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Chapter One

Asher

“I’m running late,” I mutter under my breath, rushing through the glass doors of the sleek skyrise building in downtown Saint Pierce. The cool air inside is a sharp contrast to the heat outside, and I quickly adjust my tie, mentally kicking myself for not leaving earlier.

I head to the thirtieth floor, my steps quick and purposeful as the elevator hums softly on its way up. When the doors open, I make a beeline for the conference room, where a group of men are already gathered. I’m the new guy here, and I know the importance of making a good first impression. Without hesitating, I take the last empty chair at the table, hoping it’s not too obvious how out of place I feel.

Dean, the leader of this team, stands at the front, his presence commanding as always. He glances around the room, his eyes meeting mine for just a moment before he turns his attention back to the men. “Thanks for being here,” he begins, his voice steady and focused, yet tinged with something deeper—relief, maybe? “I know the past couple of months have been tough with the search for Bishop. I want to thank each and every one of you for the role you played in finding him.”

As Dean shuffles through the papers in front of him, I catch a glimpse of his usual calm, professional demeanor, but there’s a hint of exhaustion around the edges. It’s been a grueling few months, I can tell. The air in the room feels heavy, like everyone’s waiting for something, maybe hoping for the closure they’ve been working toward for so long.

“Hopefully now we can finally have some peace,” Dean continues, his tone more reflective than usual. I listen carefully, even though I wasn’t part of the team during the past few months. From what I’ve gathered, this crew does exceptional work. They’re the kind of people you’d want on your side in a tough situation. They’re a huge asset to this firm, and I can only hope to prove myself worthy of being here, with them.

I steal a glance at the others around the table, trying to read the room. Their faces are a mix of exhaustion and determination, and I know that, in time, I want to be like them—trusted, capable, and indispensable.

“I know Isabel has been helping out a ton, and I’m lucky to have such an awesome sister,” Dean says. “Now, I have some assignments that have come up, and wanted to hand out each one.”

I rock in my seat, anxious to find out what my assignment will be. This is the first assignment in the big leagues. My past jobs have been a cake walk, and Dean was mainly just testing me to see if I was ready for the more challenging jobs.

I’m grateful he thinks I am.

“Ranger, I’ll start with you first. The G-Summit Meeting is this weekend and this is, Tory Ann,” he says, handing him a blue-colored folder.

“Is she attending the summit?”

Dean’s dark-haired head shakes as he stares at Ranger. “No, she isn’t. Her father is a world renowned scientist Fredrick Malser, and he’ll be a keynote speaker. He’ll be attending and will have his own personal security watching over him.”

“Why not have his own personal security watch over his daughter?”

“Frederick has received threats about his speaking at the Summit, and he doesn’t want anyone to know his daughter will be in town. He wants it all under the raps, and he’s still unsure about a few members on his own security detail.”

“That sucks.” Ranger stares down at his folder once more.

“You’ll take her to the safe house near South Beach and hold her until the Summit is over.”

“Sounds good.”

Dean shifts his focus to Orion who has his head down. Boone kicks his chair to get him to wake up.

“Orion. Briar Green. She’s the daughter of socialite, Minnie Green. She’s got an ex-boyfriend stalking her, and her mother wants to make sure she’s got security on her to-and-from work,” Dean says.

“Ex-boyfriend?” Orion asks. “Can’t I just beat him up, instill the ever-loving fear into him and call it a day?”

Dean gives Orion his folder. “It’s not that simple.”

Orion peers inside, inhaling sharply, saying, “It never is.” he can’t take his eyes off the contents inside his folder.

“Lincoln already has his assignment,” Dean states. “Boone, here’s your assignment.” He hands a folder to Boone, and Boone peeks inside. “I told you about it briefly last week.”

“Wow,” Boone breathes out. “Who’s this?”

“Name’s Aubree Ryan, and she’s got a stalker too. We don’t know who it is yet, but she needs to get out of Nashville.” Dean’s all serious as he gives the backstory on everyone’s assignment.

Boone nods. “I’ll take her to my cabin nearby.”

“Asher , you’ll be doing something a little different,” Dean says, and I’m wondering if it’s another test.

“This is Charlotte Lane. We’ve been hired by her father to have you pretend to be her fiancé.”

I open my own file, staring at the picture of Charlotte.

She looks so sad in the photograph—her big auburn eyes seem to reach out, searching for something unattainable, like a lost soul wandering through a maze of unanswered questions. The longer I stare at those eyes, the more my heart twists with an unsteady mixture of concern and curiosity. I slide my gaze away and try to focus on Dean, who sits at the head of the conference table, discussing the weekend retreat I’ll be attending with her family.

“There’s a lot to prepare for,” Dean says, scanning a stack of papers in his hand. “But I want everyone to know I’m here if you need anything.”

I nod, letting his words wash over me. The photo still lingers in my mind. Carefully, I close the folder filled with details about the retreat, deciding to read it more thoroughly later.

When the meeting ends, everyone shuffles toward the door. I gather my things, thinking I’ll follow suit, when Dean calls my name.

“Asher, can you hang back a minute?”

He doesn’t need to say more. I set my belongings down and nod again. Once the door clicks shut and it’s just the two of us in the room, I sink back into my chair, heart still caught in the sorrowful pull of that girl’s photograph.

“I don’t want you to think I don’t trust you. I picked you for this job because you’re younger, and closer to Charlotte’s age. No one at the retreat would believe any of the other guy’s were her fiancé.”

“I get it.” I don’t ever want Dean to think I’m not happy to be getting the work. “I trust you.”

“This is a big assignment. Mr. Lane’s being pressured into marrying his daughter off to one of his business partner’s sons. We can’t let that union happen. It will destroy Mr. Lane’s company.”

“Understood.”

Dean stands from his seat, reaching his hand out for me to shake. I shake it, and together we head out into the hallway.

What we see is not something I was expecting.

Lincoln has Isabel pressed up against the wall, speaking to her quietly. Isabel appears like she’s ready to murder someone, and she pushes Lincoln off her, and focuses all her attention on her brother standing beside me.

“And you,” she hollers at the top of her lungs with her finger pointing directly at him.

I sidestep, wanting to leave this situation as quickly as possible. I head for the elevator as Isabel lays into her brother.

I don’t stick around for the rest of the fight because I have a damsel in distress that needs my attention.