Lady Guardians: Persuade Me Read online

  When he’d landed back on US soil, he’d contacted Tyler to check-in. He had another three days to rest and recover before he needed to show his face at the office. He’d called Tyler every name in the book as he’d exited the private terminal where the company’s private planes were stored.

  He was the who’d gotten him the job with his company, Overwatch Security. While he appreciated the position and the money they paid him, he was tired of going on assignments with piss-ants who thought to challenge his authority. The guys of Overwatch were more than just bodyguards. They were called in when the situation required their particular brand of skills. When they took an assignment, it meant shit was beyond repair.

  At no time were his orders and direction to be questioned or not followed. By the end of the assignment, he was ready to put his foot up the client’s ass. Fucker had been lucky the call had come through from Tony Chavez, one of the owners of Overwatch Security, giving the all clear. Cole was packed and headed out of the compound within fifteen minutes.

  Pulling up to his two-story home, he sighed. It felt good to be back, and he was going to enjoy this downtime. But as soon as he pulled up to his home and stepped out of his truck, he knew something was wrong.

  It wasn’t anything he could see immediately. It was a gut feeling. During his time in the military, his gut had become famous. It had saved his life, and the lives of his elite military team, on multiple occasions. That didn’t mean they came home unscathed, because some of them lost limbs or been wounded in other ways. It merely meant no one died on his watch.

  So, when his gut began speaking to him, he made sure to listen. Slowly closing the truck door, he placed his duffle bag on the ground. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out his Glock, placing it in front of him in the standard two-hand hold he’d used so often. His instincts told him he wasn’t the one in danger, but there was danger around.

  Someone was in his grid, and they were intent on causing damage. Breathing deeply, he focused on his surroundings, which caused his heartbeat to slow as well. His hearing heightened as he shifted into combat mode. He had to find the danger. Something was wrong, and he needed to figure out what it was. Closing his eyes for a second, he heard a sound. A whisper. A plea.

  “Help me.”

  His eyes snapped open, his head turning in the direction of his neighbor’s house. “Ebony,” he whispered.

  The beautiful, curvy, motorcycle riding, gun-toting woman that he’d been coveting for the past year. Ever since he’d purchased his home when he’d gotten out of the military and seen her strutting out of her house. She’d had him tied in knots the entire time.

  Was that her calling out? The voice was low and sounded as if the owner was in pain. Then he heard it again.

  “Help me.”

  Fuck! It was her. Standing from his crouched position, he pulled his weapon close to his chest. Silently running across the street, he knew this was it. His gut was telling him to get to her.

  Find Ebony.

  Arriving at her house, he looked around and saw her lying on the grass near the edge of her lawn and the walkway to her front door. Sprinting across the yard, he placed his weapon in the back of his pants before kneeling next to her. “Ebony! Can you hear me? Fuck!”

  Grabbing his phone, he called 9-1-1 to get emergency services. As he spoke with them, he looked around, trying to find the cause of her distress. As he roamed her body, his fingers touched warm liquid. She was bleeding, and it was coming out fast.

  No. No. No. There was no way in hell he would let her die. Not on his watch. He hadn’t lost a man or woman in almost twenty years of combat. Today wasn’t the day he’d start.

  Glancing down at her face as he spoke to the emergency operator, he knew his gut had come through for him again. If he hadn’t been paying attention, he never would have heeded the call. The urge to save and to protect was a part of him. It had been his mission for his entire adult life.

  Joining the military had been the only thing he’d ever wanted, and it gave him the purpose he needed in life. Fighting for his country, and potentially giving his life in service, had never been a question. Both his mother and father had served in the military. His older brother had chosen another path and chose to sit at a desk, working on computers every day. Although his parents tried convincing him to join his brother working in the cyber security field, nothing about it held any interest.

  His brother spent all day finding the bad guys using a keyboard, software code, and cyber sleuthing. Denny loved what he did, and for Cole, that was all that mattered. He was proud of his older brother for doing what he loved.

  As for him, he preferred to be out in the field, weapon in hand, finding the bad guys who dared show their faces. It’s just the way he was built.

  Ebony was like him. They talked occasionally, so he’d learned a few things about her since they’d become neighbors.

  One, she was a veteran cop who also preferred to hunt the bad guys who dared come out in the sunlight. She’d graduated right after finishing college, obtaining her degree in criminal justice.

  Second, she rode a sweet ass Harley Davidson Sportster, painted hot pink with gray accents. She was a member of a lady’s motorcycle club and held a pretty high position with her crew if the meetings at her home were anything to go by.

  Third, she was a fitness junkie, even if she wasn’t all stick thin. He would see her running at different times of the day. He’d gotten a hard-on quite a few times as he watched her long legs sprint down the street. She’d once told him she needed the release after dealing with the shitshow she saw on the streets each day. All he could think about at the time was giving her his own unique brand of release.

  Fourth, she didn’t have a husband or boyfriend. Like a fool, he’d been biding his time, waiting for the right moment to make it clear that he was interested, wanted more than a casual, neighborly friendship.

  He’d had his own shit to deal with, and at the time, it had been more than enough. When he’d ended his military career, he’d been haunted by what he’d seen. Although his team had come home alive, they weren’t quite whole. But that wasn’t what kept him up at night. It was the teams that hadn’t been so lucky. The ones who lost team members in the most horrible way. Improvised Explosive Devices, or IEDs, were commonplace. Snipers were always positioned inside the homes within towns already cleared by the forward teams, and they tried to pick off any US military person that came across their path.

  That was the shit that haunted him at night. Looking down at Ebony, he wanted things to be different. He’d been trying to give himself time to get his mind right, and not wake-up in cold sweats every night.

  Bringing a woman into his fucked-up world wasn’t something he was willing to do at the time. Now, looking down at the only woman who’d garnered more than a passing glance from him during the past five years, he was pissed that he’d wasted so much time.

  He’d had his fair share of women, and when he left them, they always had a smile on their face. It wasn't conceited. It was facts. It was good while it lasted, but he never gave them false hope that things would go further than the one night. Once it was over, he walked away with a clear conscience, his balls empty, and his needs satiated for the next thirty days.

  He knew without a doubt, if he ever had the chance to sink between Ebony’s soft thighs, he’d never want to leave. This is one woman he would never get enough of. Walking away from her wouldn’t be an option.

  Which is why it pissed him off so much that someone dared try to hurt her. They’d shot her in front of her own home. The one place a cop was supposed to be safe.

  Shaking his head, he sighed as he looked down at her, rubbing her soft skin. Murmuring words of nonsense, he tried to keep her awake and focused on his face.

  Not sure how he’d pull it off, he vowed to find out who’d come after her. Didn’t they know she was going to be his? That he’d only been biding his time until it was the right moment to make his move. Stating that he w
as going to claim his woman wasn’t the thing people said nowadays, at least not out loud. But those were the words that felt right to him. To have her in his life the way he needed to, he had to make sure there was no confusion.

  That some motherfucker felt they could come into their world, and shoot the woman he wanted in his life, caused him to see red. He’d find out who did this to her. And when he did, they’d regret the day they were born.

  When the paramedics showed up, he briefly moved out of the way to allow them to work. If she died, heads would roll. He may not be in the military anymore, but his SpecOps connections were still intact. Even now, he worked with a few former military guys, protecting people around the world. If he needed to handle some shit, he knew the guys he worked with would have his back. They understood what it meant to protect the people who were closest to you.

  Looking at the crowd of people gathered around the scene, he called out to them. “Don’t worry. I think Ebony’s going to be okay.”

  Ms. Davis, a retired teacher who lived next to Ebony, stepped forward. “Do we know what happened? I always told her that this job was too dangerous. She’s such a sweet girl, even if she does ride that death trap. I worry about her, and I know her mother does too. Oh no!” she exclaimed. “I need to go call her mother. She’s going to be beside herself.” Ms. Davis ran towards her house, her hands flailing in the air as she mumbled to herself.

  “Sir, if you’re coming along, we need to move now. She’s losing too much blood, and we can’t wait.”

  Turning to the ambulance, he nodded his head, strolling over with long strides. “Damn right, I am.” Climbing inside, he got as close to her as possible. There was no way in hell he was leaving her side. He’d wasted too much time as it is. He wasn’t letting her get away from him. Ebony needed someone watching her six, and he was just the man for the job.

  “What the fuck is happening? Why can’t I see her?”

  “Sir, I’ve explained this already. Only family members can enter the room. Or her emergency contact. Unfortunately, you aren’t either.” The nurse stood facing him with her lip curled. If she weren’t a woman, he’d plow right through her to enter the room holding Ebony inside.

  “I’m the one who found her.”

  “Doesn’t matter, sir. Please, take a seat. As soon as she’s able to have visitors, I will let you know.”

  Cole stood there, arms crossed, debating to himself if he was going to comply. Everything in him said he should do whatever the hell he wanted. Screw everyone else who was trying to keep him from seeing how she was doing.

  “Where’s my daughter?” A booming voice carried across the open hospital floor. The loud staccato of high heels hitting the floor echoed in the space.

  Cole turned around towards the sound and smiled. He had a good idea who this was.

  “If someone doesn’t tell me where to find Ebony Thompson, heads are gonna roll.”

  Yup, this was Charlene Thompson. Ebony’s mother. He smiled as she made her way down the hallway. Just then, he saw a group of women coming through the doors behind her. Instead of high heels, they wore boots, jeans, and black leather biker jackets. The name Lady Guardians outlined in pink and gray.

  Well, damn, shit just got real.

  “You there. Nurse. Where’s my daughter?”

  “Ma’am. If I can have your name?”

  Pausing in front of Cole and the nurse, she folded her arms over her chest. The group of women bearing the colors of their MC was standing right behind her, looking just as intimidating. Cole, being the intelligent man he was, decided to take a step back. Moving to the side, he watched everything play out. Thankful for reinforcements, he took a deep breath.

  “Charlene Thompson,” Ebony’s mother spit out to the nurse. “Now, are you going to let me know where my daughter is located?”

  Motioning to the side, the nurse indicated a room. “She’s in there, ma’am. She’ll have to stay for a day or so, and then she can go home. The doctor will be in there shortly. I’ll let him know you’re here.” Looking at the group of women behind her, she looked frightened. “Only two people can go in there at once. We can’t have a bunch of people in the room, making a lot of noise, and disturbing our other patients.”

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” One of the women in the group spoke up.

  “Deuce. Let it go, baby,” Charlene Thompson said without turning her head. “Let’s just do what they say. We’ll rotate so everyone can see her.” Glancing at the nurse, she flipped her hand to the side, motioning for her to step aside. “Have the cops been here?”

  “Yes, ma’am. They were here for a while. Just left a few minutes ago. Another officer should be returning shortly to stand post.” Looking at her watch, she stepped back. “If you’ll excuse me. I need to see to our other patients.”

  “Yes, fine. Go on then,” Mrs. Thompson said. Turning around to address the group, she caught sight of Cole standing there. “Just who the hell are you?”

  Now, Cole had been to hell and back—several times. Faced enemies on foreign soil who would make your skin crawl. He’d fought for his life more times than he wanted to count and had the scars to show for it. The US Army had trained him to be a relentless killing machine, ready to run towards danger when everyone else was running away. He was a hard-charging soldier who feared no man.

  However, no one said anything about standing in front of the mother of the woman you wanted in your bed. One he wanted to know intimately. What the hell was he supposed to say? Because what he was feeling right now was a healthy dose of ‘Oh Shit’ and ‘What the fuck do I do now?’ Looking at all the heads turned in his direction, he stood tall, running his hands over short hair. “I’m Cole Reynolds.”

  “No, Mr. Cole Reynolds. Who are you, and why are you standing outside of my daughter’s hospital room?”

  The one who’d earlier been referred to as Deuce stepped up. “I know we’re not supposed to bring guns in here, but unless you start talking, we’re going to have a problem. I believe Momma Thompson asked you a question.”

  Considering she stood knee-high to a grasshopper, it almost made him laugh. Almost. Because the steely look in her eyes told him she was dead-ass serious.

  “Yes, she did,” he responded in a slow drawl. Facing the mama lion, he answered her questions. “Ma’am, I’m Ebony’s neighbor. I found her earlier today and came over with her in the ambulance. I’m worried about her, and no one is telling me anything because I’m not family. They’re keeping me in the dark about her condition, which is pissing me off and making me real antsy. I’m hoping, now that you’re here, you can help me find out what’s going on.”

  Those were probably the most words he’d spoken to anyone not related to his work, in a very long time. Then again, desperate times called for desperate measures. If he had to beg, plead, and call in favors from his former military command to the police commissioner, he would. One way or another, he was getting inside that room to find out what was happening with his woman.

  His woman?

  Yeah. His. He may not have made his intentions known, but that didn’t matter. He’d already called Stefano Indellicati, the other owner of the security company he worked for, and Ethan Dickerson, one of the other guys he worked with. He’d let them both know he needed some necessary time off due to a situation. Ethan would contact Tyler. There were no questions asked at the time, but he knew he’d have to explain what was going on soon enough. Especially if he had to go on a hunting mission to find the person who’d shot Ebony.

  “Well, quit staring off into space, Mr. Reynolds. Come on in with me so you can see her first. Deuce, take the ladies to the waiting room and give us a few.”

  “Momma Tee, I’d rather stay out here at the door until the cops get here.”

  Cole watched the interplay between the women. These ladies would have been amazing on his team in the military. All beautiful in their own way, some tall, some thin, some heavyset, and all different shades of brown
. Each held an air of danger that simmered under the surface.

  “Fine. With your spoiled behind,” Mrs. Thompson said with a sigh. Glancing up at the other ladies, she pointed, “Blade, Money, can you take the crew over to the waiting area. Order some food. I don’t think any of us will want to leave anytime soon. Max, do you know any of the nurses or doctors at this hospital.” At a nod from a woman standing in the back with tears in her eyes, she continued, “I need you to make sure we’re getting the real skinny on Ebony’s care. If I need to have our personal doctors come in here, I will.”

  Hmmm, just who was Charlene Thompson? Cole was intrigued by this woman. No wonder Ebony was such a force to be reckoned with. Having a mother like Charlene must have been an adventure.

  After all the women dispersed to do the older woman’s bidding, she turned back to him. “Are you dating my daughter, Mr. Cole Reynolds?”

  A smile hovered over his lips. “No, ma’am,” he said, then added, “Not yet.”

  “Hmph,” she said, looking him up and down. “That’s what I thought. Okay, let’s go.”

  3

  Ebony

  Two weeks later

  She’d been laid up in this house too damned long. She needed to get out here. Go somewhere. Do something. Because sitting on her ass, waiting for other people to get shit done, wasn’t her style.

  Ebony looked over at the group of people hanging out in her living room and sighed. Her momma floated between the kitchen and the group of people lounging around, forcing everyone to eat. Even when they didn’t want to. When Cole tried to refuse her offering of food and claim he’d already eaten, Ebony had to hold back her laughter.