“So how was the lovely Ms. Black today?”
He wasn’t even all the way in the door and his business partners were starting in on him. “Give it a rest, Hunter.”
“Whew, that hot, huh?” Shooter jumped in with his two cents.
“Hey you boys leave poor Harden alone.” Wick put a stop to the teasing instantly.
“Thanks, Wick.” Harden sat down hard behind his scarred wooden desk.
“That bad?” Wick took the empty chair across from Harden. Concern creased his brow.
“That woman. Her kid is a menace and Alex is driving me insane. He knows better than to behave like this.” Harden dropped his head in his hands. “He’s trained. He can’t go around getting in fights with kids that can’t defend themselves against him. Even if they do start it.”
Shooter’s broad smile showed off rows of pearly white teeth. His thin lips stretched so far they almost disappeared altogether. “So it’s her kid starting it. Alex would never do such a thing?”
A growl rolled through the air. Harden wanted to reach across the desk and punch Shooter right in his damn pointy nose. How dare he assume Alex was the aggressor? He wasn’t. Was he?
“Boys, boys.” Wick held a hand up to stop the fight they all knew was about to begin. “Settle down.”
“I’m sorry, Harden. I didn’t mean anything by it.” Shooter stared down at his hand, examining a fingernail like it was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen.
“No problem, Shoot. Just, I’m still a little on the edge. Alex was almost expelled from school today. This has got to stop.” Harden jumped up, coming around his desk to stand before his friends. “The principal thinks me and the irritating Ms. Black should get together and show the boys how to behave.”
“Oooh, Principal Adams is playing matchmaker.” Hunter piped in. His blond locks falling in his eye. Brushing it back, only to have it fall back once more he said, “Are you going to ask her out?”
“I got her phone number.” Pulling the small scrap of paper out of his jeans pocket caused a round of oooh’s and aaah’s to go through the group. Harden felt like he was back in high school showing off in the boys locker room.
After that first meeting with Ms. Katherine Black two months ago, Harden had come back to describe her in exquisite detail to the guys. It was his job after all to notice every detail. To be prepared for anything. He wasn’t prepared for Ms. Black.
Kat.
He suddenly wanted to pet her and see if she would purr for him. Mentally slapping himself back to the conversation at hand, he caught the end of Hunter’s joke about taking her to the school of hard knocks. That was the going joke ever since they were in the Navy Seals together.
Everyone took a handle, kind of like a nick name. But not him. He was born with a handle. Soldiers usually took names to describe themselves. Gregory was Hunter, named for his stealth and silence in hunting down the enemy. Sean was Shooter because he was a spot on sniper. Wick’s real name was Kenneth. He, of course, was good with explosives. Harden was just called the School of Hard Knocks. Hard, for short when they were under government radar.
The phone on Harden’s desk rang loudly effectively cutting off the jokes and laughter. Harden grabbed it up, “Knocks and Company.”
The boys came to attention immediately when Harden met their stares with a stiff glare. “Yes, sir. I’ll await the delivery.” He ran his hand through his hair then hooked his thumb in his front pants pocket. “Yes, sir. Our previously agreed upon amount is fine. We’ll do our best, sir.”
Hanging up the phone, they all expelled a collective breath. Tension always grabbed them when an assignment was coming. They were good at what they did. It didn’t leave a whole lot of room in their lives for personal relationships, especially with all the secrecy that was required. But they loved their work.
“The assignment should be delivered in an hour. Protection job. Surveillance and secure the package is kept alive.”
No one spoke a word. Nods were the only communication Harden got from the guys. Kat and her hellion son would have wait. Work needed his full attention.