Defended & Desired

Defended & Desired

(Book 2 – Billionaire Bodyguards Series)

By

Kristi Avalon

Dedication

For Mom. You worked so hard and made so many sacrifices to raise me on your own.

You gave me a wonderful life. Thank you.

Chapter 1

Trey Soren believed nothing could ruin his day.

With his finance team’s
Congratulations!
still ringing in his ears, he strode across the main floor’s pale Travertine tile. His confident footfalls echoed in the expanse.

Today, especially, it pleased him to take in the six-story view from the center of his headquarters. This building housed a future filled with opportunity, and was well worth the investment, sweat equity, and patience. Rich redwood contrasted with chrome. Features like frosted glass and white leather offered a tranquil environment for guests entering the lobby. Trey had the contractors install two-story vertical fountains on opposite ends of the room. A series of drop-lights hung at varying heights from the skylight ceiling, creating an asymmetrical chandelier.

Modern luxury with sleek lines boasting calm strength—impressions Trey expected his company, Soren Security Bodyguards, to give to its high-end clientele.

A commotion in the lobby caught his attention. He spied two camera crews mounting the steps. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Literally saved by the bell, he ducked inside out of habit, though he didn’t have to. The elevator’s tall dimensions accommodated his Nordic ancestry, a benefit of having helped design the building.

He wanted to make his exit before a reporter cornered him. Not that he had any problem with public speaking or putting on the dog-and-pony show. It just didn’t make his Top Ten list. Besides, his brother, Cade, had not only become the face of Soren Security, but with his electric-blue eyes, dusty blonde hair and easy smile, the cameras, not to mention the women, loved him.

“Mr. Soren, wait,” a familiar voice called.

Trey’s hand shot out to stop the elevator doors from closing. Mindy’s straight blonde ponytail swished as she darted in, juggling a stack of binders.

“Thanks.” She craned her neck to look up at him and smiled. “I need to go over talking points one last time before Cade and I meet with the press.”

Trey nodded to the petite PR guru. “Did Cade mention we’re holding off on releasing a statement this morning about our initial public offering?”

“I figured that when CNBC called me to confirm your brother’s flight to New York for the in-studio interview. Congratulations, by the way.” She beamed at him. “The four of you worked really hard for this.”

A proud grin tugged his lips. Their company consisted of a collaboration between him, Cade, and their two cousins, Adam and Liam. “That happens when you have a support team like we do. Everybody did their part. Making Soren Security into a company worth people’s investment is an
achievement
that belongs to all of us.”

She whipped a pencil from behind her ear and scribbled sideways on a sheet of paper. “Nice quote. I’m using it.”

Trey adjusted his cufflinks. “Have at it.”

Mindy rattled off her talking-points itinerary. Sounds and details faded to the background. Trey fixated on the buttons lighting up overhead as they floated up floor by floor. Intrigued by the latest physical phenomenon, he wondered if his response would happen again–the tingle at the base of his scalp when he approached the fourth floor.

Devon Leigh’s floor.

Instantly, Devon’s you-know-you-want-to-kiss-me red lips came to mind. A hot ember of attraction sparked low in his gut.

Aside from being gorgeous, the woman was Mensa smart, quick with comebacks, and had a dry wit that always made him laugh. Plus, he was pretty sure she could hack the Pentagon’s uber-secure network in less than five minutes. Not that they’d ever need that particular ability, but he liked knowing her impressive skill put her in an elite class, and she worked for
him.
Though she was serious and hardworking ninety-percent of the time, when she smiled, his world stopped spinning to hold on to the moment.

Trey wanted one thing: more of that smile. He wouldn’t mind tasting it either, feeling the soft texture of her lips against his, the slick curl of her tongue when he slid inside her mouth—

“Mr. Soren?”

Trey snapped his attention to Mindy. “Yes.”

“If you see Cade, will you tell him we need to meet before the press conference? I can’t seem to get a hold of him.”

“Sure. Good luck with the press.”

Mindy scribbled another note on her paper as she exited and the doors closed. Then his phone vibrated in his suit pants pocket. He pulled up a text from Cade.

Problem.
Conference room.
Now.

Trey frowned. He wasn’t giving up on his perfect day yet, or the chance of seeing Devon. Cade possessed a tendency toward the dramatic. Although, he rarely demanded a meeting without good reason.

The elevator dropped him off on the sixth floor. He strode toward the conference room centrally located between his and Cade’s offices. A wall of windows framed a picturesque view of the Rocky Mountains surrounding the Denver skyline. Opposite the oval conference table, they’d decked out the space with a bar and pool table, things they used to blow off steam during eighteen-hour days. Plus the most comfortable couch in existence and a sixty-inch flat screen TV for times when they had to pull an all-nighter. Trey thought of the stocked bar again, and wondered if he’d need support from it by the end of this conversation.

He pushed through the double-doors and saw his brother’s face. His stomach dropped. Tension pinched Cade’s blue eyes, and a muscle ticked in his jaw.

Without one word exchanged, Trey suspected his perfect day now dangled by a thread. “What happened?”

Cade’s shoulders formed rigid lines beneath his merino wool suit. “We’ve been hacked.”

“What?”

Cade responded with a dismal nod. “Our routers are down. If the press try to access Wi-Fi in the building and can’t connect, they may suspect a problem.”

Trey’s heart pounded. “What about Devon?”

“I just talked with her. Apparently this infiltration is eroding our main systems and shutting us down floor by floor. All of our sixth floor computers have already crashed.”

The lights flickered and dimmed. Trey glanced up in horror. “What the hell?”

“Everything from our lights to our security cameras to our laptops is under siege.”

“Has Devon found the source?”

Cade shrugged. “I assume she would’ve told me if she had.”

“If anyone can fix this it’s her.”

“This has to be mitigated before it reaches the second floor. After all we’ve gone through in the past year getting this company
cogent, it’ll be career suicide if I have to explain to the press why our
security
company can’t
secure
its own computer network.”

Trey rubbed the back of his neck where ropes of tension knotted. “If any of our bodyguards’ locations or clients’ information leaks, we’ll have more than the press and shareholders jumping down our throats. The litigation would bury us in days.”

“I’m well aware.” Cade’s grim expression hit Trey hard.

Trey was the one who’d convinced his brother and two cousins to ditch the dangerous underworld as bounty hunters, including back-alley brawls, dodging bullets, and dragging in criminals. They’d sold their lucrative but life-threatening Las Vegas business for this posh, tame, corner-office gig. The transition hadn’t been smooth, especially for Adam and Liam. He could take the boys out of the brawl, but couldn’t take the brawl out of the boys. Trey needed his company to thrive, so there were no reasons or excuses for any of them to return to that old life. His brother sighed. “My immediate concern is keeping the lights on during the press conference I have to give in five minutes.”

“Go,” Trey said. “I’ll handle this.”

“I can cancel.”

“That’ll look more suspicious. The press corps is here, and Mindy’s waiting for you. Devon and I will figure this out.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get in Devon’s way, or she’ll flatten you. That woman is fierce.”

One of the many attributes that made her so valuable to him. “I’ll handle her, too.”

With a curious look, Cade gave him a two-finger salute. He straightened his tie, smoothed a hand down the front of his well-tailored suit, and left to face the press.

Trey went in search of Devon.

As he neared her fourth floor office, his steps slowed. The prickle at the base of his scalp returned. He found her door shut, but heard the constant click-clack speed-typing within. He raised two knuckles and knocked.

The click-clacking didn’t pause a beat. “Go away. I’m fending off Armageddon.”

“Good. That’s why I hired you,” Trey said as he entered despite her instruction.

Devon stopped typing and flicked him a glance. “I can’t believe the bastard slipped past my firewalls.”

Her frustration mirrored his. “You couldn’t have predicted this.”

“Do you know how many years of education and trial and error it took me to be able to construct the impenetrable?”

From everything he’d seen while working with her the past year, he knew she possessed a rare talent in her field. “Enlighten me.”

“Thirteen. This guy is good. Damn good. I have to figure out where he’s coming from. Why he’s doing this.”

“How do you know it’s a
he?”

Devon spread her arms. “I’m a woman in a man’s field, Trey, I’ve been outnumbered from day one. Trust me, it’s a guy. One who has something to prove, considering I haven’t cracked his code yet. It’s like he’s expecting applause for beating me at my own game.”

“The lights are out on the sixth floor.”

“Are you serious?” She huffed. “Now he’s really pissing me off.” She stepped out from behind her desk carrying a pile of sticky notes covered with short nonsensical phrases couched between parentheses. “Hold these.”

She dumped the stack on him and went to her wall of whiteboards. He was Devon’s CEO and one of the owners of a billion dollar company. Apparently, his status didn’t matter to her. She’d reduced him to her glorified assistant. Fortunately for her, she was the only person in the building who could counteract the looming disaster that threatened to shut his company’s doors. He’d shine her shoes if she asked. She probably knew it, too.

“He obviously scoped out my barricades in advance,” she said, using an eraser to wipe a section of the whiteboard clean. “This doesn’t have the feel of a corporate hacker fishing for intel. What is he after?”

Trey didn’t respond. He didn’t have the answer and he figured she just needed a sounding board to think out loud. She did that often with him.
Often enough to make him wonder if maybe he wasn’t imagining this connection between them. The ember in his gut burned hotter.

While she made hieroglyphic marks on the whiteboard, he took the unguarded opportunity to let his gaze roam over her body, from her sleek dark hair that fell to her shoulders to her slim waist and down to her gorgeous legs.

Thank God for skirt suits. That’s all she wore to the office, usually in bland colors like black, brown or beige, nothing to detract from those bright red lips. The lace fringe of a white camisole usually peeked out from the V of her lapels. Probably not an attention-grabber for most, but that hint of lace taunted Trey like a while flag of surrender just out of reach. Damn but he wanted to play capture the flag with her.

The knot of lust pulled tighter. He gave his head a quick shake and blew out a controlled breath. His company was in serious trouble and he needed to remain focused on that, not Devon’s sexy mouth and body.

Trey’s phone buzzed. Grateful for the distraction, he retrieved it from his pocket. A text message flashed from Isaac Atlas, Director of International Sales, a long-time family friend and newest recruit from their hometown of Vegas. He skimmed the text.

Fifth floor computers down.
Losing power. Something I should know about?

Trey shoved Devon’s sticky notes into his suit coat pocket so he could use both thumbs to reply quickly.
Keep your people calm. Tell them routine
maintenance. Will fill you in asap.

He received Issac’s swift reply.
Cool. Time for another round of Office Olympics.
Gotta keep my chair race high score. Ignore thumps and crashes.

Done,
Trey texted back. What he’d told Mindy in the elevator was true
. Guys like Isaac, who’d brought his sales experience here after selling his motorcycle dealership in Vegas, reinforced how fortunate the four of them were. He and Cade and their cousins couldn’t have stepped into his new, safer, cleaner world of corporate America without these people. Trey owed them all a huge debt of gratitude and the promise that their jobs and careers were locked in stone. Some obnoxious hacker was not going to destroy his achievement with the click of a mouse.

Slipping the cell phone into his pocket, he said, “Devon, we’ve lost the fifth floor.”

She whirled around, her eyes wide. “It’s picking up momentum, moving through the network faster.”