Her gripped tightened on her pen. She’d had plenty of time to let the bad feelings she had for LAPD pass. Yet, every now and then animosity of how she had been treated snuck in.
“Hey,” Gunner sat forward, “didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories. Are you all right? It looked as if I lost you for a moment there.”
Trinity gave herself a mental shake. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Being on the force and then getting the SWAT assignment prepared me for all of this,” she said, raising her hands and glancing around her office. “No regrets.”
He regarded her spacious office as he nodded. “Nice digs you have here.” Trinity followed his gaze, proud of what she had accomplished. The location of her office building was costing her a pretty penny, but it was worth it to be in a prime area. “So how long have you been in business?” Gunner asked. “Tell me a little about your agency.”
She rocked a little in her leather office chair, finally feeling comfortable with having him in her space. “I opened the agency about nine months ago and so far things are going well. I started with five security specialists on call. Now I have twenty that I use on a regular basis. All are very well trained and either have a police or military background, as well as expertise in various areas of personal security.” She stopped rocking and slid forward in her seat. “So I have no doubt that I have someone who can meet your needs. Why don’t you tell me why you need a bodyguard?”
* * *
Gunner sat back in his seat, still finding it hard to believe that little Trinity Layton was all grown up. Thanks to her brother, Maxwell, he had kept up with her career, the good and the not-so-good aspects. But what Maxwell failed to mention was how fine his sister was. Flawless skin the color of coffee with a hint of cream. Her brown hair that hung just past her shoulders was longer than he remembered, with copper highlights that brought out the gold specks in her light brown eyes. She was cute back when she’d visited them at USC, but now she was downright gorgeous. He’d bet that whenever she arrested anyone, they went willingly in order to be close to her.
Gunner had originally shot down the idea of hiring a bodyguard when Maxwell first suggested it, since he could take care of himself. Yet, he reconsidered when Max explained that Trinity was trying to build the agency’s clientele. Now, after seeing her again, he was glad he’d flown to LA to meet with her.
“In the last couple of weeks, a few professional poker players who are gearing up for the PPO, the Poker Play-Offs, have been involved in a few incidents.”
“What type of incidents?” Trinity asked.
For the first time since he arrived, she seemed relaxed and genuinely interested in what he had to say. When he had first walked into her office, she appeared to be about ready to bolt for the door. Her expression reminded him of the first time he’d met her. They both seemed to be shocked into speechlessness. Gunner couldn’t believe Maxwell had a cutie-pie sister, but he wasn’t sure what her thoughts had been. All he knew was there was a sweet shyness about her mixed with a little I-don’t-take-crap-from-anyone. He had been attracted to her back when he was in college, but never made a move on her. Not because she happened to be Max’s little sister, but because Trinity was serious-girlfriend material, and back then he was all about having a good time without the commitment.
Now that Gunner was thinking more and more about settling down and having a family, he was viewing commitment and relationships differently. He no longer dated just to be dating. Instead, he only spent time with women whom he was attracted to and could see building a future with. Needless to say, the list was short. Most women only saw him as their ticket to financial freedom. He knew enough about Trinity to know that she was the type of woman he was looking to settle down with—independent, had good values and came from a good family. The fact that she was absolutely gorgeous didn’t hurt either.
Gunner toyed with the PPO diamond bracelet that he had won the previous year, the fifth of his collection. “A participant was jumped shortly after leaving a tournament,” he finally answered. “Another walked into a grocery store and was stabbed in the side by an unknown assailant, the knife barely missing some major organs. And just recently, one of the tournament participants left a popular restaurant and was hit in the head with a steel rod. The attacker got away.”
“Those incidents sound like something that could happen to anyone, especially someone who hangs out at a casino, gambling away hard-earned cash. I’d think that would be an everyday occurrence in Vegas.” The distaste with which Trinity said the words didn’t go unnoticed by Gunner. He had a feeling she didn’t like him, but the disgust he heard in her tone sounded like something else was going on.
“This has caught some of the players’ attention because none of the individuals in these instances were robbed. Only roughed up or injured to the point of having to drop out of the tournament. Also, each occurrence happened away from the casinos. And most important, the victims were favorites to earn one of nine spots at the PPO’s Main Event.” When it looked as if she didn’t understand how huge that was, he continued. “The PPO is to poker what the Super Bowl is to football. Each year, individuals compete for a seat at the final table. Three of the nine people favored for this year are out of commission and unable to compete.”
Understanding showed in Trinity’s eyes and she stopped twirling the pen in her hand. “I assume you’re one of the favorites?”
Gunner met her gaze and nodded. “I am. Assuming someone doesn’t take me out first.”
* * *
Silence fell between Trinity and Gunner. She had recently read about the PPO, not fully understanding how it worked. What she did remember though, was that the fee to enter the tournament was over ten thousand dollars with a multimillion-dollar cash prize. She had also learned that Gunner had participated in the PPO every year since he was twenty-one and had won the main event five times. Despite his laid-back attitude and disinterested demeanor, Gunner Brooks was worth an obscene amount of money.
Trinity stood and unplugged her laptop. “Let’s go over to the round table so that I can show you what I’m working with.” When she glanced up to find him with an amused expression on his face, she realized what she’d said. “Uh, I mean so that I can show you the security specialists that you can choose from.”
He followed her to the table and waited until she sat before he took the chair next to hers. Trinity quickly realized that suggesting they move to the table might not have been a good idea. Not only did he smell divine, if he sat any closer to her, they could share the same seat.
Moving her chair over without making it too obvious, she hurried and pulled up the computer file that contained portfolios of all of her bodyguards.
“All of our security specialists are highly qualified.” She glanced at him before returning her attention back to the computer. “Would you prefer a male or a female bodyguard?”
“Female,” he said simply. He’d always been a man of few words and Trinity wasn’t surprised that he would want a woman protecting him. Men like him typically chose a woman, not wanting people around them knowing they had a bodyguard.
“How long will you need our security specialist?”
“I want someone who is available 24/7 for the next two, two-and-a-half, months. They’ll need to be willing to travel to tournaments, as well as other events during the PPO.”
Trinity mentally calculated the amount of money she would make with this contract and did a happy dance in her head. With the payment plan she had in place for her clients, the down payment alone would more than cover the back taxes. She’d also be able to save some money. She was going to owe her brother big for referring Gunner.
Trinity opened the computer file and the faces of ten women of varied