Weston Securities-WITSEC Program

Chapter 1

Luke raked his fingers through his hair what felt like the hundredth time in the past hour as he stared down at the paperwork scattered over his desk. He’d been pouring over papers for the better part of the past few hours playing catch up since they had just come back from a two week long mission.

He was the only one still at the office which wasn’t unheard of. He normally stayed at the office late at night finishing paperwork. It wasn’t like he had any reason to rush home to an empty house. The other guys were single too but there was no reason for any of them to stay and keep him company. They were all still young and liked to get out.

“Why am I not surprised to still find you here.” A voice said approaching him.

Luke ignored his—sometimes friend, though he rarely admitted it—coworker Greg and kept staring at the paperwork in question.

Of course he was here. He didn’t go anywhere else. It wasn’t like he had a life to go home to. Just an empty house. The only people he considered friends were his coworkers. He hadn’t been much better when he was active duty in the Army. He was essentially a hermit who lived to work.

“You’re either here or in the field.” The man continued to say.

Silence.

“Do you have a cot in here I don’t know about?”

Silence.

Greg didn’t take the hint he wanted to be left alone and instead took the vacant seat across from his desk. “Don’t get me wrong this place is nice. Good view, bathroom. Kitchen is questionable.”

The silent treatment wasn’t working. Time to figure out what Greg wanted so he could be left alone again. “Why are you back?” Greg had left the office over an hour ago talking about going to the bar and find a woman to spend the night with.

Greg settled back in his chair, kicking his feet up on the corner of the desk, his arms relaxed on the arm rests while crossing his fingers over his waist proving he wasn’t leaving any time soon. “I can’t imagine it lures a lot of ladies but you’re not without your charms.”

Luke glared up at him. Greg just smiled like he didn’t have a care in the world. Many women found him charming with his easy smile and laid back personality. Right now, Luke was finding it annoying. He knew Greg was doing this just to get under his skin. He hated admitting it was working. “You look tired.”

“I’m fine.” He was tired. His head was starting to hurt. Words were blurring and starting to blend thanks to his accident but he couldn’t stop. There was still so much work to do, he couldn’t rest. He was missing something, if he could figure it out though he would solve this data, he knew it. Luke just couldn’t quit though.

“Come on, Luke. You’re always working. Even between missions you’re here at this desk going through endless amounts of paperwork.”

Obviously the silent treatment wasn’t getting results. What do you want?” He snapped. He wasn’t in the mood for Greg’s lip right now. If this was all Greg came to bother him with Luke had no problem showing him the door. They all might be labeled disabled veterans but there was nothing hindering him from tossing Greg out of his office.

Four years ago, while on deployment Luke had been out of reconnaissance. The guy next to him sweeping for bombs tripped one. He died while Luke received shrapnel in his eye, arm and leg. He was near blind in his left eye and lost part of his left leg and arm.

The military didn’t have a use for him anymore so they cut him loose. He’d tried applying for bodyguard and security jobs that refused to hire him because of his injury. He was struggling to find out what to do next when he’d been contacted by a Major in Colorado Springs who had a soft spot for veterans.

Luke was offered a chance to still do covert operations that were off the books. If things ever went sour, he’d be thrown under the bus and the US government would deny any involvement. It was a risk he was willing to take. It was teams like Luke’s that could get the dirty work done while the big wigs were still pissing around in senate. Luke had said yes without hesitation and never looked back.

The other guys on the team had similar back stories. They’d all been medically discharged without a clue of what to do next with life. They’d all come from different military branches, and while they liked to rib the other for their choice of branch, they all worked well as a team together. Each would lay down his life for the other.

“All work and no play is going to make Luke a dull boy.” Greg tsked.

Luke slammed his fists down on his desk. A paperweight on corner of desk rattled before settling back in place. “Greg I have a stack of paperwork to do and I’m not in the mood for your snarky attitude now tell me what you want or get the f**k out.”

Greg’s grin slid to a scowl looking suddenly serious. “Well if you’d bother to answer your cell phone you’d already know.”

Luke picked up his phone and stared at the black screen. “It’s dead.” And the charger was buried in his duffel bag somewhere.

“Hence why I’m here. We got a hit at McCarran airport.”

That got his attention. “Who?”

“Djokovic,”

Djokovic was on every agencies wanted list for trafficking women and guns. “You’re just telling me this now? When?”

“About ten minutes ago. Barry pulled up the footage and confirmed it’s him. A few minutes wasn’t going to change his location.”

“Any idea what he’s in town for?”

“I have an idea. “There’s a buy going down tonight. Right here in Las Vegas.”

“What kind? Drugs, weapons?”

“Drugs.”

“Any idea what kind?”

“My contact says cocaine.” Greg shrugged. It wasn’t Djokovic’s typical buy but for the right money Luke was sure the man had no scruples.

“How accurate is the intel?”

Greg almost looked wounded by his question. “Impeccable as always.”

“Do you know where?” He couldn’t keep the eagerness out of his voice. These were the kind of missions he loved doing. This was what he’d signed up for. Protecting his country. It wasn’t overseas terrorist but no less important.

Every case was different. Drug busts, kidnappings, smuggling. They did it all. It was only between cases that he could look into the trafficking case he’d been working on six months ago. There was something about it that kept pulling him back him. Begging him to put a stop to it.

For now it would have to go on the back burner.

“Location isn’t going to be released until thirty minutes before the buy goes down.”

Smart. It wouldn’t give police a heads up to set up a trap. Nor time for them to scop it out. “If only we could find out where.” Luke placed his elbows on the desk and interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on them. His brain already turned to the current dilemma. “Can we put a track on Djokovic?”

“No, but Barry saw him get in a cab. We can track the cab and see where it drops him off.”

“Do it. It can’t be a coincidence there is a buy and Djokovic is in town. Djokovic will be at the buy. Call the team in.”

Greg nodded and went to his desk as he pulled out his phone.

Luke leaned back in his chair and groaned as his back popped along the way from being hunched over for so long. Damn, he felt old despite only being thirty-seven. He was the oldest in their group with Jack being the youngest at twenty-six. Right now he felt like an eighty-year-old man. His eye sight was shot at the moment and the headache was working its way to the back of his head. He couldn’t let that affect him though. He had a mission to complete.