Blowed Up: An OPS Protector Romance, page 1
BLOWED UP
AN OPS PROTECTOR ROMANCE
GIULIA LAGOMARSINO
Copyright © 2023 by Giulia Lagomarsino
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Design courtesy of T.E. Black Designs
www.teblackdesigns.com
Photography by Reggie Deanching
https://www.rplusmphoto.com/
Cover Model: Matthew Hosea
https://www.facebook.com/MatthewHoseaInkedModel
Created with Vellum
For Matthew
This turned out to be the most amazing cover! Thank you for always being so creative and adventurous in your shoots!
CONTENTS
Cast of Characters
Blowed Up
1. Chase
2. Adam
3. Cash
4. Duke
5. Sinner
6. VIra
7. Rae
8. Tate
9. Zoe
10. Jane
11. Miranda
12. Lock
13. Zoe
14. Scottie
15. Jason
16. Rae
17. Duke
18. Scottie
19. Max
20. Iris
21. Thumper
22. Scottie
23. Rae
24. Ike
25. Jane
26. Sinner
27. Vira
28. Asher
29. Patrick
30. Sinner
31. Ike
32. Asher
33. Chase
34. Iris
35. Red
36. Cash
37. Tate
38. Jones
39. Jack
40. Thumper
41. Jack
42. Zoe
43. Slider
44. Fox
45. Cash
46. Fox
47. Lock
48. Thumper
49. Eva
50. Cash
51. Zoe
52. Jack
53. Cash
54. Sinner
55. Jack
Also by Giulia Lagomarsino
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Cash Owens- Owner of Owens Protective Services, sniper, and overall badass.
Eva James- deadly mistress of throwing knives and Cash’s…person
Team 1:
Jerrod Lockhart- Complete hardass, rule follower, and generally the guy considered to always have a stick up his ass.
Juliette Cassinelli- Junk food addict, avid runner, tiny human that can’t reach the top shelf. Oh, also a fabulous model who has stolen the heart of the unmovable Jerrod Lockhart.
Edward “Edu” Markinson- Hater of hospitals, slow drivers, and references to anything in the ’80s.
Brock “Rock” Patton- Wannabe model, obsessed with his looks and constantly combing his hair…A ferocious fighter for a man so obsessed with his looks. Also, as a side note—he can’t act for shit and hates the word ‘loins’.
Scottie Dog Thacker- Tactical vomit expert, hater of flying planes, and always up for a good time. If you’re with him, have a barf bag in hand. Has never had even a sip of alcohol in his life.
Quinn Lake- Awesome geologist who is terrible at telling people no. She’s a runner—running from situations so she doesn’t have to grow a spine and deal with confrontation. Awesome at Battleship and Twister.
Team 2:
Marcus “IRIS” Slater- His name stands for I Require Intense Supervision. EOD expert that has taken up a new love…blowing up shit.
Jane Layne- IRIS’s sidekick in real life and in her mystery novels. Also known as Shayla Jacque. Absolutely despises technology, and goes so far as to use a typewriter to avoid it.
Mick “Slider” Jeffries- Not Slider from Top Gun. Sorry, ladies, I know he was gorgeous, but it’s not the same hottie.
Tate “Thumper” Parsons- No, not named for the adorable furry rabbit. Thumper got his nickname after losing a foot to an IED. Now using a robotic foot, he is probably the fastest person on the team.
Bree Wilton- Financial guru, killer of the boardroom, and newly appointed partner in her firm. Wilts under the sun. Hates hiking, dirt, bunnies, and generally all things that don’t come with a luxury sticker.
Team 3: Now known as The Ditty Boppers
Eli Brant- Fierce team leader, but will put you in your place with a good practical joke when necessary.
Sarah Williams- Pickpocket, crazy lady that reacts inappropriately in tense situations.
Red Warren- Funny, meat-eating, California-hating, rifle owner. Proud to take out the bad guys in any way possible.
Zoe Thacker- Screenwriting badass that hates guns, refuses to eat meat, but loves a good gunfight.
Bradford Kavanaugh- Son of a senator, terrified of mummies, scarabs, and basically anything from ancient Egypt. Loves practical jokes, except when they’re about him.
IT Department:
Rae Dennon- Sarcastic, witty, badass woman. Terrified of nothing, will take down any man with little effort, and has an intense feud with Dash.
Duke Mason- The mechanic. Sexy, dirty, and the man every woman wants. His hands alone could have a story written about them and all the things they can do. Not afraid to have his ass kicked by Rae.
Dash- Awesome with computers and a skilled fighter. Constantly being compared to Rae, the sexier version of him. Still trying to convince Fox he’s just as awesome.
Black Ops Team: Also known as The Three Js
Jack Cox- Team leader who loves aviator sunglasses as much as a good gun fight. Willing to take one for the team as long as the mission is long and hard…just like his johnson.
Johnny Wood- Dangerous cowboy, loyal to Rafe—a man that would kill his own mother if it finished the job. Respects a man willing to get the job done.
Tahlia James- Mad scientist…well, coroner. Desperate for the truth and willing to do anything to get those answers, as long as it doesn’t include enclosed spaces. Not afraid of Johnny and his sexy body.
Jason Long- Number 3 of the baddies. Dangerous and dark, always full of threatening wisdom. Stay out of his way.
The Other Guys:
New Guy- Also known as FNG- Doesn’t have a death wish, but firmly believes he can never be killed. Willing to take horrible risks to prove he’s unstoppable. Medic and smart as a whip, but also one of the most ridiculous men you’ve ever met.
Jones- Spotter for Cash during their military days, with a bad attitude since losing the use of his leg. Like you really need one of those.
Rafe- Evildoer posing as the good guy. Or is it the other way around? Dangerous antihero with not a single redeeming quality who stays hidden in the shadows. Unknown relationship to Cash.
Liberty- Pretty ballerina with hidden talents. Obsessed with Rafe and willing to sacrifice anything to be with him. Or is she???
Fox- Works in training, has an undeniable fascination with throwing knives, and loves singing show tunes…sometimes a little too much!
Anna- Gorgeous Hollywood star that has captured Fox’s twisted heart. Her looks aren’t nearly as deadly as her right hook.
Nicholas Tate: Former SEAL that worked with Fox. Still a mystery, but currently works as a cop in Kansas after Cash got him a job. Must be crazy to be friends with Fox.
The Young Squad:
Asher White: This suit-wearing enigma has a thing for dangerous jobs, fast women, and…trains. Yes, you heard that right! Don’t come between a man and his love of locomotives.
Jade Buchanan- The wife of the elusive Asher. Forced into an arranged marriage by her power-hungry father, she suffers from terrible nightmares, longing to leave this horrible life behind.
Chase Carter: Tattooed badass with a bullring in his nose. His wacky personality is nearly as irritating as his love of playing Monopoly.
Patrick Cook: This is no ordinary gigolo. Hang onto your hats ladies! You’re not just getting a striptease with this stud!
BLOWED UP
Military Origins:
The state of being hit by an IED.
OPS Meaning:
Everything went to shit.
1
CHASE
“This is a terrible idea,” Patrick said for the tenth time as we headed to Asher’s new place.
It was way out at the piss end of nowhere, not that Kansas was much better. If he was hoping we’d never visit him, he picked a great location. Aside from wheat growing in the fields, there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot to see.
“It’s not a terrible idea. He’s not answering our calls. We need to make sure he’s okay.”
“Of course, he’s not okay,” Patrick scoffed. “You saw him at the funeral. That was a man that was completely lost. He needs space.”
“He needs his friends to pull him out of the mess he’s in. Jade didn’t die because of him.”
“No, she died because she was depressed as hell. Kate saw it. She had Knight warn Asher to keep an eye on her.”
I slowly turned and glared at my teammate. “Are you suggesting he ignored the signs?”
“No, I’m suggesting she did a really fucking good job pretending she was okay. I was with her the most. I’m telling you, I th
“She was getting better at taking those fucking pills,” I growled. My hands clenched on the steering wheel to keep from driving off the road and straight into a fucking tree. Considering how Jade took her own life, that was probably the wrong thing to think. The whole situation made me angry. If only she’d realized that day, though she might end her pain, she would hurt everyone around her.
“And us going to see Asher isn’t going to be anything but a reminder.”
“So, when we didn’t see the signs with Jade, that was bad. But when we should go check on our friend who is also depressed as hell, you want to walk away?”
He sighed heavily, knowing I had a good point. “Fuck, I just know he won’t want to see us.”
“He doesn’t have a fucking choice. We were there with him. We need to be the ones to drag him out of this.”
“In fucking Ohio. Who picks up and moves to Ohio?”
“People that don’t want to see anyone else,” I surmised. “It’s isolated.”
“Yeah, full of fucking corn fields and flat land as far as the eye can see. You don’t think he took up farming, do you?”
“No. I think it’s more likely he took up drinking.”
I looked at the navigation again and took the road to his house. We were only five minutes away. The closer we got, the more I started sweating. I was worried about what I’d find. I’d known Asher for long enough now to know that he was cocky, full of confidence that he could do anything he put his mind to. And when Jade died, that shook him to the core. Everything he was sure about was gone in just those few seconds when we watched her plow the minivan into the tree.
I closed my eyes briefly, but it was long enough to see the vivid images of Jade lying on the ground, her body broken. She wasn’t even my wife, and I still woke up with nightmares of finding her that day—of seeing the utter devastation on Asher’s face as he held her in his arms. Patrick and I never discussed it. I knew it shook him too, but neither of us could talk about that day.
“Did, uh…did Cash make you see someone?” I asked after a minute.
“Yeah.”
“Did it help?”
“You mean, did it ease the gripping guilt I feel every fucking day? Does it make me feel better knowing that we not only lost a client, but our best friend is tearing himself to shreds?”
I nodded. “Yeah, basically.”
“Did you see someone?”
“Do you want to talk about what happened that day?”
I sat in the chair, refusing to look at the woman in front of me. What the fuck did she know about tragedy? Had she ever witnessed a suicide before? I had, and it wasn’t any better the second time around.
“You know, it can help to talk about it.”
“Does saying that make you feel better?”
“I hope I can help someone. I know it won’t work for everyone. On the other hand, people that come to me have to want help. If you sit here every day and say nothing, I can’t even try.”
I still sat there, unable to add to the conversation. I had failed. It wasn’t just Jade…I failed Asher too, and now he was paying the price. I caused him that misery.
“Let me ask you this…what would you change if you could go back?”
“Chase?”
I cleared my throat, shifting in my seat as I pulled down the long driveway. The house was in shambles. I was surprised it was even standing. This was worse than I thought.
“Let’s focus on Asher. He’s the one that needs the help.”
“Are you sure about that?” he muttered as I pulled to a stop and turned off the car.
I ignored him and got out, slamming the door behind me. The house was nothing to look at from the outside. The brown clapboard house was weathered, barely standing if the tilt to the foundation was anything to go on. A few windows were broken, and the rest looked like they would collapse on their own weight at any moment.
“Christ, what the hell is he doing out here?” I asked, scrubbing my hand across the nape of my neck. “I think we waited too long to come out.”
“I think we should leave. This is something out of a horror movie.”
I was pissed at myself for letting him walk away, but seeing how he was living just made the guilt eat at me even more. “Come on,” I said, forcing myself to walk up to the house.
The stairs were cracking, barely attached to the porch. I was careful where I stepped, nearly falling through a broken board. When I finally made it to the crooked screen door, I decided to knock on the frame instead of the splintered wood barely hanging from the hinges. The whole house would probably crumble around us if the door fell off.
At first, I didn’t think he was going to answer. I stood there, disappointed that I wouldn’t get to see him. Hell, I’d camp out in his yard and wait for him to come home. But just as I was about to turn and leave, the front door opened and a very disheveled Asher appeared, leaning against the doorframe, staring at me through the crusty screen door.
“You look like shit,” Patrick scoffed.
Asher didn’t say a word. He stared at us, not moving, as if we weren’t actually there. The deep bags under his eyes showed how little he was sleeping.
“Can we come in?”
His eyes flicked to mine, cold and lifeless. Not at all the man I once knew. He stepped back, shoving at the screen door just enough to push it open a quarter inch before he walked away.
Patrick quirked an eyebrow, catching the door before it closed. “I guess that’s our invitation inside.”
I sighed heavily, knowing our work was cut out for us. I followed him inside, shaking my head in disgust at what I saw. There was a giant hole in the floor that Asher walked around before flopping down on the couch. His once white wife beater was stained, looking more gray than anything. But at least he was wearing pants. That was always a positive sign.
However, the state of his house said something different. Take-out containers littered the living area, and whiskey bottles were scattered on the various side tables. The built-in bookshelf that housed no books had bottles tipped over on multiple shelves.
“I like what you’ve done with the place,” I finally said.
“Why are you here?” he asked, not bothering to look at either of us.
“We heard you got a new place,” Patrick answered in his usual sarcastic way. “Thought we’d see how you’ve decorated.”
If Patrick was hoping to get a reaction out of Asher, he was sorely mistaken. Asher ran a hand through his greasy hair that had grown at least a few inches since we last saw him. But that was the least of my worries. He had clearly stopped doing any kind of workouts. His muscle mass had decreased significantly, leaving a less-than-defined body. He wasn’t just eating crap; he was withering away from the man he used to be.
“You want to go out to lunch?” I asked, hoping to draw him out of this depressing place.
He sighed heavily, leaning his head back on the couch. “What do you want?” he asked again.
“Asher, you disappeared. You had to know we’d come looking for you.”
“Well, you found me. You can leave now.”
