LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter 1

      “How did you find me?” Jamie Knox asked the big man wearing the cowboy hat. He took great care to not be easy to find. The fact that this man did spoke to the depth of his resources.

      Kadin Tandy walked across Jamie’s New York City studio apartment. “One of my detectives tracked you down. He said you were instrumental in closing a case he worked in Alaska.” He inspected the big-screen TV in the corner and then the queen-size bed in an alcove off the living room. “Something about creating a distraction with a helicopter and helping to save his client from the killer?”

      “Brycen Cage and Drury Decoteau?” Jamie wasn’t fooled that this man didn’t know exactly what had happened that day. He sipped from his bottle of water as he sat on the sofa.

      “They’d be the ones.” Kadin strolled back toward him and stopped beside the kitchen island, the only table Jamie had.

      Jamie stretched his arm out along the back of the sofa. “You came here to discuss my involvement in their case?”

      “No. I’m here to offer you redemption.”

      That got his attention. “How do you know I need redemption?”

      Kadin made a show of looking around Jamie’s studio apartment. “What made you decide to live here?”

      “It’s close to Central Park, public transportation, and places to shop and eat. But the boutique elevator really hooked me.”

      “Deep-city living appeals to you?” Kadin didn’t find his humor amusing, apparently.

      “It’s noisy and overpopulated.” He was beginning to regret letting the man in. He’d let homeless people in before, so maybe that meant he’d let anyone in. The homeless people he fed. This man... What did he need? Something significant if he went to such lengths to arrange this meeting.

      “Does that fill the void of rescuing people from insurgents in Third World countries?”

      “You’ve done your homework.” Jamie put the bottle of water on the coffee table.

      “I always do when I want to recruit someone.”

      As Jamie leaned back, he tried not to show his surprise. He’d expected something significant, but not this. “Been doing that a lot lately?”

      “I’m a start-up and I happen to be expanding to the international market.”

      “International?”

      “My company is growing. I need someone to develop a security program. Risk management and mitigation. That type of thing.”

      Risk management and mitigation? Buzzwords that meant something different to this man and to his business. Jamie knew all about Kaden’s past, how he’d come to be the man standing in his living room. He also knew what kind of security program he needed. One that mitigated with weapons and countermeasures. Maybe a little corporate security sprinkled in.

      “I’m not a homicide detective.”

      “No, but you have a security background. Not all of my investigators are trained like you. Some are a bit on the vigilante side, but most have cop backgrounds that may not equip them against criminals like the one you worked for. It’s not just about physical security in foreign countries. I also need my people secured in my building.”

      Jamie took a moment before he asked, “Why me?” That was the question he really needed answered.

      Kadin smiled; not an all-out smile, more like an I’m-glad-you-asked smile. “You weren’t the only good person who was snared by Dexter Watts and his boss. They all had a highly respectful opinion of you.”

      Admitting he was good at protecting or rescuing people from dangerous places and situations wouldn’t be conceited. He was good because he had experience. But he still didn’t understand why a man like this would single him out. So he’d helped one of Dark Alley’s detectives. He hadn’t done it for anyone but himself. To free himself from the clutches of two very bad men.

      “Are you interested?” Kadin asked.

      “You chose me because I came highly recommended?” He needed more of an explanation.

      “I’m getting more and more requests to look into international cases. So far I’ve personally taken them.” Kadin bobbed his head from side to side in a contemplative way. “Mostly for an excuse to take my family on vacation. The victims always come first, of course, but some of the places are paradise. My wife wouldn’t stand for it if I didn’t take her and my son along. But the workload is getting to be too much, and there have been some instances when the danger gets too risky with my family in tow. I’m putting more detectives in the field. Their lives are my top priority. I need someone I can trust to ensure their safety. Part of my decision was based on recommendation, but most of it was based on your history in security services. You’ve worked both sides. Military and private military. When the private side didn’t work so well you made the right choice by stomping Watts out of your life. Nothing got in your way of doing that, either, and you did it alone. That’s proof to me you’re not only capable, you’re someone I can trust.”

      He’d qualified by demonstrating his expertise and moral compass. That, Jamie believed. “All right. Then how will I redeem myself if I agree to work for you?”

      “You’ll be working on the right side of the law. My law. Your law. And, when it suits the case, whatever law applies to the country you or my detectives are in.”

      The man knew what the importance of being on the right side meant to Jamie. Jamie wouldn’t have done what he’d done in Alaska otherwise. “I thought I was on the right side when I joined Aesir International.”

      “Catchy name. Ice-ear. Multiple gods. Race of gods. Too bad Loki ran it.”

      “Still runs it from what I hear.” Jamie stood from the sofa and faced Kadin. Something made him seriously consider his offer, but the risk of impulsiveness kept him cautious.

      Kadin brushed the lapels of his jacket aside and rested his hands on his hips, exposing his pistols. “What kept you with Valdemar Stankovich for so long? There has to be a reason. What did he have to hang over your head? A man who agrees to work for the likes of Dexter Watts and then helps take him down isn’t a thug who does as told.”

      Jamie’s respect for the man increased with his recognition that Stankovich had leverage to force him to work for Watts.

      “I refused to do what he wanted and told him I was quitting,” Jamie answered honestly. “Let’s just say he didn’t respond well to that and came up with a witness and evidence that had me doing something incriminating. I went to work for Aesir thinking I’d have the opportunity to fight terrorism. Make a difference. I couldn’t allow him to destroy my reputation. So I waited for the right opportunity. I couldn’t make my move until I had every shred of false evidence he created against me. That all came to a head with Watts. Stankovich has nothing on me now.”

      “What about the witness? Isn’t he still a threat?”

      “I took care of him. He can’t talk anymore.” He watched Kadin for any kind of reaction and saw only understanding and a growing kinship. Here stood a man who knew what it took to take justice in his own hands—against seemingly insurmountable odds.

      “Maybe you’ve already had your redemption,” Kadin finally said, dropping his hands.

      “In some ways, I have.” Demons still haunted him, though. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to exorcize them. “Redemption for me would be living an honorable life, getting married, having children. Feeling normal.”

      Kadin glanced around the apartment again and looked through the window. A siren could be

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