Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 125248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Green’s expression shifted.
God caught it.
Cassidy slid a folder toward each of them.
“My proposal is this– Godfrey and Day, you can come in as equal equity partners, with operational authority over a new expansion division. Studio security, executive protection, high-risk entertainment details, threat response training, contractor vetting, and specialized coverage for productions with credible risk.”
Day’s eyes dropped to the page.
Cassidy turned to Ruxs and Green. “I’d like to hire you both as Xander’s full-time personal security leads.”
Ruxs blinked. “For Xander?”
“Yes. Xander needs more than standard coverage. Men I’d trust with his life.” His gaze held theirs. “And I do.”
“What about the rest of our team?” Green asked.
Cassidy seemed to have been waiting for that question. “God, if they were on your team, male or female, they can have a leadership role in the company. As I mentioned, there’s a huge contract on the table in Atlanta.”
Day’s smile had faded into something serious. “That’s a lot of trust for men you’ve only known a couple weeks.”
Cassidy leaned back. “Wesley and Lawson said you were the best.”
Ruxs grunted. “Wes and Law are biased.”
“They are,” Cassidy said. “That’s why I watched for myself.”
God stared Cassidy right in his eyes, unblinking.
“I watched you keep your men controlled. You respected the authority in this jurisdiction despite them not being as capable as you. I watched you and your husband communicate with each other and my staff with respect. Your men are all in relationships and I didn’t even know it. That’s a testament to your professionalism. And I watched you fight with regard for human life; you’re not showoffs.
“If they were on your squad, they’re the best. And I only wanna work with the best. And I only want the best protecting Lane…um, Xander.”
Day laughed.
God glanced back at Day.
His eyes were bright, but steady. Not because of the money, though the numbers were good. Better than good. Better than any wages, pension, or 401k the department could ever offer. No, his husband appeared relieved that their lives would still have purpose. That they’d still be doing what they were meant to do.
Protecting lives, keeping people safe.
Their family didn’t have to scatter after all.
God rested his hand over Day’s under the table and gave it a tight squeeze.
Ruxs pointed at the folder. “And this salary number is real?”
Cassidy looked at him with all seriousness. “Yes.”
“Plus benefits?”
“Yes.”
“Health?”
“Yes.”
“Vision and dental?”
Green pfft’d. “Seriously. You’re worried about dental…now?”
Cassidy’s smile was brief but real. “Dental and vision included.”
“Xander agreed to this?” Green asked.
“Xander doesn’t know yet,” Cassidy said. “This decision has to be yours first. But he trusts both of you. I think he’ll be relieved. Because like it or not—and he’s too humble to admit it—he’s about to be one of the biggest movie stars in the world. He needs a good security team.”
Day sat back, his eyes on Cassidy.
God concentrated on the papers.
Equal partners.
Authority.
A company big enough to hold them.
A way to keep him and his men together.
A way not to crawl back to Atlanta and wait for some polished commander to talk down to them.
He turned back to Cassidy.
Morrison was a good man, on and off paper. And the contract he’d laid out was more than fair. He could’ve simply offered them jobs, but instead, he respected them and offered partnership instead.
By the way his husband was gripping his hand, he wanted this for them.
“We negotiate final structure,” he said. “Let lawyers look over everything.”
“Of course.”
“Day and I make decisions together.”
Cassidy nodded. “I already know that.”
“Ruxs and Green answer to themselves and Xander first if they take his detail. I don’t want them treated like rented muscle.”
“They won’t be.”
“And my men stay my men,” God said. “Even if the badges change.”
Cassidy smirked. “That’s exactly why I want ’em. They’ll perform at their peak because they’re under your command.”
God held out his hand.
Cassidy shook it.
Day laughed under his breath, almost disbelieving.
Ruxs looked at Green. “Guess we’re moving to Hollywood.”
Green held his deadpan expression as long as he could before it eventually broke, and he grabbed Ruxs and hugged the hell out of him.
“Xander-fuckin-Vale. Holy shit.” Ruxs laughed.
Day lifted his glass. “Here’s to severe traffic congestion, high costs of living, widespread urban sprawl, and contracting a respiratory disease before the age of sixty from smog inhalation.”
Ruxs and Green laughed loud enough to make people wonder what was going on behind the bushes. Cassidy almost spat out his drink, and even Steele snorted before he stopped himself.
“Way to stay positive, sweetheart.” God lifted his glass and clinked it with his.
They said yes.
Not all at once. Not without conditions. Not without the complicated questions the lawyers would want answered.
But they said yes.
By the time the second bottle of bourbon came to the table, the business meeting had turned into something shockingly close to joy.
Ruxs began to tell Cassidy some of the wild stories of them in the field.