Guarded by a Protective Vet, page 1
GUARDED BY A PROTECTIVE VET
HOPE FORD
CONTENTS
1. Legend
2. Maya
3. Legend
4. Maya
5. Legend
6. Maya
7. Legend
8. Maya
9. Legend
10. Maya
11. Legend
12. Maya
13. Legend
14. Maya
Epilogue
Back Away From My Girl Series
Also by Hope Ford
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About the Author
Guarded by the Protective Vet© 2024 by Hope Ford
Editor: Kasi Alexander
Proofreader: Nicole Graf
Cover Design: Lori Jackson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
1
LEGEND
“Call me.”
That’s all the text says, and I know it’s important because my boss, Cerberus, is a no-nonsense kind of guy. He’s not going to have me call him to chit chat or gossip about something. I’m sure it’s an assignment. After I retired from the military, I got bored, so I hired on at Spartan Shield Corporation as a bodyguard. It’s a good job and for the most part I enjoy it. Though, this last mission was a doozy. After ten days in the field, I told Cerberus I was taking some time off. I guess he didn’t like that.
I dial my boss’ number and wait for him to answer. It’s not a hello, how you doing, or anything like that. He’s straight to the point. “Legend, where are you?”
I resist rolling my eyes. I have no doubt that Cerberus knows where I am. As a bodyguard under his command, he always knows where I am. “Florida.”
“I have an assignment—”
I cut him off. “I told you I was taking some time off.” I leave off the part where I’d spent the last ten days protecting some socialite that was more worried about her social media platform than being protected.
“You were requested for this one.”
Well, that certainly piques my interest. There aren’t many people that know I’m working for Spartan Shield Corporation. I hear dogs barking, and Cerberus calmly calls them down. “Zeus, Hades, Apollo… enough.”
The barking stops instantly, and I ask him, “Who requested me?”
There’s the sound of papers turning, and then my boss mutters, “A Maverick Calhoun.”
Fuck, my best friend. He’s tried for the past three months to contact me, and I kept sending him to voicemail. I know he’s worried about me, but I didn’t want to listen to the pity in his voice every time he tried to contact me. I’ve been in limbo since I retired from the military, but I knew I had to do it. I’m too old to be working the field and didn’t want to go to a desk job. After the last mission, I knew it was time for me to be done.
Thinking it’s some kind of bullshit mission just so I’ll talk to him, I tell Cerberus, “I’ll call him.”
“He’s overseas, and it took me forever to get the information from him because of the static in the phone. Do you want the assignment or not? I need to get someone to Tennessee if you’re not taking it.”
“Wait. There really is an assignment?”
“Fuck. What the hell is wrong with you, Legend? I just said there was an assignment.” He clears his throat and continues. “Maya Calhoun has a stalker. We’ve been hired to protect the target and dispose of the problem.”
My phone dings as he continues. “I’ve sent over a picture of the target. She’s twenty-eight years old and lives in a house in Whiskey Run, Tennessee. She lives alone. She is a romance author, and her brother describes her as introverted and gullible.”
As Cerberus continues, I pull the phone from my ear to look at the picture of Maya Calhoun. As soon as I lay eyes on the brown-haired bombshell, I suck in a deep breath. Her big brown eyes are staring straight into the camera, and it feels like she’s looking right at me. I take in her long eyelashes and puffy lips, and as my gaze travels down the curvy length of her body, I can feel my cock twitch in my jeans. Fuck me, she’s a sight. How have I never known that Maverick’s little sister looked like this? It’s no wonder he kept her away from all of us.
Cerberus breaks into my train of thought. “How long will it take you to get there?”
“I’ll fly out on the first flight.”
“So you’re taking the assignment?”
Luckily, I already have a packed bag. I start stuffing my toiletry items in. “Yeah, I’m taking it. I’ll find a flight—”
Cerberus interrupts me. “You’re booked on the two p.m. flight from Miami International Airport. You’ll land in Jasper, TN at approximately three-twenty p.m. There will be a rental car waiting for you. I’ll send over all the details to your email. Let me know if you need any assistance.”
Click.
I pull the phone from my ear and want to call him back to see how he knew where I was and how he knew I’d be able to make the flight that leaves in less than an hour, but there’s no time for that. I throw my bag over my shoulder and get a ride to the airport. It’s pretty hectic flying commercial, so I don’t even open the email from Cerberus until I’m sitting on the plane as it takes off.
He has sent me her address, phone number, and links to all her social media. Cerberus has stationed what he calls local mercenaries outside her house until I get there to relieve them.
I read through the reports, and Maya has a stalker that is getting closer and closer as each day goes by. It started with emails, then letters to her PO box, then packages delivered to her home. He broke in and stole her underwear. And this last instance was him trying to break in while she was home. She alerted the police, but they did not catch the guy.
I go through Maya’s personal social media, and there’s not much to it. She doesn’t post anything. Her author social media has some images of her at a signing, but for the most part, she is incognito. I look at her profile page that has all her books listed and download the latest one, thinking I’ll read it if I get time. It’s always good to be able to get in the head of the target, and this could help.
“Is that your lady friend?”
I turn to the little elderly woman next to me. “Excuse me?”
She gestures to the picture on my phone. “Is that your lady friend? Are you on your way to see her?”
I realize that I’ve been staring at the image of Maya for the majority of the flight. I turn off my phone and lean back in my seat. “Uh, yeah, I’m on my way to see her.”
“Well, you two make a beautiful couple,” she says.
Instead of correcting her, I just grunt, “Thank you.”
I’m not sure what it is about Maya Calhoun, but she’s already got me in a lockhold. I pull up my phone and open the book app. As I start to read Maya’s latest bestseller, I get two chapters in, and I’m completely engrossed in the story. It’s a suspense romance, and I’m literally on the edge of my seat as the plane starts to descend.
“Put your seatbelt on, please.”
I do as the stewardess asks and then tuck my head down and keep reading. There’s action, sex, love, and betrayal, and I’m disappointed when I have to stop reading to disembark from the plane. The only bright thing is the fact that I’m about to see Maya in real life, and no matter what happens, no man is going to touch her. No one but me.
2
MAYA
As soon as I hear the special ringtone for my brother, I practically dive across the couch to pick up my phone that’s laying on the coffee table. “Hello. Maverick, is that you?”
“Hey, sis.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. My brother is God knows where, and when he does get to call me, I have to stop everything I’m doing and answer it. “Mav, how are you? You okay?”
There’s loud static on the phone, and I have to piece together what he’s saying. Trying to hide my frustration, I try to answer him as best as I can. “Yeah, yeah, I’m good. I’m okay. I don’t want you worrying about me. Please just be safe.”
More static, but I try to make out what he’s saying. “I am safe. Legend is on his way.”
“What did you say about Legend?”
I’ve heard Maverick mention his best friend plenty of times before, but I’ve never met him.
I press the phone tighter to my ear, but it does nothing to stop the static. “Bodyguards… outside…. I tracked down Legend and he’s on his way… he’ll take care of you.”
I get up from the couch and peek out the windows. What the hell? “Maverick, there are two men on my front porch.”
“They’re Walker’s men. They will stay until Legend gets there.”
“But…”
He’s quick to interrupt me. “Please, just do what I ask. You’re my baby sister and it kills me that I can’t be there to protect you. Let Legend do his thing. You can trust him, he’s the best guy I know.”
“But…”
I don’t get it out before Maverick pleads with me. “Please, Maya, just do as I ask.”
“Maverick, I don’t need a bodyguard. This is getting out of hand.”
“He broke in and stole your underwear,” Maverick practically shouts into the phone.
I wince. Geez, when you say it like that, yeah, it’
I bite my tongue. I’m very independent, I’ve had to be, but hearing my brother, who is across the ocean, somewhere doing only God knows what, well, I can’t really argue with him. “Fine. I’ll let Legend do his thing.”
“Maya, you can’t just say you agree to shut me up. I’m serious. Whoever this stalker is, he’s dangerous, and he’s getting more dangerous every day.”
I let the blinds flip close and settle back on the couch. He doesn’t have to tell me that the crazy stalker is getting more dangerous. I’m here, living it. I already feel like I’m going crazy, and I don’t have time to deal with this. I have a book that was due to my agent last week. She was able to grant me an extension, but I’m running out of time. I have to do some quick research if I’m going to make this book the bestseller I know it can be.
“Maya… are you there? I can’t hear you.”
There’s more static, and Maverick’s voice is breaking up, but I’m able to make it all out. “I’m here. How will I know it’s Legend?”
I’ve watched all the shows, SVU, CSI, FBI all the letters, but I’m still a novice when it comes to thinking like a criminal. Heck, anyone can be tapping into my phone and then posing as this Legend.
“Same tattoo…on chest.”
I repeat what I think I heard. “He has the same tattoo as you but it’s on his chest? Got it.”
“Love you… sis.”
“I love you, too, Maverick. Please be safe—”
I don’t know if he heard me before the phone cuts off.
I stare at my phone for the longest time thinking back on the days when Maverick and I were younger and how he’d always looked out for me. I feel bad that I’ve put even more pressure on him with everything he has going on.
I stand up and walk over to the home office I’ve set up in the large corner of my living room. I grab my laptop and make my way back to the couch. While I wait for Legend to show up, I try to do some work on my manuscript. It’s done except for the sex scenes. My agent says that my reviews are great except for the reviews that focus on the intimacy and sex scenes. She said that they are holding me back and that if I want to put my books at the top of the charts and then stay there, I need to learn to spice things up a bit, and I need to do it for this current book.
I’ve taken all the writing craft classes, read books that are popular for their sex scenes, and did all the research I could, but nothing has helped to inspire me. I’ve resorted to my last resort and have started looking into something that offers a little more of a physical research.
Just as I open the search window on my Internet tab, I hear people talking outside, and I jump up and cross the room to the window. As I peek through the blinds, I suck in a breath because standing on my porch is the biggest, broadest, sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
His dark hair is short, and he has a trimmed beard. His eyes are big and expressive even though his face is set in a determined stiffness. My gaze travels down his body and back up again, and it’s obvious he’s fit and in shape. The way his jeans fit his thick thighs has me blushing as I wonder what he’s packing under his denim.
If this is Legend, then his name does him justice. He dismisses the two men on my steps, and after looking around my porch, he comes to the front door and knocks. My lower belly pulls because even his knock is sexy.
3
LEGEND
When I pulled up to the address that Cerberus sent me, I froze seeing the two men on her porch. I knew they’d be there, but seeing them here, protecting my target, my best friend’s sister, my woman… damn, where did that come from? Maya is not mine, and I’d better keep reminding myself of that fact. I haven’t even laid eyes on the woman and already I’m having thoughts I shouldn’t be.
After I dismiss Walker’s men, I stand on the front porch and take a few deep breaths. Why am I equally nervous and excited about this assignment? I knock and see the fluttering of the shades next to the front door. So she’s been watching me? I wait for the door to open, and after a few seconds go by, I knock again.
“Who is it?” a soft feminine voice asks.
Even though it’s muffled, I hear her plainly and respond with as much chill as I can muster. It’s like I’m vibrating on the inside, and maybe it will go away when I finally lay eyes on her and know she’s okay. “Hey, Maya, my name is Legend Johnson. I’m Maverick’s friend.”
It’s like I’m tuned into any noise or movement on the other side of the door, and I can hear her shifting her weight. This time she stutters, “How…how do I know it’s you?”
Smart girl. I smile. “I have an ID. Do you want me to show you in the window?”
“Anyone can fake those.”
I nod because what she’s saying is the truth. Anyone can make a fake ID these days. “Okay, how can I prove it to you? I may have an old picture or something or I can—”
She cuts me off. “Maverick said you have matching tattoos.”
Instantly, I put my hand to my chest. “Yeah, we do. Want to see it?”
Her voice seems to have raised an octave. “Yes.”
I step over in front of the window and wait. My body is tense as I wait for her to open the blinds, and when she does, my heart does a flip in my chest. She’s even more beautiful in person. Her hair is in curls, hanging over her shoulders. Her eyes are wide as she stares through the glass at me, and even from here, I can see her stunted breath. She puts one hand to the glass and then pulls back. She feels it too.
When her eyebrow raises up, I remember what I’m supposed to be doing and pull my shirt from my jeans. I could just lift it up and show her my chest, but I want to test this working theory of attraction, so I pull my shirt up and off before moving closer to the glass.
Her eyes moving down my body is like a caress, and it’s only when she sees the gun tucked into my jeans that I realize I fucked up. Her eyes are wide, and her mouth drops open as she steps back from the window.
I point at my chest, right over my heart where my tattoo is. “Maya, look, I have the tattoo just like Mav.” I point at the fallen soldier tattoo that says Some Gave All and has our buddies’ initials underneath. I raise my arm and display the prominent tattoo of my name on my side. “It’s me, Maya. I’m Legend.”
She’s looking at the gun on my hip. “Honey, let me in. I’m here to protect you, and it’s easier to do from inside the house instead of the outside.”
She points at my waist. “Does that have to come in with you?”
I shrug. “You know it does. But it’s just like Abe in Secret Love Assassin. He protected Zoey, and he needed that gun to do it.”
She takes a step toward me. “Did you read Secret Love Assassin?”
I nod. “Well, I’m reading it now. I started on the plane ride here.”
She lets her eyes travel across my chest and then she closes the blinds. It takes a few minutes because Maya is flipping several locks, and finally she opens the door. She stands back and gestures for me to come in, and as soon as I walk in the door, she’s slamming it behind me and goes through securing all the locks again. I count as she goes, and when she gets to ten, I realize that Maya is more scared than I thought.
When she turns around, she’s looking everywhere but at me, and it’s not until she does that she gestures to my bare chest. “You can put your shirt back on.”
“Right.” I didn’t expect her to have rosy cheeks as if seeing me without my shirt on affects her, but I puff out my chest a little. I tug the shirt over my head, and just as my head pokes out the top, I notice she’s staring at me.
“So what did you think? About the book, I mean?”
I nod. “It’s good. Really good. I’m only halfway through it, so don’t tell me how it ends.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “What about the sexy parts? What did you think about those?”
Shocked, I start to cough. Can I really talk about sex scenes with Maya when I know that from this point forward, I will picture her any time I think about sex?
