Page 3 of Fierce Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #3)
Last night’s restless hours had left their mark. Every detail from the parking lot played on repeat, each possibility gnawing deeper. Being off her game rankled worse than anything. Whatever message that anonymous note meant to send had landed with precise accuracy.
Fresh coffee and expensive cologne wafted through the modern, minimalist lobby. Business hummed—keyboards tapping, voices murmuring—but her focus locked onto reaching her office and pulling herself together before the call.
Lindsay and Becca, the firm’s ever-cheerful gatekeepers, looked up with matching grins.
“Good morning, Sunshine,” Lindsay chirped, her eyes dancing with curiosity.
Becca, leaning over the counter slightly, smirked. “You look extra chipper today. Something new going on in your life?”
Jade frowned. “Not that I know of.”
The two women exchanged knowing glances, their smiles widening.
“Uh-huh,” Becca teased. “You’re holding out on us.”
Jade shook her head, laughing as she adjusted the strap of her bag. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Lindsay said, shifting gears smoothly. “Are you helping with the teen retreat next weekend? Pastor Dan said they still need chaperones.”
Jade exhaled. “I told him I’d think about it. I already tutor half the teens in that group—spending a whole weekend making sure they don’t sneak off to prank each other sounds exhausting.”
Becca grinned. “Come on, Jade. It won’t be that bad. Besides, wouldn’t hurt to have a certain Mr. Williams around, would it?”
Lindsay waggled her eyebrows. “Exactly. SEALs at Knight Tactical are beyond yummy. Especially Deke.”
Jade rolled her eyes, but her stomach did a strange little flip. “You two need hobbies.”
“You need a love life,” Becca shot back. “And we’re just saying, Deke could be?—”
“Not happening,” Jade interrupted, shaking her head. “We’ve barely exchanged more than a few words about DJ.”
Lindsay smirked. “Maybe it’s time to change that.”
Yeah. She wished.
DJ’s father exuded the kind of quiet strength she had always admired. But even if he had ever shown the slightest bit of interest, dating a former SEAL who worked for one of the premier private protection firms in the country? That would be just about the stupidest idea ever.
Still puzzled at the women’s attitudes, Jade made her way toward her office, her heels clicking softly against the polished floors. But the moment she stepped inside, she stopped short.
A massive bouquet of deep red roses and white lilies sat on her desk, the rich scent overwhelming the faint trace of printer toner in the air. The arrangement was extravagant, almost too much for a simple thank-you from a client.
So that’s what Lindsay and Becca had been grinning about.
Curious, she stepped closer, fingers grazing the delicate petals before spotting a white envelope tucked into the flowers.
Unease curled in her gut. There was no reason DJ’s dad would send such an extravagant bouquet. Unfortunately.
Deke was ... gorgeous, there was no denying that.
Broad-shouldered, ruggedly handsome, with those piercing blue eyes that could probably strip paint if he wanted them to.
And intimidating. The kind of man who filled a space just by standing in it, effortlessly commanding without needing to raise his voice.
Not someone she could ever imagine being interested in her—not when their only interactions consisted of brief, stilted conversations about his son, DJ.
A man like Deke had his own world, his own rules, and she had no place in them.
“Probably just a client,” she murmured.
She pulled the card from its envelope. Her stomach tightened as she read the short, bold message:
Keep your head down. Eyes front.
A sharp chill zipped up her spine.
So much like the warning from last night.
Silence is golden. Stay quiet and stay alive.
Was this really about her current life? Or was she fooling herself? The logical part of her insisted it had to be related to work—she wasn’t aware of any client secrets, but financial crime wasn’t exactly rare.
And yet … the other part of her, the one that had spent years living by survival instinct, whispered something far more dangerous.
What if this is about the past?
Twelve years was a long time. Long enough for most ghosts to fade. But not all of them.
She wasn’t aware of any client secrets in her new life. But in her past, she knew way too much about way too many dangerous people.