Deadly Testimony (2 page)

“If he has a marshal and police...” She didn’t want to finish the question she had at the tip of her tongue. Full respect to the city’s finest but there were instances where augmenting a police detail with private military contractors were advantageous. It was unusual, but not unheard of. Well, this would be a first for her working with a US marshal but she could imagine instances where it’d happen.

“This is by request of the client and he’s paying for this with his personal funds. You won’t be on the government’s or city’s payroll.”

Wasn’t that interesting?

She’d had a good long bath last night and a decent night’s sleep. Curiosity was winning this morning. “I’ll be there at the top of the hour.”

Chapter Two

Kyle Yeun was no stranger to corporate environments, and yet, admittedly, he’d never overseen projects of a military nature, whether they were government or privately resourced. So when he arrived at the offices of the Safeguard Division in downtown Seattle, he’d been expecting something...more outdated. A renovated warehouse, perhaps, or a stuffy windowless set of offices all in psychologically approved standard shades of beige. The city had been around awhile, after all.

Instead, the Safeguard Division was located in a relatively new corporate center. They had taken over an entire floor of a six-story building, maintaining an extremely wide-open office space. Not a conventional cubicle to be seen. Instead, there were clusters of comfortable chairs and table spaces to encourage collaboration. Privacy pods lined the interior wall to accommodate sensitive discussion, but the walls were all glass for complete transparency. Presumably, they were maximizing the natural light coming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows offering breathtaking views of Elliot Bay, Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains depending on which side of the building one was standing.

Each of those pods and some of the larger conference rooms seemed equipped with up-to-date videoconferencing equipment. Scattered across the floor, a few employees were working on laptops. There were even standing workstations and treadmill desks scattered here and there. For mercenaries, they presented a high-tech and, yes, sophisticated atmosphere. One conducive to creative thinking and group collaboration. Perhaps most surprising to him, it was welcoming for all that it was mostly empty.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been in a corporate office environment with similar ambience, at least not with his most recent employer.

“Where is everyone?” He spoke out loud to no one in particular. The deputy US marshal and two plainclothes police officers sitting with him glanced in his direction but didn’t immediately offer commentary.

Someone, however, did. “Safeguard Division is relatively new, Mr. Yeun. Most of our permanent resources are out in the field. It is also Sunday.”

An impressively built man stepped around the corner, the one blind corner anywhere near where they were seated.

Kyle stood smoothly as his combined US Marshal and police escort scrambled to their feet. All of them were trying to appear unfazed but none of them had heard the man approach. Maybe it was the open layout of the premises. Kyle had expected to realize someone was approaching—see or hear something—but this man had caught them all unaware.

Having used similar tactics to put colleagues off balance in high-powered boardroom meetings, Kyle had to respect a well-executed play.

Tall, dark, the epitome of quietly dangerous, the man was dressed in a simple black collared polo and black slacks. He held out a hand. “I’m Gabriel Diaz, current lead here.”

Kyle took the offered hand and shook it. The man’s grip was firm and sure without the accompanying effort to squeeze too much. Gabriel Diaz was not a man with something to prove.

“Thank you for seeing me outside of normal business hours.” If such things existed for people who conducted their sort of activities. An offshoot of a private contract organization specializing in personal security, these people were still mercenaries regardless of how impressively they presented themselves.

Kyle, on the other hand, was
the
proof against his former employer and he needed allies like these Safeguard people.

Diaz lifted a shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “Our line of work rarely keeps the Monday through Friday, nine to five, hours. Why don’t we take one of the pods over here? There are white noise generators to keep our conversation private.”

Kyle proceeded in the indicated direction without waiting for his escort.

One of them, Officer Austin, cleared his throat. “Surprised to see facilities so open to appreciating the view outside.”

Diaz smiled but there wasn’t a lot of humor in the man’s eyes. “We like having clear view on all approaches to the office building. The exterior windows are Thermopane, of course, and blast-resistant. The interior pods are fitted with ballistic-resistant glass in case of unfortunate, unforeseen occurrences. For us, line of sight is incredibly helpful.”

Austin harrumphed. “Business must be going well.”

“We do all right.” Diaz pulled open the glass door to the pod and ushered them in. “Our parent organization, the Centurion Corporation, was willing to invest in these facilities. As I said before, the Safeguard Division is new.”

Deputy Marshal Decker remained a quiet observer throughout. But then, he tended to be a man of few words in Kyle’s experience over the past forty-eight hours. Officers Austin and Weaver didn’t comment further as they took seats on either side of Kyle.

Of course not. Neither of them had revealed personality to speak of over the past several weeks since he’d entered witness protection. And they were both more than minimally put out when he’d insisted on additional security. He’d registered concerns to their superiors at the Seattle PD and the Office of Enforcement Operations responsible for the administration of coordinated US Marshal and local enforcement. Decker hadn’t offered a reaction.

Kyle was not planning to play poker with the man. Ever.

To be honest, Kyle had gone so far because he’d been rattled. There’d been warning signs after the initial appearance at court, escalating to significant threats after the preliminary hearing. None of it could be directly traced to his previous employers, but there weren’t many others with the resources to find him after he’d entered witness protection. Last night’s incident had proven standard safety precautions were obviously insufficient. He was certain there were representatives on the local police force with both the intelligence and sense of humor to be exemplary guardians but, thus far, he’d yet to meet them.

So when he’d encountered someone who might fit his specifications, he’d immediately tracked her down. It hadn’t surprised him at all to find she was attached to a mercenary group. The price tag associated with her services as personal security had been enough to raise even his eyebrows though. The Seattle police department had collectively choked. The OEO had expertly evaded addressing the fees.

“You did mention how new your organization was, yes.” Kyle crossed his legs at the knee, not a posture most men adopted in the United States but Gabriel Diaz didn’t blink. Interesting. Perhaps he’d done business internationally. In Kyle’s experience, body language common to Europe or the Middle East or Asia could make those unfamiliar with it uneasy. “You also mentioned that most of your resources were out in the field. I had the pleasure of witnessing one in action just last night. Were you able to contact her?”

“We’ll want a statement from her.” Weaver sat forward. The woman was brusque at best, and no-nonsense.

Kyle could respect that in a woman but there was no humor left in her. She’d made a career for herself but she’d shown him very little joy in what she did. Cooperating with her was boring at best, unfortunately irritating most of the time.

Diaz raised an eyebrow. “It was my understanding that the Seattle police department didn’t need a statement from Safeguard in regard to the incident last night. My resource was on contract to augment the personal security of a guest at the hotel in question and dispatching potential disruptive elements was within her purview.”

Kyle tuned out the next few minutes of police administrative red tape. As far as he was concerned, it fell into the too-long, didn’t-listen category. What mattered was when the corner of Diaz’s mouth lifted in what was thus far a rare hint of a smile. Conversation ended, in Diaz’s favor, apparently.

“If we could return to the main point for being here, I’m requesting the services of your resource. Specifically, the woman I saw last night.” He didn’t know her name. Luckily, she’d been the only female contracted to augment security at the hotel last night and all of the extra security had been supplied by the Safeguard Division. Amazing how much information the pretty little assistant to the hotel manager had provided with just a few minutes of flattery.

“Seattle PD is not responsible for the costs.” Austin crossed his arms across his chest.

“Yes, yes. The OEO passed on the stance for both the US Marshals and local enforcement.” Kyle waved a hand in dismissal, aware of the way the gesture caused the good officer to turn red in the face. The man probably had been warned to ensure this expense didn’t hit the Seattle PD’s budget. Fortunately, a good project manager in the private sector easily commanded a six-figure salary. And Kyle had been very good at his chosen profession for a very long time. “It is within my means to foot the bill personally and I made it clear I would in exchange for coordination between the US Marshals, police and this organization. Until last night, my esteemed police escort might have scoffed at the idea, but the three men this woman so readily dispatched in under ten seconds—I timed her—were a step above the usual muscle sent to keep a normal witness from testifying. At least to my understanding. And your own commanding officer broke the news to me that they’d had orders to kill me, if possible.”

He’d dabbled in investment. Finance was a mental exercise for him and he’d made sure he had more than one nest egg tucked away. This expenditure, however costly, was most definitely warranted.

He wanted to live.

“If you’d stay put, you wouldn’t be caught out in the open by these people.” Weaver shifted in her seat, leaning forward and turning her body to face him.

“They knew my room number. I’m not certain it would have been better to have been caught in the hotel room by them.” The public nature of the confrontation had delayed the use of firearms. Otherwise, he could have been very definitively dead before he’d had any sort of chance to call for help. Grim determination made him set his jaw and return the officer’s glare. “As it was, I was heading back when they accosted me and the two of you were unreachable at the mobile phone numbers you so thoughtfully insisted I have on speed dial. I’m lucky the Safeguard operative was coming off duty and headed for the elevators.”

To be honest, the striking woman had completely distracted him as she’d approached. He’d lost a few valuable seconds where he could have tried to slip away when she’d started conversation. Instead, she’d been forced to engage and he counted himself lucky to witness the beauty of the entire altercation. Fast, decisive, and then she’d gone on her way without a single care for acknowledgement.

He’d been impressed. And not much in this world impressed him in a good way anymore.

Austin let out a tired sigh. “Either way, we’ve agreed to coordinate with your resource, Diaz. Is she available or no?”

Diaz slid a tablet out from under one of the side tables and logged in. He presented it to Kyle. “Here’s our standard personal security contract, adjusted based on the requirements and background information you provided during our phone conversation earlier. I’d like to be sure we have the details in place by the time she arrives.”

“What’s her ETA?” Weaver asked.

“Before noon. Considering her temper, I’d suggest we complete any adjustments to the contract before she gets here.” Diaz tipped his head to the side briefly. “Patience isn’t one of her favorite virtues to practice.”

“Not a compliment to your staff.” Weaver glowered.

“Oh no.” Diaz held up a hand to stall further criticism. “I didn’t say she wasn’t good at it. In fact, she may be one of the most patient operatives I’ve ever worked with, given the correct circumstances. It’s just not her favorite to put into practice.”

Kyle snorted and spared a glance at his glowering escort. “Join the party. What is one of her favorite virtues, then?”

Diaz didn’t hesitate. “Wrath.”

Chapter Three

Isabelle rolled her eyes. Diaz knew she was watching the feed from the pod. She always stopped in at his office first thing on entering via the back employee entrance on the opposite end of the building from the reception area.

And he’d left her a concise note:
Watch and decide by 1200 hrs.

Her lead was nothing if not concise. She honestly thought if it couldn’t fit on a Post-it note, it probably had too much fluff for his standards of communication.

His message, though, could have a couple of meanings. She had a major decision to make when it came to continuing to take contracts through Safeguard. But Diaz wouldn’t give her a deadline with only a couple of hours’ notice on that.

No, this was about this specific contract and this particular client. Which was fine. But she still had a bigger decision to make. The reminder was there, in the note, and the way he’d decided to word it. Otherwise he’d have just said, “Watch. Let me know.”

It would’ve been a few words shorter.

Connected to the lead’s office was a small briefing room with multiple screens to support videoconference with multiple locations. It was one of the only dark rooms on the premises. A thin film laminate of rodlike nanoscale particles was suspended in a liquid between two pieces of glass for each windowpane making up the walls of the briefing room. When the switch was off, supplying no voltage to the walls, the suspended particles simply floated in a random pattern for one hundred percent opacity. Dial up the controls, applying gradual levels of voltage, and the particles aligned to allow light to pass through for variable levels of transparency on the walls.

The technology was fairly impressive. But for the most part, the briefing room remained opaque and private.

So she’d stood in the briefing room and watched the feed from the pod as Diaz continued to discuss things with Mr. Kyle Yeun. Diaz had also thoughtfully left her a tablet with intel on Mr. Yeun. Basic background check.

On the screen, her potential client leaned forward and started studying the contract. He scrolled through the electronic pages, using the tablet’s touch screen with ease. “I assume this contract is executable immediately?”

Diaz answered in the affirmative. Neither police officer attempted to read the contract. The US marshal was maintaining standing position almost directly under the video camera and could probably read the contract upside down on the tablet if he chose. She couldn’t see his eyes, so she had no idea whether he was focusing on the contract or the approaches to the pod through the glass walls.

As it was, the man she was here to meet, and possibly begin guarding, was one hell of a speed-reader. Or he didn’t care about the particulars.

“The language in your contracts is refreshingly clear and concise, Mr. Diaz.” Yeun delivered the compliment in a somewhat distracted tone, his attention still on his reading. Well, he was indeed reading the fine print, then. Fast.

Quite the type A personality was Mr. Yeun. Born in Korea and arrived in the US at a young age with his father and mother, he’d taken advantage of the American school system and every opportunity for advancement. Scholarships for college and internships in the summer. He’d managed to build himself a successful career in fairly short order. Hell, his basic credit check showed him to have excellent credit too. She’d be willing to bet he’d tucked a nice parachute for early retirement.

Even his voluntary testimony in the civil and criminal actions against his former employer spoke of efficient practicality. Whether he was driven by moral and ethical standards wasn’t indicated in the depositions. He’d negotiated a deal with the district attorney for immunity, so he wouldn’t be going to prison or hit with the hefty fines potentially associated with whatever case this was.

However, the exact nature of the case was suspiciously redacted. A company name stood out in the case though—Phoenix Biotech. Since she’d both encountered the company before and come out of it singed, she wasn’t surprised the case was so covered in black marks.

Diaz had pulled up what could be found on public record and she’d read it later. For now, she had the basic information she’d require to decide. She was more focused on watching Yeun and his witness protection. The tension between each of them was not at all good. She couldn’t fault Yeun for wanting someone with a personal investment in his safety, even if it came from monetary obligation.

The remaining question was whether she’d be willing to take this job solo. Yes, she’d be coordinating with the US marshal deputy and two police officers but she wouldn’t have another Safeguard operative at her back.

Centurion Corporation had their resources assigned to squadrons, each squadron comprised of four to five fire teams. Each fire team was a four-person team. She’d been a part of a fire team since she’d left active duty with the US military and signed on with the Centurion Corporation. A half dozen fire teams, including hers, had moved over to Safeguard but they were still stretched a bit thin with the current contracts.

It’d been a long time since she’d worked alone for as long as this assignment would take though, with no one to watch her back. The only reason she had the last time had been because things had gone sideways. The days it’d taken for her to reach safety again still played out in her nightmares.

Yeun chose that moment to stand up, stepping around Officer Austin to pace the interior of the pod as he continued to read. The other man hadn’t given ground, per se, but he’d sat back in his seat to let Yeun by with a roll of the eyes.

Isabelle was going to guess Yeun had a habit of pacing. Something he’d have to stop if she did take over his personal protection. Especially in front of any transparent glass, bullet-resistant or no. What a marksman couldn’t see, he couldn’t attempt to target.

Yeun himself was easy on the eyes. But the way he tended to twist his mouth into a frown irritated her. Most of his commentary since they’d entered the pod had been patronizing with a dash of arrogance. The man had attitude and he was on every last nerve of either one of his police escorts.

That was what was making her pause. Oh, she could be professional. She didn’t have to like the person she was protecting to do her job well. In fact, it was much less complicated if she didn’t like the person. On most of her contracts, she managed a convenient neutrality in terms of what she thought of her client.

But if the man had soured his police escort over the past few weeks, they’d be a pain in the ass to work with from her perspective too. There was no way she could walk into this on their good sides. Coming here hadn’t been their idea and they were not happy.

Austin had his arms crossed and Weaver was impatiently tapping her fingers against her knee. Both of them were shooting antagonistic glances Diaz’s way.

Fun.

She pulled out her smartphone and texted Diaz. On screen, he glanced down at his phone. “For a basic testimony, it seems standard witness protection procedures would be more than sufficient.” Diaz nodded to the US marshal deputy, Austin and Weaver in turn. “Our services are generally retained for private concerns where the police are not involved.”

Yeun paused in his pacing and looked up at Diaz. She did like that the man at least maintained eye contact when he was going to address people. “I would’ve thought so too. Last night’s incident shook my faith in the police force somewhat.”

“Now wait a minute.” Austin sat forward and stabbed a finger in the air, pointing at Yeun. “If you would do as you’re told, there wouldn’t have been an issue last night.”

Repetitive argument was going to get tiresome too. It was always an exercise in perseverance when she had to deal with the same gripes, defensive commentary and complaints over and over again. Hell, it generally meant she was going to have to consistently reinforce the logic behind every move she made for this mission to both the protective detail and her actual client.

Ugh.

Not that she hadn’t dealt with it before but she didn’t exactly approach those situations with happy anticipation either. She’d established herself in any number of teams throughout her military career wading through this kind of bullshit. What she needed was a reason to willingly walk into it now.

“We’ve covered that.” Yeun apparently didn’t bestow the favor of direct eye contact on everyone. Currently, not Austin. “I do not believe the outcome would’ve been as definitive if those men had come up to the hotel room you all had stuffed me into. At the very least, they’d have been much quicker about threatening me with firearms. I believe you mentioned each of those men was armed and they didn’t seem to have qualms about drawing their weapons.”

True. The men the night before had walked with the confidence of having an employer who’d get them out of whatever legal trouble they got into as a result of their dirty work.

“At least down on the lobby level, they were hesitant,” Yeun pointed out. “They were conscious of onlookers.”

But he’d endangered innocent bystanders. It was a craptastic risk to take.

“Either way...” Yeun handed the tablet back to Diaz. “I felt my life was in danger. They were not going to stop at an intimidation tactic. And none of us anticipated there’d be this kind of effort to keep me from testifying.”

Man had a point there.

“The police force is very busy and last night’s incident isn’t quite enough to convince them of my assessment of the situation. The US Marshal Service follows a minimal force required doctrine which leaves Marshal Decker here working with us alone in the field.” Yeun returned to his seat and looked directly up at the camera. At her. “I’m willing to take action to protect my own interests. If I’m being paranoid and the extra layer of protection is not necessary, it’s only my budget impacted. I think it’s worth the investment for peace of mind.”

Reasonable. Logical. From what she’d seen, there was no particular reason to turn it down apart from a distinct lack of enthusiasm for working with these particular personalities. And that was why she should. There was a job to be done and she hated backing away from anything just because the team might not welcome her. She texted Diaz to let him know she’d take the contract.

Leaving the briefing room, she left the dossier on the table for the time being. She’d ask Diaz to send her the electronic version via encrypted email to study later.

She strode down the length of the office floor, exchanging nods with the one or two other Centurions working in the office today. As she approached the pod, Yeun saw her through the glass and rose.

He beat her to the door and opened it to let her in. “It was also more than worth it to meet you.”

Her dark eyes fastened on him, her gaze coldly neutral. “Seriously?”

Absolutely.

Her hair wasn’t drawn back in the tight bun at the back of her head today, but it was still caught up in a serviceable ponytail. It gave her a severe look, accentuating her sculpted features. Hers was an elegant beauty, though it wasn’t delicate. She held herself with perfect posture and everything about her spoke of strength and assurance.

Trite as it might seem, once he’d encountered her he’d been driven to see her again. Meet her formally. There were few truly interesting people in this world and in less than a minute, she’d proven incredibly fascinating. He’d have spent at least as much as her signing fee just to find her. Had spent as much on the occasional discreet escort.

This woman though, she was a different type of dangerous and he’d decided it was in his best interest to combine his fascination with the expediency of his need for augmented protection. He also figured it’d be prudent not to suggest services other than those specifically outlined in the Safeguard contract for personal security.

He had a strong sense of self-preservation.

The possibilities though, they were crossing his mind at speed now that he was face-to-face with her again. She possessed exceedingly kissable lips.

“I haven’t thanked you yet.” He did his best to keep his gaze locked with hers. No wandering. She’d already proven she reacted rather violently to rude behavior. “Miss?”

She considered him for another moment and he honestly wondered if she’d walk right back out of the room. Instead though, she glanced at his escort and gave each a nod. “Isabelle Scott. I was heading up the security detail last evening for a prior client.”

Yes, an up-and-coming socialite in the area. The man had hired Safeguard because private security added to his image. It hadn’t taken long to find information about him and find out who he’d hired. Hotel staff loved to chatter about the higher profile customers. Apparently, the man’s only complaint was that the head of his security team was unfriendly and unnecessarily abrupt.

From where Kyle was standing, he could understand where the man’s commentary was coming from but if Kyle made an educated guess, he’d bet the man had tried to blur the line between business and pleasure and Miss Isabelle Scott made no time for idiots.

“I was fortunate you were there.” He gave a sincere smile, not something he did often. “Your timing was excellent.”

She grunted.

Not a sound he heard from a woman often but somehow, coming from her, it wasn’t harsh. It...reminded him of his mother. He grinned.

Her gaze sharpened. “Something funny?”

Where Officer Weaver’s toughness translated to a coarse outward personality, Isabelle Scott’s strength had a predatory edge to it. Pinned by her current ire, he did experience some trepidation.

But he only smiled wider. “Not funny. No. I’m just impressed.”

She blinked. There was no commentary to acknowledge his compliment but he thought he saw a hint of a dusky rose blush to her cheeks through her bronze complexion.

“Normally, Centurions don’t work solo.” She glanced at Diaz and then at the marshal and officers. “But this contract doesn’t seem to need more than one operator to augment the current protection in place and we’re not in the practice of charging a client for redundancy.”

Confidence. Maybe a defensive edge to her tone. More and more interesting with every moment.