Garrett (Dark Water Security Book 2) Read online

  Garrett

  Thank you everyone for supporting the Dark Water Security series. Each book is about finding love after heartbreak.

  Thank you to my amazing husband who has supported me on this new journey!

  Other books by Madison Quinn:

  The Arrangement Duet:

  On His Terms

  On Her Terms

  Dark Water Security:

  Luke

  Garrett

  Alec (coming summer 2019)

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law

  Copyright Madison Quinn 2019

  Cover Design: Just Write Creations

  Contents

  Chapter 1 Garrett

  Chapter 2 Hope

  Chapter 3 Hope

  Chapter 4 Garrett

  Chapter 5 Hope

  Chapter 6 Hope

  Chapter 7 Hope

  Chapter 8 Hope

  Chapter 9 Garrett

  Chapter 10 Hope

  Chapter 11 Garrett

  Chapter 12 Hope

  Chapter 13 Evelyn

  Chapter 14 Hope

  Chapter 15 Hope

  Chapter 16 Garrett

  Chapter 17 Garrett

  Chapter 18 Hope

  Chapter 19 Hope

  Chapter 20 Garrett

  Chapter 21 Garrett

  Chapter 22 Hope

  Chapter 23 Garrett

  Chapter 24 Hope

  Chapter 25 Garrett

  Chapter 26 Hope

  Chapter 27 Hope

  Chapter 28 Hope

  Chapter 30 Garrett

  Chapter 31 Hope

  Chapter 32 Hope

  Chapter 33 Garrett

  Chapter 34 Hope

  Chapter 35 Garrett

  Chapter 36 Garrett

  Chapter 37 Hope

  Preview Chapter for Luke

  Sneak Peek On His Terms - Nicholas

  Chapter 1

  Garrett

  “Before we go any further with this discussion, Garrett, I wanted to confirm that you’re still agreeable to a live-in arrangement?” Luke asks as I sit down across from him at the large conference room table.

  “Yes, it’s not a problem,” I confirm.

  “You understand that live-in arrangements are a little different than your more typical assignment, right? The contract will stipulate your working hours, however because you live-in, it’s likely that you could be needed during your off hours as well. It doesn’t mean that you’re tied to the residence twenty-four seven, but you would be on call. If you have family or a girl, it might be difficult for them to understand.”

  Even though we covered this thoroughly when the case was first presented to me, he must feel the need to reiterate all the details of a live-in arrangement. The truth is I’d prefer this type of contract right now. I’ve been staying with a buddy of mine not far from here, but I’m ready for something else. I’ve tossed around the idea of getting my own place somewhere, but just haven’t made the move to do it. You would think after sharing space for so long with guys in the service that I would be more than ready for a place of my own. But I’m not, which is why this type of an arrangement appeals to me.

  “It won’t be a problem,” I answer firmly. “It won’t be a problem for anyone.”

  I haven’t dated anyone in…a long time so there’s no concern about that being an issue. Being in the service made dating difficult as a whole: to meet someone, to get close to someone and to trust someone. Two years ago I thought I found someone when I was home on leave, but it was only a weekend which meant I didn’t have much time. I had hoped we’d keep in touch after my leave was over, even if it was a lot to ask for someone to wait another year for me. It makes no sense, but I never clicked with anyone the way I did with her…but when I woke up the next morning, she was gone.

  “If at any point it becomes too much, you let us know and we’ll get involved,” Luke pulls me back to the meeting that I need to focus on.

  This is my first long-term assignment with Dark Water Security, a private agency I was fortunate enough to contract with after leaving the service. It was pure luck really, running into someone I used to serve with at a bar one night and talking about the struggle to find somewhere to fit as a civilian again. I knew I didn’t want to re up, but I was having trouble figuring out where I fit. Then in came Cole and Max; I served together with Cole a few years back before he was transferred out of my unit. It was the first time I had met Max, but Cole spoke very highly of her and the work they did together. If I hadn’t run into them that night, I wouldn’t be here today.

  “Understood.”

  “Here’s what we have on Richard Meyer.” Emily, the in-house computer security expert, hands me a folder. “He’s a big shot tech guru who became a sensation almost overnight a couple of years ago when he developed an app for food delivery. He made a significant amount of money when he sold the rights to the app, but has since developed several other somewhat successful pieces of software.”

  “Where’s the risk?” I ask.

  “That’s with his latest work, which is being marketed as anti-virus protection for large networks,” she explains.

  “When the software was first released, it was very successful especially among large corporations. However, it was recently discovered that the software is actually collecting personal information from the devices it monitors,” Luke adds.

  “Ouch.”

  “As you can imagine that’s not sitting well, especially in DC where his company is most successful,” Luke points out.

  Most of the work I’ve done until now has been for Dark Water Security’s political clients. Being so close to DC means that this makes up the bulk of their work, but from what I understand over the last few years they’ve expanded their reach.

  “So the threats started after this was discovered?”

  “Yes.” Luke flips through a notepad. “At first they were very basic, not actual threats but instead focused on making sure he was aware how his company was violating people’s rights. However, in the last couple of weeks the threats have become more substantial.”

  “Any action?”

  “There was an attempted break in at his office, however it’s not clear if the break is tied to the threats. The police are looking into it.”

  “How receptive is Mr. Meyer to having security?”

  “Let’s just say he’s not thrilled about it, but understands the importance.”

  “Got it. Anything else I need to know?”

  “You’ll be sharing an apartment within Mr. Meyer’s condo with his live-in housekeeper slash personal cook. We have run a complete background report on her and it came back clean. He has a brother who lives in DC, he likes to party quite a bit but otherwise checks out,” Emily chimes in. “Parents are deceased, no other siblings.”

  “Wife? Kids?”

  “No to both. Mr. Meyer reports his time is devoted to his job and that he doesn’t have time to date…” She hesitates for the briefest moment.

  “But?” I can tell she’s not saying something.

  “I’ve done a little digging and,
at the very least, he does have female friends who come to his home fairly often. The ones I’ve been able to identify don’t have anything on their records that raise any concerns.”

  “Emily hasn’t been able to identify all of his visitors because we don’t have complete access to the security system in the building he lives in. We’ve already notified Mr. Meyer that his security system will likely need to be updated,” Luke adds.

  “Anything else I need to know?” I ask.

  “You have a meeting scheduled for Monday evening with Mr. Meyer, but it’s just a formality. If at any time things seem off to you, trust your gut,” Luke emphasizes. “We do initial background checks on every client, but if needed we can dive much deeper. Don’t discount your inner voice, most often it’s one of the few things that will keep you alive on the job.”

  “Understood, sir. Thank you for the opportunity.”

  “You’ve proven yourself,” Luke says to me, his eyes are across the table at Emily. She looks back at him and smiles, seeming to silently communicate with him. Suddenly I feel the urge to leave the room, but I’m not certain the meeting is even over at this point. By the way they are looking at each other, I have a feeling they want the meeting to be finished.

  Luke and Emily have an interesting story, one that I don’t fully know. All I do know is one day I received a call from Alec, the other owner of Dark Water Security, telling me I needed to rush to a small café not far from where I was staying to provide protection for Emily. I hadn’t met her before, but when your new boss calls, you jump. I wasn’t expecting to learn that day that Luke and Emily were together, but the moment he rushed in and saw her it became obvious. I didn’t do much that day, but it must have made an impression on Luke because a few weeks later I received a call from Alec letting me know about this possible assignment. When I first started I was told that live-in arrangements are scarce and sought after by nearly all the contractors since so many are looking for stability. Luke had made it clear that it might be an option down the road for me, like way down the road.

  “Any questions?”

  “I don’t think so; I might have a few more after meeting with him. I’ll spend some time reviewing the file before then.”

  “Don’t hesitate to call if you have questions.”

  “I won’t.”

  Chapter 2

  Hope

  I’ve surprisingly adjusted well to my new position as a live-in housekeeper/personal chef for Mr. Meyer. It’s not a difficult job, but it keeps me busy. After a week, I feel like I finally have a schedule down to ensure everything is completed that needs to be. I don’t see Mr. Meyer very often, only for breakfast really, but I prepare dinner for him and leave it in the fridge so he has something to eat when he finally does get home from work.

  He’s a good boss to me, but I’ve overheard him talking on the phone as he leaves in the morning and it’s almost like he’s a completely different person. With them, he’s short, the opposite of how he normally is with me. I remember the first time I heard him talk to his employees like that—it still sends chills through me.

  I nearly jump out of my skin as I dust the hallway just outside his office door. “What the fuck do you mean you can’t find the file?” Mr. Meyer screams at someone on the phone.

  “What the fuck does that even mean? You had the file last night and now this morning it’s gone? Meaning what? It grew fucking feet and walked away?

  “Or is it more likely you never fucking worked on it and now you’re just making excuses for your incompetence?

  “Don’t fucking give me that bullshit! You have ten minutes to find the completed file and send it to me before I ruin your name across the industry! You’ll never be able to find another job!”

  The next thing I heard was something hitting the wall just besides the door, again causing me to jump. I ran back to the kitchen, vowing to finish dusting another day—when Mr. Meyer wasn’t working from home.

  Since that day I’ve become used to his temper to a degree. It still scares me when he screams at someone, but I count my blessings that he doesn’t do it to me. He’s always polite to me, though to be honest we don’t typically have more than a few minutes of idle chit chat between us during the day.

  I’m sitting in the staff apartment that is just off of the main condo; it’s hard to believe that this place is so big that it has its own apartment attached. But, it’s perfect because it gives me my own space, something I was worried about when I first accepted this live-in arrangement with the staffing agency. Although, according to Mr. Meyer, it won’t be my own space much longer. He’s planning on hiring a security guard to live here with him…or well I guess with me. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about what it would be like to live with a complete stranger.

  “Hi Abs,” I greet as soon as my phone rings.

  “How are you?” my best friend of far too many years asks.

  We chat for a while about everything and anything. We eventually settle on watching a TV show together, which has been our nightly routine almost every night since I moved out last weekend. It’s not the same as sitting with her in the living room, but it’s better than sitting in this empty apartment by myself. Once the show ends, we hang up and I take a long bath in the bathroom attached to my bedroom. The tub is the reason I chose this room as opposed to the other one which also has an attached bathroom, but instead of a tub it only has a shower stall.

  When I’m nearly falling asleep in the tub, I finally make my way out to the bed and fall asleep within minutes. As with most nights, I wake in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep. I wrap a throw blanket around myself and head to the living room to get lost in some random show that will hopefully put me back to sleep. This has been my routine for the last two and a half years; I can’t even remember the last time I slept through the night. Some nights I’m lucky and can go back to sleep, but others I just stay up and start my day around three in the morning.

  Thankfully this morning I was able to go back to sleep, even if it was on the living room couch instead of my bed. I spend a few hours on the internet, looking up new recipes to try for Mr. Meyer. I make a list of what I’ll need, but realize I need to check the pantry before leaving since I haven’t quite familiarized myself with everything that was in there before I started. I’m off on the weekends, something Mr. Meyer stressed during my initial meeting. It seemed important to him that I had time to myself, but to me I’d almost rather be working since it would keep my mind off other things.

  I quietly open the apartment door, which leads directly into the kitchen and slip into the large walk in pantry. I’m not in my uniform, so I don’t want to draw any attention to the fact that I’m in here. I cross a few items off the shopping list and close the pantry door behind me.

  “Come on, let’s go,” I hear Mr. Meyer say behind me. “Oh…shit…excuse me.”

  I turn around and my brain cannot process the scene in front of me. I swear my jaw hits the floor as I stand there looking like an idiot, unable to form any words or even move for that matter. I drop my list and rush move past the near naked woman standing next to my boss as I dash back to my apartment. Never did I think when I accepted this position that I would walk into the kitchen one day to see my boss leading a woman around by a leash. A woman who is dressed only in a thong and a see-through bra and has some type of a gag in her mouth.

  Oh my God!

  Who does something like that? My heart is racing as I try to process what I just saw; I can’t even wrap my head around it! Disgust is the first word that comes to mind. I’m not a prude, at least I don’t think I am, but O.M.G!

  Grabbing my purse, I rush out of the private entrance to my apartment, thankful that I don’t need to go through Mr. Meyer’s residence to leave. I spend the next several hours out of the apartment, not wanting to return to the apartment. Eventually, after hitting the market and a few other stores, I head back to the apartment. If nothing else, I’m thankful that Mr. Meyer
made it a point to tell me during the interview that, unless there was some sort of an emergency, he wouldn’t enter this space without asking permission first. The rest of the day passes by without any signs of my boss and his naked friend, thank goodness.

  The next morning I cautiously open the door separating the living areas, not quite sure what to expect. Since it’s a Monday morning I’m scheduled to work, but does that mean Mr. Meyer’s…guest is gone? Will he still be parading her around on a leash? I let out the breath I’m holding when I open the door to an empty kitchen. I begin making breakfast, forcing myself to focus on the simple task rather than worry about the mystery guest.

  “Good Morning, Ms. Williams,” he greets me as soon he walks into the kitchen.

  “Morning, Mr. Meyer. Your breakfast is almost ready.” I purposely avoid looking at him and instead focus on the omelet I’m cooking.

  “Please bring it to the dining room and we can discuss my schedule for this week.”

  “Of course.”

  I can’t help it; as soon as I hear him start to walk away I glance over my shoulder. I don’t think I’ve ever been as relieved as I was in that moment to find him alone. Hopefully that means that the guest is only a guest on the weekends. I make a mental note to avoid the main apartment at all costs on the weekends.

  Even though I knew we would be reviewing his schedule, it’s something he requested to do every Monday morning, I was dreading seeing him any longer than necessary. Taking a deep breath, I head into the dining room knowing I can’t put it off much longer and find him yelling at someone on the phone.

  “I don’t care about the fucking cost, get it now! Either get it or you’ll find your ass out on the streets.”

  I quickly turn to leave when he startles me by slamming his phone on the table.

  “Ms. Williams, please sit,” he says calmly.

  “Yes, sir.”