The Survivor

He’d had nightmares the first few months after he’d taken the hit—hits actually, four right into his shoulder, shredding the muscle, nicking an artery, shattering the bone—and the only thing that had helped was the stray dog that had attached itself to him on his way to the car after therapy one day.

A scraggly big-eared mutt Lex had named Honey because of her golden color. She’d been dirty and half-starved and she’d looked at him with the most haunted and hopeless big brown eyes and he hadn’t thought twice about taking her home. She’d spent the first night on the rug next to his bed and, following a particularly horrible nightmare, had moved into the bed, against his back. Within a week, the dreams had stopped and there was something about her reassuring presence—knowing that they’d sort of saved each other—that made him feel like he was on his way to a recovery of sorts.

He’d always been an animal lover and inevitably ended up caring for the various strays on whatever base he was living. Having the dog to talk to, when he didn’t want to talk to anyone else, having the dog to take for walks and care for, had helped him in ways that he wasn’t even sure he could put into words. She’d loved him—unconditionally and quietly—and the difference she’d made in his world was phenomenal.

Thankfully Payne had assured him that the apartment that came with his unbelievably generous employment package was pet-friendly, and he also hadn’t had any objections to Lex taking Honey along with him on this first assignment. Naturally Lex knew there were going to be times when he’d need to find someone to keep her for him and, as an added bonus, Payne had mentioned that his wife was a vet and would be happy to board the dog when the need arose.

Overall, despite the guilt and the injury—his shoulder wasn’t ever going to be right again—Lex felt like he was closer to being where he should be than he’d been in a very long time. And rather than doing what was expected or what he knew would meet with approval, he was going to find his ultimate purpose and pursue it with as much energy as he could. Did that mean he intended this to be a transition job, that he’d hired on with the intent of leaving? No. But he was never again going to be so wedded to a career that he couldn’t make the most of his life.

As a result of almost dying on the battlefield, he had a whole new appreciation for life, and wanted to live it to the fullest. Every choice, every decision—from what he had for breakfast to what he was going to do with the rest of his life—held infinitely more significance.

Almost dying would do that to you. Among other things…

“You’re all settled into your apartment?” Payne asked.

“Yes.” It was very nice and, lucky for him, fully furnished. The place had been outfitted with every possible convenience. Much like the “boardroom” they were currently in, it had state-of-the-art appliances and electronics and had been decorated with an eclectic mix of old and new. The old had more than likely come from Bess Cantrell, he realized now. The cabinets and fridge had been stocked with essentials and a bottle of Jameson—a gift from Jamie—had been on his counter.

The apartment had previously belonged to Seth McCutcheon, who had recently married and moved into his new bride’s house in Marietta. Evidently he made the drive into Atlanta when necessary, but otherwise, mostly worked from home. Lex hadn’t met him yet, but everyone else spoke highly of him.

Despite the fact that he’d lived in different places all over the world, Lex had to admit that the South would always be home. Originally he was from Blue Creek, Alabama—a sweet little town that sat right on the banks of the Tennessee River—but Atlanta was a mere four-hour drive. He hadn’t been this close to home since he’d graduated high school, and while he didn’t have any desire to move back—they practically rolled up the streets at five o’clock—he did like the fact that he could make a quick run over for Sunday dinner and that he would be close enough to visit his parents, and his sister and her children, for holidays and the occasional barbecue.

All the things he’d missed, Lex thought with an inward sigh.

“Are you satisfied with the employment package?” Jamie asked.

Lex smiled. “Quite.”

“You’ll earn it,” Guy told him. “We offer an extremely specialized service and, as such, our clients pay accordingly. Without our former Rangers—some of the best-trained soldiers in the world, as you know—we couldn’t offer a fraction of the expertise that we do.”

In other words they needed him and were only paying him what they thought he was worth. He just hoped he didn’t disappoint them. Before he’d been shot he wouldn’t have had a problem accepting such an amount, but now…

“If we didn’t think you were able to do this job, we wouldn’t have hired you,” Payne said, his cool blue eyes missing nothing. “We’ve reviewed your discharge papers, looked at the medical report. We’re confident that you’re going to be able to meet the physical requirements of the job.”

Lex released a small breath and nodded. “If I ever reach a point where I can’t, then you can rest assured that I’ll tell you. I’d never compromise an assignment for my pride.” He grinned and shot them a look. “Much as I might want to,” he added.

McCann laughed and the other two chuckled. “I think it’s safe to say that’s something we could all identify with.”

Lex released a pent-up breath. “So when do I get started?”

“Now,” Payne told him. He handed him the file. “The address is on the front. You’ve got a GPS, right?”

He nodded.

“Good,” Payne continued. “Bess has her client list, you’ve got your laptop and it interfaces with all the technology here at the office. If you need us for anything, then don’t hesitate to call.”

Payne stood, prompting everyone else to get to their feet, and extended his hand. “Welcome aboard,” he said.

“Thanks,” Lex told him. “It’s good to be here.”

And it was. Or it would be, provided he could prove himself with this first assignment.

PAYNE WATCHED LEX SANBORN close the door behind him and waited until he was certain he was out of earshot. He turned to Jamie and Guy and arched a brow. “Well?”

“Much as Garrett has been a pain in the ass, I actually think we need to do something for the old bastard,” Guy remarked, settling back into the recliner. “He sure as hell knows what he’s doing when it comes to sending us recruits.”

“I think Lex is still a little unsure of that shoulder,” Jamie said, “but otherwise he seems like he’s got it together.”

Payne agreed. In fact, he actually thought that Lex was going to transition better than a lot of their other agents. Because he’d been through it himself, he could tell that Lex felt guilty for coming out of the service during a time of war and that was completely natural. He’d been career military until a week ago, and leaving friends behind—particularly ones in the line of fire—was never easy.

But Payne was also pulling another vibe from Lex, one that he couldn’t exactly put his finger on, but if he had to label it… Relief maybe? He’d been hit, had almost died. That would certainly be understandable.

Jamie chuckled. “Is he really going to take that dog with him?”

Payne nodded and smiled. He considered himself an animal lover and was married to a vet, so he completely understood being devoted to one’s animals, but even he had to admit he’d never seen anything quite like Lex and Honey. The dog was never more than a foot or two away from Lex and stayed in front of him, as though always ready to put herself between any potential threat and her master. And that adoration was clearly returned.

“Bess won’t mind,” Payne said. “And like he said, leaving her alone when they’ve only been in the building a few days would be hard on the dog.”

“Even with Emma watching her?” Guy asked. “She’s like Mother Teresa to the entire animal kingdom.”

Payne chuckled. “I’ll be sure to tell her you said that.”

Jamie nodded thoughtfully. “I think he’s going to be a good addition to the team.”

Payne did, too.

Guy grinned. “Do you think we should have mentioned that Bess isn’t—”

“Nah,” Jamie told him, a big grin spreading across his face. “He’ll find out soon enough.”

Payne smiled. He most certainly would.

2

BESS CANTRELL OBSERVED the mutinous look on her assistant’s face and heaved an internal sigh of frustration. In addition to everything else that was going wrong, she did not need Elsie’s drama. But if she hadn’t wanted drama, she should have never kept on the spotty psychic/occasional nudist/full-time pain in the ass as her help after her grandfather died.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Elsie predicted. “You never listen to me, but you’re going to wish you did this time. I know I’m not always spot-on—”

Bess gave a mental eye roll. “You mean like the time you told me that you saw me taking a beach vacation and the pipes burst beneath the kitchen sink?”

“—but I’m telling you, this time—”

Bess tidied her client list once again, then slipped it into a folder. “Or the time you told me that you saw me having a hot night of passion with the UPS man and the next day his face was on the front page of the paper for setting a warehouse ablaze?”

Elsie’s papery cheeks flushed, but she continued on. “Be that as it may, I have a terrible, terrible feeling that you’re going to get—”

Bess heaved a deep sigh. “Or the time you told me that I shouldn’t go to the grocery store on Lentil, to go to one on Hillengrove because you were certain that the one on Lentil was going to have some sort of trouble, and I went to Hillengrove and was held hostage for over an hour while the store was being burgled?”

“I got those two confused!” Elsie finally exploded, her dark penciled eyebrows winging up her forehead. “My sight isn’t perfect! How many times do I have to explain that to you? But the point is I was right about something terrible happening.” She grimaced primly. “I merely got the store wrong,” she said, as if this little detail didn’t signify.