Claim (Talon Security Book 2) Read online

  CLAIM

  TALON SECURITY SERIES: BOOK 2

  MEGAN O’BRIEN

  Claim, The Talon Security Series

  Copyright © Megan O’Brien 2017

  If you are reading this book and did not purchase it or win it from an author-sponsored giveaway, this book has been pirated. Please delete it from your device, and support the author by purchasing a legal copy from one of many distributors.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, mechanical or otherwise, without prior permission of the author.

  Edited by Hot Tree Editing

  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

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  My breath and the clacking of claws on the hardwood were the only sounds echoing through my cottage as I went about my yoga routine.

  Buster watched with wary feline eyes from his perch on the bed as Able risked a swipe of a claw by getting too close. Able, my lovable mutt, abandoned trying to play with a very unreceptive Buster and instead stretched out under my arched belly. After two years of turbulent coexistence, the two of them had formed a fragile truce of sorts—as long as Able stayed out of Buster’s way.

  With a final stretch, I headed for the shower, ready for the day ahead. I woke early most mornings, needing a few minutes to myself before I was overrun by toddlers. I loved being a preschool teacher, but it was carefully controlled chaos more days than not—and some days the control slipped all together.

  After a quick shower, I dressed in a polka-dot dress, tights, and my favorite ankle boots. I winced at the wrinkles in my dress and the hole in my tights, but it was too late to change if I was going to get Able out for a quick walk. I piled my unruly blonde curls on top of my head and swiped lipstick across my lips.

  I looked around my small cottage in dismay, noting my clothes strewn about in disarray, the copious books I loved to read spilling from the shelves, and dirty dishes in the sink. One of these days maybe I’d magically develop a neat freak gene.

  Not likely.

  “Hello, dear!” Mable called from her back deck. My little in-law cottage sat at the very back of her large property, nestled in the trees. We’d formed a close friendship in the years I’d lived there. I knew she was lonely in the big house where she lived alone. Her family rarely came to visit, and over the years, her beautiful house had fallen in disrepair. I wished I had the skills or money to help her fix it up, but what I lacked in manual labor skills I tried to make up for with company, and when I had the time, baked goods.

  “Morning, May!” I called back as Able bounded over to greet her. I’d worried at first that he’d knock her fragile frame right over, but he was surprisingly careful with her.

  “Headed to work?” she asked as she bent to pat Abe’s head.

  “Soon,” I replied. “I have a yoga class to teach afterwards, but I can swing by the store later if you need anything,” I offered, as I almost always did.

  She offered a warm smile. “I’m fine, thank you. Plans for tonight?” she asked hopefully.

  “Not tonight.” I shook my head, knowing what she was alluding to. My dating life, or lack thereof, was frequent fodder for conversation.

  “Emerly, you are far too beautiful and kind to sit alone on a Friday night.” She tisked.

  “You’re sweet. And biased,” I added dryly. “I’m fine, May,” I assured her. “Honestly, there’s nothing more I want than to curl up with some takeout and a book tonight,” I told her truthfully.

  Working two jobs, I was too tired to think about dating. I found my romance in books or in my fantasies about the gorgeous uncle of one of my students. It had been a few months since I’d seen him, and I had to admit I was hungry for even a glance.

  Sad, but true.

  “Well, I need to head off, call me if you need anything,” I told her, clapping my hands for Able. I’d take him on a proper walk later.

  “I’m fine.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Charlie is taking me out later.” She winked.

  Perhaps I should be embarrassed that my eighty-year-old landlord, who also happened to be my best friend, had a more exciting dating life than I did, but I was genuinely happy for her.

  “Have fun.” I smiled and with a final wave headed back into the cottage to get Able and Buster fed before heading off to work.

  ****

  “Waaaaaaa!” Phoebe’s cry of dismay echoed through the room as I fought to teach class on a day where the control in the chaos had been absent from minute one.

  I sat in my chair, the book I’d been reading to them poised in one hand.

  “Hudson pulled my hair!” she wailed.

  I looked over at Hudson, trying to keep my look stern. At three, with luminous green eyes and a darling dimpled grin, Hudson made it hard.

  “Hudson?” I prompted.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled as he sat cross-legged, his eyes downcast.

  He had a way of making you want to apologize even when he was in the wrong. His mother, Sam, who’d become a friend of mine, often complained about it.

  “All right, let’s keep reading.” I got back to Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, one of their favorites.

  By the time pickup rolled around, I’d managed to inject a bit more structure into the day, and I was hopeful that they’d actually learned something.

  “How was he?” Sam asked as she lifted Hudson to straddle her hip. With her blonde hair that was frequently tinged with some color of the rainbow, she looked to be every bit the successful songwriter she was. She was beautiful, and when combined with her handsome husband, Sid, who looked like some sort of GI Joe, and her even more handsome brother—the subject of my fantasies more often than I cared to admit—their entire family often had me tongue-tied.

  “He was fine,” I replied, giving Hudson a quick pat on the back. “Will I see you at yoga this week?” I asked.

  Sam and I had originally met when she’d started attending my prenatal yoga class. She’d been coming ever since. It had just been coincidence that I’d also ended up as Hudson’s teacher.

  “Tomorrow.” She nodded. “Danny’s coming too.”

  Danika, or Danny, was a good friend of Sam’s who I’d met a few times.

  “Great.” I nodded.

  “We were thinking of grabbing a drink afterwards. Do you want to join us?” she offered.

  The truth was, as much as I liked both women, I was a little intimidated by them. They were both beautiful and effortlessly cool, as were their spouses. I wasn’t down on myself in the looks department, I knew I was attractive, but cool, I was not.

  “Maybe,” I replied hesitantly.

  She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “You always say that. I’m taking it as a yes this time. Bring a change of clothes, we’ll go out,” she instructed.


  I had to laugh at her no-nonsense attitude. “All right, that sounds good.”

  I hopped in my car, already mulling over what I’d wear on a rare night out with girlfriends. I always said no as a default, and it was nice, I realized, to be pushed a bit.

  After a typical night where I heated up a simple dinner, took Able for an evening stroll, and devoured a novella I’d been looking forward to all day, I realized I was excited about my plans for the following evening. When I wasn’t working, I spent so much time alone. Going out and letting my hair down, literally, didn’t sound half bad.

  Mabel was going to be so proud.

  Chapter 2

  “Your hair looks so pretty down!” Sam grinned as we made ourselves comfortable in a booth at a bar down the street from the yoga studio the next evening.

  I fingered my wild curls absently. “You think so?”

  After class, I’d changed into a flowy cream dress with a chunky sweater and boots. Though I rarely put much thought into my look, I favored fall and winter, when I could wear sweaters and boots with the occasional scarf. I’d left my curls loose, swiped some mascara on my blue eyes, and finished the look with a dash of lip stain.

  “Definitely.” Danny nodded. With her shiny black hair and blue eyes, Danny was gorgeous.

  “Thanks,” I murmured, reaching for my cocktail.

  “That was a great class. I’ll be sore tomorrow.” Sam grimaced, shifting in her seat.

  “Good.” I grinned around the rim of my glass. “Where are your husbands tonight?” I asked curiously.

  Sid, Sam’s husband, and Caden, Danny’s, were brothers.

  “Sid’s on assignment.” Sam sighed. “He’ll be back in about a week.”

  “Caden’s still at the shop. He has Olivia with him,” Danny replied. Caden owned one of the most successful tattoo shops in Los Angeles. He was also a wonderful father to their eighteen-month-old, Olivia.

  “Hopefully Livie will end up in your class when the times comes.” Danny smiled.

  It meant the world to me that they trusted me with their children.

  I smiled. “I hope so, too.” I turned to Sam. “Do you need anything while Sid’s gone?” I didn’t imagine it was easy when he was away, especially with a busy three-year-old to contend with.

  “I’m okay, but thanks,” she replied. “The guys and Danny help out a lot while he’s gone.”

  “The guys?” I asked curiously.

  “My brother, Travis, helps a lot,” she explained. “You’ve met him when he’s come to pick up Hud, haven’t you?”

  Boy, had I ever.

  “I think so.” I replied casually, knowing my cheeks flushed at the mere mention of her handsome brother.

  “Trav’s been traveling less lately. I’ve told you he owns Talon Security, haven’t I?” she verified.

  I nodded, though I still didn’t understand exactly what that meant. I knew Travis and Sid were ex-military, but that was where my understanding ended.

  “Anyway, he’s been able to help out with Hud, which has been awesome since Sid still travels more than I’d like. With the Talon team, Caden, and Danny—we’re like a big family,” she explained warmly.

  I didn’t ask about Hudson’s grandparents. Sam had never mentioned them, and I assumed they weren’t involved.

  I was glad she had the help and support of good friends.

  “That’s wonderful.” I nodded.

  “How about you? How’s Ryan?” Danny asked after my younger brother. I’d mentioned to them that he was an active duty marine.

  “Okay, I hope,” I replied worriedly. “He’s deployed to Kuwait. It’s his last six months. I can’t wait to have him back stateside.” I sighed.

  “I’m sure.” Danny nodded with kind eyes.

  Despite being prouder than hell of him, I didn’t usually talk about Ryan much. It was difficult, since I hated even thinking about him being in danger. But with Sam and Danny it had come naturally; they understood to some degree what I was going through.

  Sensing it was a difficult subject for me, Sam reached over and gripped my hand. “I know something about that if you ever want to talk. Now, let’s switch to lighter subjects, shall we?”

  Unfortunately, it was to my least favorite of all.

  “What’s with this dating life of yours?” she demanded, her curiosity barely contained.

  I groaned. “You sound like May,” I complained.

  “Well luckily for me, May is one smart lady.”

  “I want to meet her,” Danny put in.

  “Mabel is awesome,” I agreed resolutely. “She has a way more active dating life than I do, wears bright red lipstick, and never leaves the house without doing her hair. She’s funny, extremely well-read, and can quote every line of Thelma and Louise. Though she always makes me pause on the scene with Brad Pitt.” I rolled my eyes with a laugh. “She’s also incredibly strong and kind.”

  “Mabel might be my hero,” Sam breathed.

  “Told you.” I shrugged, finishing off the last of my drink. “Do you guys have time for another round?”

  “Totally. Caden can give us a lift,” Danny replied.

  “Oh, I can just grab an Uber.” I waved a hand.

  “It’s no problem,” Danny assured me, and I sensed there was no talking her out of it.

  After more rounds than I could keep track of, we were good and drunk by the time Danny’s husband arrived to collect us, and I was struck dumb at seeing Sam’s brother with him.

  I could barely string together a sentence around him when I was sober. It would be a hopeless exercise now.

  Dressed in a fitted black Henley that outlined his fit physique, the man struck me dumb every time I saw him. He had these brown eyes that always appeared sharp and assessing—until he looked at his nephew, and they would turn a warm chocolate brown.

  “Where’s Livie?” Danny pouted, looking up at her husband.

  Caden chuckled. “Baby, it’s almost midnight. She’s at Sam’s, asleep. Theo is with her and Hud. I figured, after I talked to you, that I’d need reinforcements,” he explained, cocking his head toward Travis.

  Her eyes popped wide. “Holy shit, it’s that late?”

  I couldn’t believe it either. I’d had more fun than I could recall in recent memory.

  I grabbed my purse and followed the girls out of the booth, mortified when I wobbled. A second later a strong arm wrapped around me, steadying me. “Okay?” Travis’s deep rumble of a voice asked.

  I blushed crimson at both his proximity and the fact that he was seeing me so drunk. “Fine, thanks,” I murmured.

  I was vindicated slightly when Danny almost fell flat on her ass a second later. Caden shot a bemused grin our way as he wrapped an arm around his wife. “Do we have to carry you all out to the car?”

  “Not me.” I shook my head stubbornly. “I could run a marathon right now.”

  Caden laughed. “Aren’t you more into twisting yourself into a pretzel over running?”

  “Em is a yoga master. She’s the best,” Sam slurred seriously. “Her best friend is eighty years old,” she added with a serious nod.

  “Eighty, huh?” Travis asked as the guys began to guide us out of the bar.

  “Mabel is awesome,” I reiterated, before looking over my shoulder at Sam. “And you’re the best,” I argued. “You’re both so pretty.” I sighed wistfully as Travis kept a hand on my lower back.

  “All right, drunkards. Let’s continue the love fest in the car,” Caden ordered, nodding toward an SUV parked at the curb.

  We managed to make it, though not completely without incident.

  “Is the sidewalk lopsided?” I asked, tilting my head to try to make it straight again.

  “I think it is!” Sam gasped, nearly falling over before Travis caught her arm.

  He groaned. “Christ. Why is Sid always out of town when this shit happens? You’re so going to barf later.”

  “Am not,” she protested, before she seemed to consider th
e possibility. “Or, maybe I will.” She shrugged.

  Travis groaned.

  “I hope that’s not the case for you.” Caden leaned down to murmur in Danny’s ear. “I have plans for you.” He pulled her closer and delivered a soft kiss to her lips.

  For the first time in a long time, I found myself yearning for someone to hold me. To kiss me.

  The guys hopped in the front, leaving the three of us to chatter away in the back the entire drive to my house.

  “Em, we are so doing this again!” Sam cried as we pulled up in front. May’s house was dark, though knowing what a night owl she was, I suspected she’d only turned in recently.

  “I’d really like that,” I agreed with a grin, opening the door, surprised when Travis did the same.

  “I’ll walk you in,” he informed me.

  I looked up at him, wide-eyed. “Um, you don’t have to. I can manage,” I stammered.

  “I’ll walk you in,” he reiterated.

  The prospect of time alone with him, even if it was only a few moments, was enough for me to lose my damn composure. And I’d been doing so well, too.

  Well, aside from almost face-planting on the sidewalk.

  He followed me around the side of the house into the dark backyard. “Where are we going?” he asked turning the flashlight on his phone on, lighting our way.

  “My cottage is just back here.” I pointed toward the dark patch of trees in the distance.

  “You should keep a flashlight with you,” he replied gruffly.

  “Yeah well, I’m usually home before dark.” I winced.

  Way to broadcast how pathetic I was.

  To make matters worse, I tripped over a root, nearly falling on my face in front of him for the second time that night.

  “Careful,” he clipped, grabbing my upper arm to steady me.

  “You’re very growly,” I commented absently.

  “Growly?” he demanded, but I could swear he fought a smile.

  “Growly,” I affirmed. “That’s okay, though. You have soft insides,” I added, clapping a hand over my mouth a second later. “Sorry, I don’t usually drink much. My filter seems to have deserted me.” I groaned.

  He looked over at me, lifting a brow. “Your filter?”