Cowboy was on the firing range with five potential new hires. Today he was testing their knowledge of weapons and their ability to shoot on target under stress.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket as the recruits emptied their magazines, and his cock tingled. Charlotte had been texting him inappropriate pictures of herself for the last two hours, telling him to come home.

Her plan to move in with her brother hadn’t quite worked out since Cowboy wouldn’t let her out of his bed.

Talk about working under stress.

He couldn’t look at that shit without getting hard, so he ignored it, taking his ear protection off when the last man turned toward him. “Nice job. For our next challenge, I want you to suit up in full body armor and head out to the outdoor range.”

His cell phone vibrated again. She was insistent, and he liked it. Maybe he would go home for an extended lunch break. He licked his lips before realizing it was a phone call and checked the caller ID.

Red.

“I need to take this. Suit up and take a break until I’m through.” He answered the phone. “’Bout time you checked in,” he said. “I was beginning to think you ran off to Vegas with some hooker and got married. Oh, wait… That’s right. You’re already married.”

“How’s it going without me?”

“Pretty good. Running some drills with a few recruits.”

“Anybody good?”

“Too early to say.”

“How many women are you looking to hire?”

“At least two. But we need to bring on two or three more guys. Give us some flexibility. Like now, you’re off in Lala Land for three months and we don’t have a pilot. I mean, shit — Logan can technically fly a plane and Hawk can get the bird in the air, but I wouldn’t get on board with either one of their asses unless the alternative was flaming lava and The Rapture.”

“Yeah. We could use more redundancy. Maybe even bring on another tactical guy like Jax, now that he’s spending more time out of the office.”

“I was thinking about that. I’ll bring it up to him. How’s it going over there?”

“Different than I expected. I want you to get some information for me on the woman.”

Cowboy smiled. “Your wife?”

“Cut the shit.”

“Come on now,” said Cowboy. “You can’t expect me not to have a little fun. You looking forward to your wedding night? I should probably tell you about the birds and the bees before you turn off the lights.”

“If you only knew.”

Cowboy narrowed his eyes. “Red, what’s going on over there?”

“Nothing, man.”

Shit would get complicated pretty quick if he really got involved with that woman.

“She was in Switzerland up until recently,” said Matteo. “I want to know who she was with.”

Cowboy pinched the skin between his eyes. “Is she pretty?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“So she’s beautiful.” He clucked his tongue. “Be careful, Red. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Speaking of which, how’s Charlotte?”

The last picture she texted him flashed in his mind and his dick bounced in the shorts. “She’s good. Real good.”

“How’s Logan handling it?”

“You mean, has he started speaking to me in the two days since you left? No. Still yes sir, no sir kind of bullshit. Between you and me, I think that boy needs to get laid. Loosen up a little.”

“According to Hawk, he’s quite the ladies’ man.”

“No freaking way.”

“It’s true. He said the women can’t get enough of him. The older women, in particular.”

Cowboy laughed. “You’ve got to be shitting me. Doc and the cougars?”

“I believe Hawk’s words were, ‘He has very sophisticated taste in women.’”

“Well, who would’ve thought it?” He shook his head. Oddly enough, he could picture it. Logan with his pretty-boy muscles and some knockout forty-five-year-old bombshell.

It takes all kinds.

“So Switzerland, eh? What are we looking for?”

“The father of her baby. I’m thinking it’s probably the same guy.”

“Roger that. Find out who your wife was banging in the Alps. Got it.”

“Asshole.”

Cowboy laughed. “Seriously, man, why do you want to know this shit?”

“I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s more going on here than just the election. I’m feeling like I’m in the dark.”

Cowboy nodded. “I’ll put Logan on it right now. I’ll give you a call as soon as I find anything out. Is that it?”

“The whole mansion is bugged.”

“Probably Trane. The guy he’s running against.”

“Could be. I haven’t figured out who the bad guys are yet.”

Red really was operating in the dark, his connection to HERO Force his only assistance, and Cowboy felt a moment’s concern. “Plot twist, brother. It’s you and me.”

“Sometimes it feels that way, man.”

Cowboy knew exactly what he meant. “Stay safe, Red. Don’t trust anybody, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I know something.”