Page 40 of Deception and New Direction (Ranger Shield Security #3)

ANNA

Have you ever been somewhere before and you just knew something bad was about to happen?

The party was quite lively. People eating, drinking, some dancing, and genuinely enjoying themselves. But I just couldn’t shake the distinct feeling that something wasn’t right.

Maybe it was my years as a news anchor and reporter that caused me to always be watchful of everyone and everything. Who knows, but my gut was screaming at me that something was about to happen.

This night’s festivities were to celebrate our TV news station getting a new owner and general manager.

Mingling with the new boss and getting to know everyone.

Every anchor, reporter, director, producer, and even camera operator was here enjoying a night to just relax and enjoy the camaraderie with co-workers.

Normally on a Saturday night, many of us would be at the station producing the newscast, but it was the fall—height of college football season, and tonight was a night when the games were back-to-back.

That meant there would be no 6pm newscast. There would still be a late show—likely around eleven or eleven-thirty tonight, but otherwise, everyone either had the night off or at least a few hours to enjoy.

I liked these people, I really did, but that didn’t mean I wanted to spend my work hours as well as my off hours with all of them.

Plus , we all tended to work weird hours and long days, which meant sleep was often hard to come by, and rest was what I would rather be doing right now.

A nice long bath with a book in my hand, maybe some snuggles with my dog, Percy , and then going to bed.

I’d already been here almost an hour, which was the minimum time I told myself I would stay before I bailed. Though again, I kept having this burning feeling that something was off. So , part of me felt compelled to stay.

“Oh wow, look at that hot hunk of a man that just walked in the room,” my colleague and best friend Talia next to me whispered in my ear.

I looked up and blinked—a few times—because I knew that man.

He was the one I had tried, for years, to get out of my head, but had not been successful. The closer he got, the more I realized it was indeed Archer —my ex-husband.

“Oh snap, he’s walking over here,” Talia whispered excitedly.

“That’s my ex-husband,” I muttered back to her, though I kept my eyes on him.

He was quite a sight. Archer was half- Greek , half- British by blood, but his looks tended to favor the Greek side.

Olive -skin, dark, silky hair, and beautiful chocolate eyes.

Though his hair was much shorter now—this close crop was a far cry from the silky curls he had when we were married.

He had also either forgotten to shave, or was going for the pronounced five-o-clock shadow look.

Talia gasped quietly. “ The cop? The one you were only married to for like 72 hours?”

“I’ve only been married once, Talia , so yes, that’s him.” I replied while looking straight at him as he neared me.

I kept my face as neutral as possible and tried not to show any emotion. This man had broken me, but he would not get to see that weak, emotional side of me today. Not after all these years.

He also never broke eye contact with me from the moment I looked up at him. He was on a mission, and I knew he was here for me and only me. Though why, I had no idea, since he hadn’t reached out since our divorce.

When he finally made it to within a few feet of me he looked straight at me and acted like he wasn’t about to rock my world.

“Mandatory protective detail for the next 72 hours,” he said in a lower voice so only I and the people closest to me could hear. “ We need to go, Ace .”

It also felt weird to hear him call me that name again after all these years. Ace .

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, quite a bit confused.

His eye twitched signaling he was slightly frustrated at me questioning him, but spoke patiently as though none of this bothered him.

“There is a threat against you. So you are now under mandatory protective detail for the next 72 hours until we can get this taken care of,” he said and reached for my coat.

In that moment, I was not myself. No words came to mind.

It was just blank. This was not me. I was a seasoned anchor who was used to dealing with breaking news and crazy interviews where you needed to think fast and adjust to the situation quickly.

I usually excelled at those moments. Right now, not so much.

This man altered how my brain functioned, and I hated it.

“Ace, we don’t have time for this. We need to go,” he emphasized.

Oh no, I’m not playing that game.

“Not until you tell me what’s going on,” I argued.

“Actually, first, can you tell me your name,” Talia spoke up beside me looking at Archer . “ Hi , I’m her best friend Talia . It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Archer ,” he paused his barrage of order to turn and face Talia , smile at her, and shake her hand.

I saw the moment that smile worked on Talia and she fell for his smooth guy routine.

“I don’t mean to be rude, Talia , but I need to take your girl out of here and get her some place safe, and I need to do it now. I hope you don’t mind,” he gave her a grin, allowing that magical dimple to trick her into doing anything he said.

“Oh of course,” Talia nodded, then turned to me. “ Go be safe, bestie. I trust this man to take care of you—in more ways than one.” She whispered that last part.

Yeah, that’s what I was worried about.

“Did you drive here?” Archer asked as I slid out from my chair and grabbed my purse. “ How were you planning to get home?”

“No, I rode over with Dan , our sports guy, from the station since he and I were both there getting some work done. I was going to get a ride back to the station with someone who was working the late show tonight and pick up my car from the station and drive home.”

“Good. Let’s go,” he said, scanning the room, and leaned down to whisper so only I could hear. “ I’ll fill you in once we are away from all these prying eyes.”

“Archer, no disrespect, but I haven’t seen or heard from you in nearly five years, and you think I’m just going to follow you blindly because you say so?”

“Jesus, you are as stubborn as you used to be,” he grumbled.

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black,” I said, standing my ground with my arms now crossed. “ Give me the brief version or I’m not moving. And just so you know, we’re attracting attention.”

I saw him look around and see several of my co-workers openly staring at the situation unfolding. The more attention, the harder it would be to slip out and he knew it.

“A man I put away a long time ago when I was a cop just got out of prison,” Archer leaned in to whisper in my ear.

“ That man just got out of prison and is hell bent on retaliation even though I’m not a cop anymore.

Apparently , he is already here or on his way here to Georgia to kill me.

He also put out a hit on my wife—also known as you. ”

What did he just say?

“I’m not your wife anymore,” I pointed out, wondering why these men who wanted to kill Archer would add me to their list.

“They either don’t know that or don’t care,” Archer responded.

I knew my eyes were bulging out of my face given the look Talia was giving me right now.

“Girl,” Talia leaned over to say. “ You better wipe that look off your face before the boss-man sees it and thinks you just got the dirt on the next best news story secret and won’t let you leave.”

“Now can we go?” Archer asked impatiently. “ I need to get you somewhere safe—somewhere you aren’t expected to be or easy for someone who wants to kill you to find you—and then I will give you the rest of the details.”

Okay, that I could do. Plus , I didn’t know a lot about bounties on people’s heads, but I knew that was not something you messed with.

I turned to face him. “ Where to?”

He reached his hand out for me to grab. “ To my cousin Vince’s car, which is currently waiting outside for us. Along with two other vehicles to make sure no one follows us.”

Okay, this sounded like a good plan. For now.

“Let’s go,” I told him and put my hand in his and followed him out.

As to not be rude, I waved or briefly said goodbye to a few people, but Archer did not let me dilly-dally. After a moment I realized he was heading toward the kitchen entrance and not the front entrance.

“Really? Out the kitchen exit instead of the front door? We’re really going all spy team, aren’t we?” I asked him.

Instead of responding to me, he spoke into some kind of microphone he had on—one that even my trained eye could not find. “ Vince , on our way through the kitchen. Be to you in less than thirty seconds.”

We reached the back door and Archer pulled out a gun I hadn’t noticed under his jacket. Damnit . I was losing my touch.

Right outside the door a black SUV pulled around the corner, and for a moment I flinched. This is how women got kidnapped and people got killed. Was I really jumping into a vehicle with a man I hadn’t seen in forever? A man who I was only married to for less than a week? That’s when it hit me.

“Wait,” I stopped just as the vehicle pulled to a stop in front of us. “ Vince ? As in your cousin Vince ? The one who is overseas in the Army ? Nice try.”

“Yes, same Vince , but he got out of the Army nearly two years ago,” he answered. “ You remember the picture I showed you of him? Long blond surfer hair? He’s still just as ugly now so you will recognize him.”

I did remember the photo. He looked like several guys I had gone to school with.

I may have grown up in northern California , but surfers in California did not care what part of the state they surfed in so long as the conditions were great.

I also recalled Vince as absolutely not being ugly whatsoever.