and expert in hand-to-hand combat.”
Gideon stood to shake her hand and flashed her a gorgeous smile. “Good to meet you. As soon as Nick told me about all of this, I wanted in.”
Obviously brave and downright stunning in jeans and a teal blue button down dress shirt, he reminded Persephone of one of the models she’d seen on a calendar in the nurses’ lounge at the hospital. Something about him made her wonder if the man she trusted with her own life knew anything else that he brought to the team. She didn’t need a playboy messing with some woman’s heart as he helped her escape some terrible danger.
“Thanks, Gideon. Nice to have you here.”
Next, Nick pointed at the man who sat next to Gideon. Not as muscular as the others, he had a more intellectual feel to him. His dirty blond hair and pale blue eyes gave him a more casual look than the others too, even though he wore dress pants and a white button-down shirt that cried out for a tie.
“Persephone, let me introduce you to Xavier Martin, our resident IT pro,” Nick said as the man stood to shake her hand.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Miss Gilmore. Nick might be building me up a little much, though. IT professional sounds like something my mother would make me put on my resume. My real title would be hacker, if we’re being honest here.”
Xavier had a lilt to his voice that made him sound so much friendlier than any of the other men. Persephone had never met a real life hacker before and couldn’t help but admit to herself that she would have thought one would look far scarier in person.
“Nice to have you here with us, Xavier.”
Still focused on the only hacker she’d ever met, she didn’t hear Nick introduce the next member of the team. Following where his finger aimed toward the window, she saw a man standing near Roman with closely cropped dark hair and olive skin dressed in a dark grey suit. He had a look to him that struck Persephone as exotic.
Turning to look at Nick, she whispered, “Who is this?”
“Julian. Julian Cain. Jack of all trades and master of several of them.”
“Like?” she asked, wondering why Nick seemed reluctant to tell her more about this man. She looked down at the file she had on him and found little more than just his vital statistics and that he’d worked with Nick on a number of cases in the past when he was with the FBI.
“Let’s just say Julian here has a way of knowing how to handle people,” Nick answered cryptically. “Julian, this is Persephone Gilmore.”
She swiveled her head to see him walking toward her with a smile on his face. “It’s very nice to meet you, Julian.”
The rest of the men stared at him like she did, likely thinking the same thing that was running through her mind. What was this man’s skill?
He took hold of her hand and held it instead of shaking it like all the other men had. After a moment, it felt awkward, but when she looked at him to let him know he could let go, he locked his gaze on hers.
“I get the feeling you’re not sure about me. That’s okay. I don’t mind proving myself. Also, Nick didn’t seem to want to tell you the whole truth about me. I would be what you would call a con man. Well, a potential con man. I keep on the right side of the law for the most part. Counting cards is one of my talents. I also have a photographic memory. Your man and I used to work together on cases when he was in the bureau, so he can vouch for my skills.”
His voice had a hypnotic sound to it, and Persephone found herself feeling like she had been put under a spell by the time he finished speaking. Or maybe it was how his deep brown eyes stared at her so intently, like he was searching her face for some answer to a question.
Nick pulled her hand away from Julian’s and slid his arm around her waist. “And that’s Julian. Save the act for when we serve drinks.”
The man chuckled wickedly and stepped back, putting his hands up in front of him as he did. “No problem, boss. I didn’t mean to step on any toes.”
Ignoring his apology, Nick moved on to the man sitting in the chair. “And this is Marius Grisham, former CIA black ops. He’s the epitome of the underground man. Expert at infiltration. If you want to find someone, he’s your man.”
Persephone focused her attention on the man who seemed to suddenly appear in front of her. Dressed in black dress pants and a white button down shirt, he looked like he could handle himself as well as any of the other men. Quiet confidence practically oozed out of every pore and his impressive size added to that feeling.
“It’s nice to meet you, Marius,” she said as she extended her hand to shake his much larger hand.
“Very nice to be here, Persephone. I have to say I was intrigued when Nick told me what you had in mind, and if this place is any indication of how this all will be run, I can see myself fitting in just fine.”
She smiled, happy that all her efforts to make their home base everything she thought they’d need hadn’t gone unnoticed by at least one of them. “I want you all to have a place that lets each one of you do this job as effectively as possible. Everything I spend my money on is in pursuit of one goal. To help the women who need you.”
Marius smiled and looked around the great room. “I like the way you think.”
Of all of the men, Persephone had a feeling she might end up liking Marius the most. He seemed to appreciate her efforts, and she liked that.
“Finally, the one holding up the fireplace over there is Dax Sturgis, one of my closest friends from the bureau and a whiz at forensics, among many other things.”
Nick smiled at his old friend, and Persephone watched as the enormous man slowly walked toward her. As confident and assured as the others, he smiled warmly at her as he shook her hand. She couldn’t help but notice how good looking he was with his dark hair and his chiseled cheekbones and strong jaw, even though he wore red workout pants and a yellow t-shirt with some bar’s logo on it that resembled something vaguely sexual.
“It’s good to meet the woman who got this guy to give up that life of rootlessness. We former bureau guys need something honorable to keep us out of trouble. I’m happy you’re giving him and me a chance to do good again.”
Persephone wanted to look down at the folders in her left hand to find out more about Dax so she could know what he’d been up to since leaving the bureau if he hadn’t been spending his time like Nick. She made a mental note to read up on him after this meeting.
Dax made his way back to his position next to the fireplace, and she began to address the group on what she wanted this project to achieve. She knew she had lofty goals for the team, but she believed they could do it.
She had to. The women they would help couldn’t afford for them to fail.
“I know Nick has told you what this team will do, but let me give you my speech on it. This is not just something this rich girl has decided to do with her money for the time being until something more interesting or sexier comes along. I know what women go through, and if it hadn’t been for Nick, I might still be held hostage in that house my kidnappers had me at. Or worse, I’d be dead.”
She looked at the man she loved and smiled. “But he was there to help me when I needed him. There are women across this country who need help like that every day. Some go to the police and are told there isn’t anything they can do until the person stalking them or the person threatening them actually harms them. That’s unacceptable. The policy of being reactive puts women in more harm. I want this team to be as proactive as possible. The minute I hear a woman is in danger, one of you will be assigned the job of protecting her and helping her get away from whoever and whatever is threatening her.”
Xavier raised a finger and asked, “How do you hear about these women needing help? No offense, but from what I know of you, there’s no connection to law enforcement in your past.”
She did enjoy when people underestimated her. Nodding, she acknowledged the truth of what he’d said.
“You’re right. I haven’t been involved in law enforcement whatsoever, but I am the daughter of one of the most powerful news media giants in the world. My father’s connections with police forces around the country will pave the way. Already through my dealings with some of them, I’ve found them more than eager to pass along information about women in danger they wish they could do more for. There’s not a cop in this nation who wants to see a woman hurt, but often the laws tie their hands. Since this organization will be outside law enforcement, those laws imposed on the police won’t affect you.”
She heard one of the men murmur “extralegal” under his breath and quickly moved to quash any ideas that she had assembled a group of vigilantes.
“I’m not here to say I will condone anyone breaking the law. I won’t. But this group won’t be forced to concern themselves with the rights of men who want to terrorize women. Your only concern will be protecting the client and ensuring she’s safe and out of harm’s way.”
Roman cleared his throat and asked in a low voice tinged with disgust, “Are we talking about us being bodyguards here then?”
Persephone shook her head. “No. Your work is going to be of far more consequence. A woman being stalked needs more than just a bodyguard. She needs someone to help her find out who’s out there who wants to do her harm, if she doesn’t already know. On the other hand, a woman being threatened might know who’s trying to harm her. Your job is to not only protect her but find out what’s behind the threats. If we just wanted bodyguards, we could have hired bouncers. I’m paying you all top dollar for far more and expect you to use your considerable skills each one of you brings to the table on every assignment.”
She sensed as Roman nodded and leaned back against the windowsill that she’d given him an answer he could respect. Scanning the room, she saw the men’s expressions said they liked what they were hearing.
“I’m sure there will be many questions, but for now, I want to thank you for joining Nick and me in this. We’re dedicated to seeing this succeed. You’ll find your rooms have been stocked with everything you could possibly need, in addition to the kitchen having enough food in every variety to feed an army. The cook’s name is Summers, and he works from six in the morning to six at night. After that, you’re on your own to cook whatever food you like. Everything will be taken care of for you—housekeeping, laundry, and meals. Your salaries will be deposited into the accounts you provided. Other than that, there is a game room equipped with whatever you may want to play in your off time and a media room where films can be shown. I have some connections in that area, so first run movies are available.”
She stopped as they all seemed to hang on every word she spoke. She knew how good they’d have it there, but if she wanted to get the best out of them for their clients, she had to offer them more than just money.
Because what they gave up to be a part of Project Artemis was a hefty price.
“One final note. You may come and go from this place as you like. There are cars enough for everyone. Each of you knows how to lay low and stay out of the limelight. That’s one of the reasons you were chosen. But in exchange for all you have here, there is one requirement. You must remain unattached. If at any point you decide that your love life is more important than your job, you will have to resign your position. Other than living here, which won’t be too much of a hardship for anyone, your remaining single is the only other non-negotiable. If that’s impossible for anyone, please let us know now and you can leave. No harm, no foul. If not, the first assignments will be handed out today.”
She waited for any of them to speak up and say they couldn’t abide by the rules, but not a single one did. Nick had told her he made sure to only recruit men he knew could accept the structure of the job, but she’d wanted to make sure. Giving up the chance of being in a relationship would certainly give her pause. She knew it was a lot to ask of the team, but she needed their focus to be entirely on the women they would help.
“Please feel free to take a look around after you find your rooms. Lunch will be served at noon precisely. Summers told me he was preparing a huge country ham, so be sure to come to the table hungry.”
Persephone thanked them and turned to face Nick. “I’m going to the office. I want to discuss things with you before any assignments are given out.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
As she left the room, she felt good about this group of men. She only hoped they’d do for their clients what Nick did for her.