Solids and Stripes (Apex Security Book 1), page 1
Solids and Stripes
Apex Security
Book One
Julia Talbot
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
Want More?
Afterword
About the Author
Also by Julia Talbot
Turtlehat Creatives electronic edition 2022
Solids and Stripes
© 2022 Julia Talbot.
Cover Art
Copyright 2022 Kanaxa
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Turtlehat Creatives www.turtlehatcreatives.com
ISBN: 978-1-953438-56-0
To all the Apex fans who’ve stuck with the series and, as always, to my wife, BA.
For Jason, Jaymi, Michael, and Kanaxa, who make me look better than I am.
One
“Did you hand out assignments today, querido?” Brock asked as he swung through the office to check on his lover, Paddy Locke, aka Griz. The big bear shifter was staring at his computer screen, unblinking, which Brock was certain meant either he was asleep, or the Apocalypse was coming. When Locke didn’t answer, Brock put a hand on his shoulder.
“Huh? Yeah. Look at this email.”
He peered over Locke’s shoulder, scanning quickly. “Huh.”
“Yeah.” Locke turned to face him, putting them nose to nose. “Big, huh?”
The email was from an old contact of Locke’s, back from when Locke had been working odd security jobs all over the world. The offer was impossible to resist, and it shouldn’t be too difficult, since it was a one-month assignment.
But it was a big deal.
“How did your old buddy end up with this gig?”
“God knows, because Dan is worse at customer relations than you,” Locke said, irony heavy in his voice. “Last I heard he was still retrieving kidnap victims from drug cartels. But then, by all accounts, this guy has gotten himself kidnapped three times on location.”
Brock whistled. “Damn. That seems like a lot for an actor.” The guy in question was a super familiar face, having been in at least three blockbusters in the last few years. And he was also notoriously reckless. Skydiving. Base jumping. Free climbing. Briefly dating a many-sons-down-the-line descendent of a very not-gay-friendly king of a very not-friendly country…
“Looks like he’ll be in town shooting for not quite five weeks, and his management wants someone for security who’s local, unfamiliar to the press, and, uh, attractive enough to maybe pass as boy toy.”
“That leaves both of us out.” Brock grinned at his grizzly bear. “Do we know any boy toy types that can do the job?”
“Oh, I think we ought to give it to Lucas.” Griz grinned right back, and Brock had to laugh.
Lucas was the new guy at Apex Security Services, and he was a six-foot-two tiger shifter. The man screamed alpha male—like top to bottom—but he was a classy, consummate, old-school bodyguard.
That could be entertaining as hell.
“Let’s call him in. I know he’s done with the Whittaker job.”
Mrs. Whittaker was still calling and singing Lucas’s praises.
Daily.
“Sure.” Locke picked up his phone and texted. A chime came back a few moments later. “He’s on his way. He was with James and Rey in the tech office.” Fox shifter Rey and mountain lion James were two of their three tech analysts, and the best in the business.
“I think Rey’s jealous of his voice. Listening to him is like listening to you rumble. Sex-ay.”
“Mmm. Nice way to work me in so I don’t get jealous, baby.” Locke waggled those eyebrows, grinning like a fool.
“Have I been summoned?” Lucas knocked on the doorframe before ducking in. Much like their old boss and now investment partner Mick Hartness, Brock and Locke tried to keep an open-door policy unless they were on an important call.
“You have. We have an assignment for you. Actor. He’s a bit of a danger mouse. The studio needs someone to keep him out of trouble.”
Lucas chuckled, the sound dangerous and rough. “Tell me he’s not a rabbit or a deer shifter. I don’t do particularly well with prey.”
“Jaguarundi.”
Tilting his head, Lucas squinted at them. “Is that even real?”
“All through the southwest and down into Central and South America, sim.” Brock’s lips twitched. Lucas had the biggest of cats’ slight disdain for the smaller breeds. “They’re fast and agile, so you’ll have to do more than rumble softly and vibrate the ladies this time.”
“Hmmm. Who did you say the primary was again?”
“Cash Weatherby.”
Lucas’s eyes widened. “Holy shit.”
“Exactly.” Well-known both on-screen and off, Weatherby was an out-and-proud action hero with a bad boy reputation for getting himself in over his head.
“You don’t want much, do you? How long is the assignment?”
“Projected to be a month. As long as he’s shooting here in Colorado.” Brock grinned at the shock on Lucas’s face.
“And the pay?”
Locke scribbled something on a Post-It and handed it over.
“Sign me up,” Lucas said. “When does he hit town?”
“Tonight. So wrap up anything you need to get done by then. Like those expense line items from your last job.” Griz could be a hard-ass about the paperwork. Him? He didn’t care. He just wanted happy, repeat, wealthy customers.
“Aye-aye.” Lukas saluted. “I’m on it. Send me the dossier?”
“You got it.” Locke waved him out, then grinned at Brock. “Happy?”
“God, yes. Look at you, bringing in the jobs.”
“We have to pull our weight to be able to justify our cushy apartment.”
Brock laughed. The building they lived in was what he liked to call the Apex hive, the brainchild of Mick, who was a werewolf, and who liked to have his chosen pack around him. It housed Apex Investigations, Apex Security, and pretty much all of the employees. Lucas had, in fact, just moved in. They would see how long it lasted, because he was a little solitary compared to the rest of them.
But then, Brock had been too.
He was part of a pack, now. No question. Now he was where he belonged.
So was his bear. “Well, send that to Lucas, and we can go test the luxury for a bit with a nap.”
“Naaaap.” Locke growled it, making Brock’s body tighten. He did love that sound.
If he was lucky, they would have at least a day to enjoy each other before their new client called to complain about Lucas. That would do nicely.
Two
“And cut! Great job, Cash! Excellent.”
Cash Weatherby gave Maureen Lazenbee a thumbs-up instead of flipping her off the way he wanted to. Maureen was one hell of a director and a kick-ass person; he was just hungry and in need of a couple of days off.
They’d been filming in Australia for weeks, but the shots that were left were all snowy mountains and skis and cabins, so they were off to the Rockies.
Cash wasn’t complaining, except that he had been used to heat and sun and surf, and now he was freezing his nuts off…
One of the assistants came to toss a down jacket over his shoulders, and Cash headed to his trailer, wanting a hot something to drink and to stand in front of his heater for like, an hour. When he got back to the condo they’d rented him he would hit the hot tub.
The trailer door banged against the outside wall, and he jumped inside, taking all three steps in one bounce. He was a hell of a jumper like most of his breed.
“Oh, very nice,” someone growled. From his couch.
“Get out.” He held the door open, refusing to get stuck in his trailer with some—he sniffed—other cat. “Jesus, where the fuck is security?”
“Right here.” The man stood up. And up and up. He was a giant. “Lucas Devenboro from Apex Security. I’m your new bodyguard.”
“Uh-huh.” Nope. No, this dude didn’t look like he was going to be fun. He tended to ask for wolves or foxes. They liked to play. “Prove it.”
Lucas took a step toward him, making him fight to hold his ground. He might be small, but he was mighty, dammit. Credentials came out of a pocket, as well as a letter on the production company’s letterhead. Signed by Heath Morton. Shit, no one could forge that big, loopy signature with any kind of precision.
“Apex Security
“Nope. Just me.” Lucas grinned, and it was total predator. Jeez. Just what he needed.
“Bummer.” He turned his back on the dude with a grunt. He needed to find something warm and fuzzy. He would just ignore tall, dark, and pretty until the bastard went away.
“You done for the day?”
Ugh. Why wasn’t the guy shutting up?
“Yeah. I’m just waiting here for the fans to ease up and the car to come. You can have off ’til tomorrow.” He didn’t need a goddamn babysitter, just someone to assure the more rabid fans didn’t gnaw on his bones.
“I’ll hang out in here until we go to the condos. Warmer.”
“So you’re a hot-weather tiger?” He was snapping, and he hated that he was letting this man get to him.
“By genetics? Siberian. And my human side is a full-on European mix. But I like creature comforts.” Oh, now, there was some wickedness.
“I’ll have the car drop you off wherever you’re staying.” Nell had been his driver for five years, and her wife, Mags, was his assistant and the only force that kept him organized. Together they formed the last line of his emotional defense, and those otters would protect him from anyone.
“I’m staying where you are, buddy. So no rush.”
Cash gritted his teeth. “I don’t need you to do that.”
“I’m not working for you. I’m working for the production company and your management. I suggest you call them if you have issues.”
His door flew open again, Mags zooming in with a tray of coffee, heavy on the cream. “I just heard they’ve found you security. Good. Those condos are too easy to get to. I don’t love it. I don’t, but they’re what we’ve been given, and they are very comfy. I brought you coffees—cream, no sugar. OH! Oh, hello! Aren’t you tall and pretty? New security? Credentials, please?”
Lucas smiled and presented them easily, which also made him growly.
“Thank you, dear. It’s nice to meet you. I’ll give you my contact info. I’m the person you’ll get a hold of for…well, almost everything.”
“Good deal.” They exchanged phone numbers, and Cash glared at Mags for being a traitor.
She raised an eyebrow at him, and he thought of all of those offended-looking otters in the internet memes he saw. So he sighed and winked at her. She rewarded him with a smile and a gentle pat. “It’s important, sweetheart, to have security. You’re a star. Nell will bring the car around in about fifteen, and we’ll get you home.”
“The seats are warmed, right?”
“They are. I got your skinny backside.” She grinned and kind of sparkled at him. “It’s a lush vehicle. I think we should stay here instead of going back to Sydney. This place is magical.”
Silly otter. She fell in love with every place they shot. It was one of the things Cash loved about her. She saw the good in everything. “We’ll see. We have options. Nell just didn’t love driving on the wrong side of the road.”
“Oh my god, she hated that.” Mags winked. “Anything else?”
“No.” He said it before tiger tail there could interrupt. No coffee for him, no more little grins. Just no.
“Cool beans. I’m going to get tomorrow’s schedule and see if there are script changes. I’ll call when Nell shows.”
“Thanks, lady.”
Mags left them, and he tried to decide whether to pace, call his manager, or flop down and pout.
“Otter, huh? I like her.”
“Everyone does. She’s amazing.” And she deserved it.
“Yeah. Even you, huh?”
“Oh, clever.” So he pushed past the man and did flop on the couch. Screw him.
All Cash wanted was to play hard on his days off, maybe have a little fun with somebody pretty and fuck around.
Mr. Tiger didn’t look like he played. At all.
He looked watchful. Not by the book but definitely in charge. He would want to run the show.
That was Cash’s job. He was the star of his own life. He didn’t need some overbearing apex predator telling him what to do. So tigers were the biggest big cats. Blah blah blah.
“You know, you pout a lot for someone with an amazing life.”
He arched one eyebrow at Mr. Asshat, but he didn’t bother answering. He was supposed to be some brat actor, so he could do that. He wasn’t a brat. He was easily bored, sure, and he had a lot of energy that was cooped up in a trailer more than he’d like, but he wasn’t an asshole.
Directors liked working with him. His people stayed with him. Hotels didn’t tend to wince when he showed up. Late-show hosts asked for him.
He prided himself on being… decent.
So he’d be decent now. Decent and silent.
Lucas smiled again, then sat in the little chair across from the couch. He looked… well, he should have seemed ridiculous. Instead, he loomed, big and hot and intimidating.
Cash grabbed his phone, popped in his earbuds, and turned his music up loud. The pounding helped him relax and his eyelids drifted closed.
Sleeping was good. He could nap until Nell showed.
Three
The condo sat high on the side of the ski mountain. In fact, it had a ski-out patio, which was great if someone headed a family of four and had the family dog with them.
If a guy was trying to keep a megastar actor with a bad history of self-destructiveness safe, well, it was a nightmare.
Lucas finished his rounds, then headed back out to the car to get Cash, who had been studiously ignoring him, earbuds in his ears. Lucas kind of wanted to tug them out and hide them, make Cash pay attention to him, but that wasn’t his gig. He was really good at prowling around behind the scenes, being noticed for what he was so people backed off, but not being obtrusive. And it was Cash’s job to be charismatic and make people want him, so what Lucas felt wasn’t real.
Not at all.
Didn’t make the hormones any easier to deal with.
When he walked up to the car, Cash was curled up in the back seat, snoring softly.
He glanced at Nell, the driver, and she nodded.
“Mr. Weatherby. We’re at the condo.” There. Business. Strictly business. His earlier pushing was all an aberration and it was gone now.
“Oh, shit. Sorry.” Cash went from asleep to wide-awake in a split second. “Have your lady send me what she needs me to learn, Nell. I’m going to curl up in the hot tub for the evening.” Cash kissed Nell’s cheek and then bounded out of the car, moving faster than Lucas could believe.
Good thing he’d done a pre-check. He waved to Nell, then followed Cash up the walk, ducking inside before the guy decided to lock him out. He’d had a quick look at the deck, but before little and quicksilver went to bubble away, he’d need to test the water, check the ski-out area thoroughly, and find a good spot to sit and read his book.
Lord, Weatherby was good-looking. Prematurely gray hair. Bright golden eyes. Lean but packing muscle in all the right places. Did he do the hot tub naked?
Weatherby headed for the fridge, sucked down a protein drink, tossed the trash, then headed for the back door to turn on the bubbles and pull the cover off the—
He heard Weatherby’s gasp about the time three nearly naked girls popped out of the hot tub, phones flashing.
Growling, Lucas pushed between them and Cash, grabbing the nearest one’s phone. He scrolled through since it was open and deleted the picture. “Inside,” he rumbled at Cash, then turned back to the girls, who squealed and shrank back.
Cash disappeared in a rush, the back door of the condo clicking closed.
“Hey! That’s mine! Give me the phone back!” the girl cried. “I have rights!”
“Sure. But I’m not a cop.” He handed it back to her after checking that no other pictures were there that could identify the condo. They would move as soon as he could get ahold of the production. “Next.” He held out his hand to the other girls.
