Protecting His Pregnant Partner: Aegis Security, #3

By Leslie North

An adrenaline rush of danger and romance…

 

Holly Yee's life was shattered when she witnessed the brutal murder of her ex. Now, she's been forced into hiding from the mobsters seeking to eliminate her. Pregnant and under the protection of bodyguard and former Navy SEAL Kenton Price, she's going a little stir crazy in his apartment.

 

Sitting on the sidelines really isn't her thing Former jocks aren't her thing either, but there's something about Ken that makes him different from other men. Something hot. Something sexy. And…special. Most of all, she feels safe—until the mob targets Ken, putting both their lives in danger.

 

Despite the threat to himself, Ken's priority is protecting Holly and her unborn baby. In the short time they've spent together, she's become important to him. Too important. Holly is as smart as she is gorgeous and he can't deny the growing attraction between them. He knows that's a line he shouldn't cross. But despite his resolve to keep his distance, he just can't seem to resist her.

 

He tells himself—and her—it's just a fling. Too bad his heart isn't listening…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Relay Publishing
• Release date: Feb 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201610654

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Holly Yee glanced around the bar and tried to ignore the nagging feeling that coming here had been a mistake. Her relationship with Zak Bryant had never exactly been moonlight and roses—more like tequila and questionable decisions. When she’d finally called it quits, she’d thought that was the end of it.

The fetus inside her had other ideas. As the father, Zak had the right to know—and when he asked if they could meet, just to talk, she hadn’t felt as though she could refuse. So here she was. Regretting it already.

At least the place didn’t look too bad, for once. From all the times Zak had made her come here—to keep him company while he tended bar, Holly was used to the smell of stale beer and body odor, but today there was only the scent of lemon cleaner. The tables were scrubbed, too, booths wiped down.

Zak looked like he’d cleaned up as well. He still had that pretty-boy charm, but there were tired lines around his eyes, and his carefree smile was looking a little strained as he ushered Holly and her two best friends in. It looked like he hadn’t gotten much sleep lately. Maybe the idea of a kid had been a wake-up call. You ladies want something to drink? he asked cheerfully, flashing them his classic smile, charming and utterly carefree.

On second thought. Okay, maybe he wasn’t taking this seriously. She could feel Nicole bristle next to her and let herself enjoy it for a brief moment. Pregnant, Holly reminded him, pointing at her stomach. The whole reason why we’re here. It wasn’t like she and her friends were in the habit of skipping out on a busy day at the salon they ran together just so they could meet up with her ex.

I know that, Zak said defensively, his baby blue eyes wounded. I meant like a soda or something. Can you have soda? To Holly’s surprise, he sounded concerned.

Soda’s fine. Maybe a ginger ale? Holly suggested, crossing over to the bar. Her stomach was a little tender. So far she’d avoided full-on morning sickness, thank freaking goodness, but she didn’t want to take any chances. She needed to be alert and focused, and throwing up on her ex-boyfriend when there were trying to have a serious discussion about their oops baby probably wouldn’t help with that.

Coming right up. Zak poured one for her, then got a drink for Charlotte as well. He paled as he glanced at Nicole—her most combative and protective friend—who was pointedly standing just behind Holly, still glaring at him.

Zak scrubbed his hands on his jeans and headed towards the back door, grabbing a couple of the trash bags piled there. I’ll be right back, he told them. His tone was cheerful, but there was an uncharacteristically nervous edge to it. I just gotta take out the trash. Hey, uh, Nicole? You mind giving me a hand?

That clearly surprised all of them. Nicole’s scowl dropped away, and she blinked at him for a moment before her dark eyes went wary. Me?

Zak nodded. Yeah. You mind?

Nicole glanced at both of them, one dark brow arched up in that familiar what do you think look. Holly hesitated, torn, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught Charlotte giving Nicole a small nod. Which was probably the right decision. Giving them a brief nod, Nicole grabbed a couple of bags and followed Zak. The back door swung slowly shut behind them, rusted hinges crying out. Holly tried not to wince. It always sounded like a scream.

She turned to Charlotte. How long do you think until she kills him?

Charlotte’s light green eyes flicked towards the clock over the front door. Five minutes?

Holly laughed. It felt rough in her chest. She hadn’t been laughing much the past week or so. Five minutes, if we’re lucky. Thanks for doing this, by the way, she added, nudging Charlotte’s shoulder.

As if you could keep us away. Charlotte wrapped an arm around her, giving her a warm hug. Nicole was the warrior in their group, ready to rush into battle whenever someone tried to mess with them, but Charlotte was their rock, quiet and steadying. However this turns out, we’re here for you. Both of you. No matter what.

Holly smiled at her friend, the anxious, prickly how in the hell am I going to do this feeling easing. No matter what happened with Zak or the baby, she knew she could count on Charlotte and Nicole. They’d been friends for years, ever since they all ended up working at that uber pretentious, over-priced salon in Chelsea. Opening their own place—which managed to be chic, fun, and fashionable while being a hell of a lot less snooty—had been a natural next step. Nicole and Charlotte were more than just her friends. They were family.

She kissed Charlotte’s nose, a silly, affectionate gesture that made them both laugh. You’re a good woman, Charlie Burnside. Seriously, though, is this a terrible idea? You don’t think Nicole’s right about Zak, do you?

Charlotte hesitated—which kind of said it all. If Charlotte couldn’t find something nice to say… I think it’s not up to her, or me, Charlotte said gently, her arm still steady around Holly’s shoulders. It’s up to you. Do you think Zak is someone you can trust to be there for you and the little bean?

Holly frowned into her glass of ginger ale, watching the bubbles fizz up to the top. Having a kid with Zak was probably the worst idea she’d had so far. Normally, Holly prided herself on being a fools rush in kind of person, always preferring to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. She was always good at action, rather than sitting around and worrying about things. But whatever she and Zak decided was going to impact more than just her life. She was potentially screwing things up for two now.

I don’t know, she admitted. But I owe it to him to at least hear him out. Once Nicole was finished with him, that was. Holly glanced at the back door, a little surprised that neither of them were back yet. I guess we should go save him from Nicole, huh? Or help with the body, Holly thought dryly.

Charlotte patted her back and gave her a sympathetic smile as they slid off the barstools. They jumped as the back door swung open just as they reached it, and Nicole headed back in. She was smiling, that made Holly worry more. Is everything okay— she started.

There was a loud blast. Sharp, sudden, violent, tearing through the air. Loud enough that it felt like a blow, and Holly flinched back. It echoed out from the alley, and she instinctively knew it wasn’t a car backfiring. Nicole and Charlotte were blocking her, but she tried to shove past them to see.

Zak was on the ground. Zak was hurt, he was bleeding—she saw the red stain spreading out across his chest. She saw a man. She saw the gun in his hand and heard a panicked cry. Holly realized only as the man with the gun turned that it was coming from her. His face was gaunt and sharp, rat-like. For a moment, he looked as surprised and horrified as she felt. Then he raised his hand. Holly heard her breath echoing in her ears. Gun. He had a gun. Holly tried to move, but her legs were taffy.

Then Charlotte’s and Nicole’s hands grabbed her, and she was yanked back into the bar as there were more shots. Glass burst. Nicole shoved the door shut, the door screaming against the rusted hinges. Or maybe the screaming was still her. Zak. Holly realized she was shaking. Charlotte pulled her down to the floor. She couldn’t breathe. There wasn’t enough air. Zak, they had to get to Zak, they had to help him. But she couldn’t make herself move. It was like she was underwater.

Numbly, she heard Nicole’s voice, utterly fearless, giving their address to a 911 operator. Heard the shriek of wood against tile as Nicole and Charlotte shoved a table in front of the door. More shots rang out, and she heard something break and shatter. Sobs shook her as she fought to hold them back. I have to help. The thought rose through the fog of terror in her mind. I have to do something. But she couldn’t move.

Then Charlotte’s arms were around her, and Nicole’s, holding her tight. Holding her together.

Why? Why would this horrible thing happen to Zak? He’d been acting weird lately, but she thought it was just that he could tell their relationship had run its course and was bracing for the break up. But maybe he’d known something. Maybe he knew someone was coming for him.

The shots stopped as police sirens flared in the distance, growing closer.

1

Ken Price slid his laptop in his leather satchel and zipped it shut as he gave one quick, last look around his office, checking for anything he’d missed. He didn’t know how long it was going to be, but once he picked up Holly Yee to start his bodyguard assignment and they were secured in his apartment, he didn’t plan on leaving for a while. Not unless the building catches on fire , Ken thought grimly.

At their last meeting, Michael—one of the agency’s three partners, and therefore one of the two people in the world who could talk Ken into something as crazy as taking on this assignment—had been optimistic that the police could quickly hunt down whoever had murdered Zak Bryant. That this protection assignment for the three women wouldn’t be more than a few weeks.

Okay, so maybe optimistic wasn’t the right word. Ken had known Michael for years, and he’d yet to see him be optimistic about anything. It’d be more accurate to say that Michael was desperately hoping that he’d be stuck in his remote cabin with his hot ex for the shortest time possible. Hoping for the best wasn’t usually how they approached assignments, but nothing about this case had been ordinary. Nicole, the woman who’d requested their help, was the same one who’d broken Michael’s heart years before. The fee she and the others could afford was well below the agency’s usual rate, necessitating some…creative solutions for cutting costs. And the danger…well, danger was an expected part of any bodyguard’s job. But it wasn’t every day that a client was targeted by the mob.

Nicole Zito, Charlotte Burnside, and Holly Yee had done everything people were supposed to do when they witnessed a crime, calling the police and giving them their statements. In return, they started getting death threats, directed at them and their families. People who witnessed mob hits didn’t tend to stick around for long. Which was what led Nicole to Aegis Security, the private security firm that Ken and his partners had started after they’d left the Navy SEALs. And what led Michael—who could never say no to a woman in need—to agree to take them on.

Ken checked his watch. By this point Easton was in the air, on his way to Florida with Charlotte, and Michael had to be halfway to the cabin by now. Which meant that Ken needed to finish up here and head out to pick up Holly Yee from her apartment in Brooklyn. They hadn’t had the time—or the funds, considering the discount the women were getting—to set up proper safe houses for the three women, so they’d had to find other solutions. Michael was taking Nicole and her ten-year-old son to his cabin in the woods, while their partner Easton was bringing Charlotte along on what up until now had been his personal vacation. Now it was kind of a working fake honeymoon. For Holly, early along in a pregnancy, they’d wanted to keep her in the city, close to her doctors. So Ken’s highly secure apartment would be her safe house.

There was a soft knock on the door. Tyler, Aegis Security’s new receptionist, hesitated; he’d only been at Aegis for six weeks, which wasn’t long enough to lose that fresh-out-of-college sheen.

At the moment, Tyler looked a little nervous. Mr. Price? There’s someone here to see—and there she goes, Tyler finished as a woman rushed past him, wheeling a small suitcase and carrying a huge tote bag over one arm. Sorry about that.

The get up set him back for a second. She was wearing a black trench coat and a massive Carmen Sandiego hat, with a pair of dramatically oversized sunglasses. It was more a distraction than a proper disguise. Ms. Yee? he guessed.

The woman sighed, letting the massive tote slip off her shoulder and plop to the floor. Mr. Price. Nice to meet you. She pulled off the ridiculous hat and comical shades and tossed them onto one of the chairs in front of his desk. She looked exactly like her picture—the small frame and the sleek cap of dark hair, the dark brown eyes. But unlike in her photo, she wasn’t grinning like she’d been in on some secret joke. The smile was replaced by frustration and an intense, energetic focus.

Ms. Yee? What are you wearing?

A disguise. Obviously, she added, as if she couldn’t believe he had to ask.

Ken glanced at Tyler, who was still lingering in the doorway. Thanks, Tyler. I’ll take it from here. Ken crossed over and closed the door, trying to tamp down his exasperation. What are you doing here, Ms. Yee?

Holly tilted her head to peer at him, those brown eyes going fierce. What does it look like I’m doing here? You, me, protection, avoiding death? Remember?

I remember that you were supposed to wait for me at your apartment, Ken returned, managing to just keep his voice professional. That was what we agreed upon.

I was waiting for you, Holly tossed back, shoving her hands on her hips. "And I wouldn’t have had to come here if someone picked up their phone. I called you seven times."

No, you didn’t.

"Yes, I did."

You did not. I’ve been here all morning, and my phone hasn’t rung once. Ken unlocked his phone and checked his recent call log, then handed it to her. See? I haven’t received a single call this morning. Whoever you were calling, it wasn’t me.

Holly glanced at his phone, and then hers, her anger faltering. Oh. You’re not 555-0815?

You’re one digit off. But he said it gently. He’d seen the fear beneath the anger.

Well. That explains it, she said, flushing slightly with embarrassment. I guess someone out there is going to be really confused about a series of angry voicemails they just got. Sorry. It was pretty clear that Holly Yee was going for cool and confident, but when she handed him back his phone, Ken noticed that her hands were shaking. She was a lot more frightened than she wanted to let on.

But as sympathetic as he felt, he still needed to make sure she understood she couldn’t do something like this again. You need to do what you’re told. And that meant staying put and following instructions. I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are.

Well, I’m right here now. You know exactly where I am at this moment, she blustered. But then her shoulders hunched in and her bravado seemed to melt away. I’m sorry, she said again. "It’s been kind of a stressful morning. I wouldn’t have come here like this, but I thought—I know there was someone hanging around, outside my apartment. A big guy. He looked familiar."

The shooter? Ken said, instantly alert.

"No. But I think it was one of Zak’s old friends. I called you—or what I thought was your number—and when you didn’t pick up, I called