Page 7 of The Ranger (Black Hawke Security #5)

COLE

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“C ole Reynolds,” I say , shaking Dr. Nathan Whitaker’s hand.

“Cole, come in.” Nathan leads me into his office. When the door closes, we both drop the act. His smile vanishes, and the stress is shown by the lines on his forehead. “Thank you for coming. And please call me Nathan.”

He sits behind his desk and waves at the seat near me.

“No problem. Josh has given me a brief rundown on what you are dealing with, but the more you can tell me, the better.”

Nathan lifts a pen and starts tapping it on the desk in front of him nervously. “Of course. Did you sign the NDA?”

“Yes.” I loosen my tie, which is starting to aggravate me, then reach down and pull the document out of my satchel.

I slide it across the desk.

Nathan nods several times, checking my signature. His company is worth billions of dollars, so I don’t blame him for being careful. But he’s hired us to do a job, and because of the nature of the potential crime, he’ll need to share all his most sensitive information.

“Black Hawke Security is one of the top private security companies in the country, Dr. Whitaker. If someone is trying to steal from QuantumCore, we will find out and intercept it.”

A bold statement, but one we all stand behind.

“Someone is. The data breach happened just days ago, and my guess is it’s the Chinese or North Koreans,” Nathan replies.

A foreign enemy.

Which means that what QuantumCore is producing is very valuable to both them and us.

“Dealt with a few of those in my time.” I grin to get him to relax and open up. “Former Army Ranger. Decorated. You’ve spoken to Josh, who is a Navy SEAL, and I’m sure he’s told you we have a broad skill level in BHS, including high-level tech experts.”

That’s my elevator pitch.

Some people like hearing all the titles, knowing they are hiring the best.

They are.

“Which is why you’re here.” Nathan leans back in his chair, letting out a sigh and relaxing as I’d hoped. “The highly classified quantum chip we’re designing is military grade and for the US government. No matter the cost, we can’t let it get into enemy hands.”

Jesus.

This is more serious than any of us knew.

“Have you advised your contact at the military?”

“Not yet. As far as we know, the data did not get past our security. In other words, it worked. However, we couldn’t trace the person responsible.”

Shit.

So they are still working here.

“We have the best security in the world, which is why the breach was red flagged. But they cleverly covered their tracks, so that person is walking around inside my fucking company right now.”

Could be a team of them.

“Anyone that you suspect?”

Nathan taps his fingers on the arm of his chair, thinking. Then he shakes his head. “No. Not without prejudice, and that isn’t based on any facts. Or fair.”

I respect that.

“Well, you’ve done the right thing calling us in,” I tell him. “I don’t have relationships with your team so will be purely looking at the information presented. However, if this wasn’t someone pressing the wrong button, and they are experienced spies, then we need to progress carefully.”

“Josh said you wanted to go in undercover.”

“Yes.” I nod and lift the tie. “Wouldn’t be wearing this if I weren’t.”

He gives a small laugh.

“Okay. The team working on this project is small. No more than thirty-five people. A delay in supply of a rare earth metal, erbium, for a final component has held us up. It’s needed to finish the prototype. Until then, the mole doesn’t have anything to physically remove from the premises.”

That is good news.

It gives me time to meet the teams and get a lay of the land while back at headquarters Thomas and his team can dig deeper and trace the breach attempt.

“When is the component due to arrive?”

“That I don’t know. The production manager is keeping us updated, but I’ll be honest, this delay was unexpected.”

Could be a red flag.

I take a mental note to meet the production manager and the rest of the project team. They meet regularly, but I want to speak to them individually. People act differently on their own vs in a group setting.

“The United States military is a huge customer, obviously,” Nathan adds while I keep listening.

“So going back to your other question, no, I don’t want to involve them at this point.

Our systems protected us and did their job.

Right now, I want to find who did this and then hand them over to the authorities. ”

I understand his position.

Using private security is common these days. With internal corruption at an all-time high—or perhaps just more visible—paying an independent firm is smart.

“Looking at your website, I see you also create data chips for many other companies, including telecommunications.”

“Yes. We have a number of chips for 5G networks in France, Switzerland, South Korea and Australia.”

Dr. Whitaker shares more about their other products and the technology that they are developing. It’s both exciting and impressive. QuantumCore is one of the leading companies in the world.

“Okay, we have a lot to cover. I need to understand production schedules, shipments heading out the door in the coming days and weeks, and what pathways our mole might have.”

Maneuvering his screen, Nathan starts with the team members, and we dig further into the details as the morning unfolds.

When we are done, he provides me with security passes, logins, and everything I require to become part of the QuantumCore team.

Or at least seem like I am.

By lunchtime I have my own office, company laptop, and have met a good number of people in the building. The role and my appointment were explained by Nathan, and no one seems to care too much. Most wanted to know if I was joining the social club.

I said yes, and, after sizing me up, a couple of the guys began high-fiving each other, saying the next basketball game against a nearby organization would be a slam dunk.

In truth, I carry way too much muscle to be quick on my feet on a court. I’m fit as fuck still, after leaving the forces, but not as slick as those athletes.

When I’m alone, I roll up my sleeves and start thinking about Scarlett. She didn’t ask me to stay after I fucked her pussy into oblivion.

Did I want to?

Yes, I fucking wanted to.

This morning, after not seeing her for two days, she was just as sassy as ever.

Fortunately, I’m not sensitive. I guess one thing my parents did right before divorcing and destroying my sense of security was allow me to build a strong sense of self. Not everyone has that, so I know how lucky I am.

Scarlett is a mystery to me. I can’t figure out if she’s just angry at life—or me—or lacks the ability to trust. Why?

I know she doesn’t have a good relationship with her mother and never knew her father, so that will have contributed. Whenever I try to ask more about it she shuts me down. I brought dinner over a few months ago and asked about her mother.

“You are unlikely to meet her. She lives in Florida and trust me, it’s best if she doesn’t meet our alien.”

“Stop calling it that.” I frowned.

“It’ll probably come out purple.”

I ignored her taunts.

“What does she do? Your mom.”

“Works at a restaurant and criticizes me when she’s not fucking random men,” Scarlett said, sipping on her soda.

Which I’ve told her not to drink.

Water is hydrating and so much healthier.

“Lovely,” I tossed my napkin on the plate, frustrated she wouldn’t just give me more details about the family my kid was being born into. “Can’t you tell me anything?

“She won’t be in our—my or your—life, so don’t worry.”

Scarlett refuses to use the term our, and I am almost certain it’s so neither of us falls into the trap of thinking we’re in a relationship.

No danger of that.

“You focus on your family, and I will on mine,” she snapped. “Not all of us have loving parents, Cole.”

“How can you say that? Mine are divorced!” I snapped right back.

“Well.” She turned and glanced down. “Your mom is nice. She loves you.”

“Of course, she loves me. So does my father, but he’s still an asshole.”

“At least you know him.” She shot me a glare. “Just drop it. Our kid will have grandparents, but you don’t need to psychoanalyze me. I am not your wife, and you are not auditioning me for mother of your child. That ship has passed.”

“That is not what I was doing. I was...you know what? Fine. Let’s just go.” Shaking my head, I paid the bill and drove her home.

I swear she walks around with a ten-foot-high electric fence around her.

I do worry about the beliefs Scarlett will pass onto our kid. It’s out of my control, but whoever hurt her, she needs to understand not everyone will have that same experience and needs to have their fists ready for battle all day long.

Generational cycles and all that.

I’m just as guilty, I guess.

The one thing I wanted to avoid is manifesting right before my fucking eyes. I’m going to be a father who doesn’t live with their kid. He or she will never know as their primary caregiver, and there are consequences because of that. For them and me.

It makes me so damn mad.

Mad at my father.

Mad at Scarlett.

Mad at life.

Mad at myself.

Then I think about my future and how one day I could have children with someone else. It’ll be a blended family with possibly my new partner’s kids.

At thirteen, I pictured a wife and kids and picket fence. Just goes to show that life is so much more complicated when you become an adult.

Trust me to follow my cock and stick it in the prickliest woman in Los Angeles. And then get her pregnant.

One I crave fucking almost every damn day. In a sick and twisted way, her naughty mouth makes me hard. Silencing her with my cock is so damn orgasmic I almost blow my load right there and then.

Being so independent, Scarlett is more dominant than she needs to be. For a man like me, who craves sexual control, taking her as I did the other day can become addictive.

Knowing she has my child inside her...

Fuck, I’m getting hard at work.

Down boy.