“I’ll be there.”
“Thanks, man.”
I ended the phone call and finished chugging my water. Hampton hooked me up with one of my longest jobs with sports team owner billionaire, Damien Wales. The love of his life, Allison, was being threatened at the time I came on. Yeah, there was no way I would turn down helping a guy keep the woman he loved. He was a good man. I enjoyed working for him. The problem was I got too attached. Started caring. So, I quit a couple of years ago.
While I’d worked for the Wales, they’d welcomed me into their family. When they had their second child, a boy, I knew it was time to part ways when Allison let me hold him in the hospital. The last thing they deserved was to be hurt because of me. Everyone I cared about died. I would never bring my curse to someone else. Therefore, I refused to care about … anything.
If Damien ever needed something, I would be there. From time to time I’d see them, but nothing that would draw attention that they meant anything to me.
After I showered, I’d read today’s current events before meeting Hampton in his downtown Atlanta office.
Parking the black Land Cruiser, I checked my surroundings. Nothing seemed out of place, but nothing did anymore. Why would it? Anyone who’d known my identity outside of the Black Division had been killed. I walked into the building. Hampton, like me, was one of the few who beat the survival odds at Black Division. Maybe that was a reason we kept in touch. Almost all the men I’d fought beside at one time or another were dead.
After Hampton left the Black Division, he’d become a private investigator and opened Security Branch. Since then, Security Branch expanded to include everything from security to protecting to investigating.
The pristine front office had a reception desk. Karen, an older lady who kept Hampton in line, greeted me. “Morning, Bane. It’s been awhile. I would have made cookies if Hampton told me yesterday.”
Karen was a sweet woman.
Tipping my head to her, I stopped for a second. “Hampton called early this morning. I may have to drop by this Thursday, say around nine, to get some double chocolate chip ones though.”
I gave her a wink and she returned the gesture. Lowly, she whispered, “You got it. Don’t tell Hampton. His wife has him on a strict diet.”
The deep rumbles of my laugh echoed through the room. When I got the cookies, I was going to march in there and eat them in front of him on Thursday without saying an
ything. Teach that bastard a lesson for trying to set me up with someone a few months ago on a blind date. Just because I neared my mid-thirties did not mean I wanted anything to do with a family. That ship sailed six years ago.
“I won’t say a word.” Karen didn’t need to know my alternate plan.
Hampton appeared in the hallway. Walking up to me, he patted me on my back. “Thanks for coming.”
Running my hand on my smooth scalp, I responded, “Anytime. Where you want to do this?”
“Back in my office.”
I followed Hampton who was athletic in build. Sitting behind the large, dark wood desk, the chair creaked as Hampton got comfortable. Following suit, I took a seat on a black leather chair. I studied Hampton as I brought my ankle up to my knee. He looked tired with his unruly white hair. From the way his desk looked, he’d been up for a while with the fifteen coffee cups sitting on his desk.
Something was off with Hampton, but I remained outwardly unaffected and relaxed. The dark circles under Hampton’s eyes were more pronounced. I had a feeling this wasn’t simply a business call. There was a brochure on the edge of the desk that was black with provocative red lettering that piqued my interest, but I didn’t grab it. The way it laid, almost showcased, was obvious.
Hampton took a drink of coffee. “Listen, I need to ask a favor from you.”
“Okay.”
We were cutting right to the chase, which was the way I liked it. Until I knew the whole story, I never agreed to anything. It didn’t matter who the person was.
Scrubbing a hand down his face, Hampton was weary and nervous. Strange combination. “Felicia is sick. I need to take her to the doctor. It’s not looking good.”
Felicia was Hampton’s wife. She was a good woman—understanding, kind, and compassionate. I knew what it was like to have a woman like that. No one deserved to lose their soul mate. No one. “Fuck, man. I’m sorry. What do you need?”
Fidgeting, Hampton looked somberly down. At least that explained why he was out of sorts. “A potential account stopped by yesterday. The business is Discrete Encounters. It’s a dating service. They’re needing to make sure that they have the proper security in place.”
Internally, I groaned. Baby-fucking-sitting jobs were the worst.
Hampton watched me for a reaction, but I kept a neutral face. “I know you hate this kind of job, Bane. They could be a huge client. If this works out, they’re going to hire me for the rest of their nationwide chains. It could be big for Security Branch.”
Waiting to see if there was more, I rubbed the back of my neck. He had a team of his own employed … a damn good one. Why did he need me?
“I need to know the best is on it. My other guys are handling everything else. I don’t want to worry about bringing on a new client. With you, I’ll be able to focus completely on Felicia.”