“If you don’t authorize the upgrade to the defensive posture right now, Jennifer, we are already dead,” Marcus stated, tossing the dossier onto her desk with a deafening clap. Jennifer, usually unshakable, felt a chill run down her spine as the former Force Recon Marine’s eyes turned pitch black. She knew at that moment that she hadn’t just hired a security director; she had unleashed a predator in defense of an innocent child.
Chapter 5: The Asset and the Nightmare
Marcus stepped out of Jennifer’s high-tech office, the red-tabbed folder tucked tightly under his arm.
The serene, corporate environment of Morrison Security Solutions now felt nauseatingly fragile. In four days, this building, this city, would become a battlefield.
“I need access to the armory and a full squad briefing in ten minutes,” Marcus said, bypassing Jennifer’s assistant without breaking stride.
Jennifer caught up to him as he reached the elevator. “Marcus, wait. We need to discuss protocol. The client—Elena and her daughter—are already at the designated safe house. They are scared.“
Marcus looked at her, his Force Recon persona bleeding through. “I don’t care about their protocol, Jennifer. I care about their pulse. Are they safe?”
“We have my best tactical team on site,” she insisted, pushing the elevator button.
“The Sinaloa cartel uses specialized hit squads, not local thugs,” Marcus said, his voice dropping to that icy, terrifying monotone. “They hunt using intelligence leaks. If they want that child, they will burn the city down to get her.“
Jennifer’s phone buzzed aggressively. “It’s Miller, the team lead at the safe house.“
She answered, putting it on speaker. “Report, Miller.“
“The asset’s daughter has been crying for two hours. The asset is hysterical. She’s demanding a police escort back to the city,” Miller’s voice said, sounding strained.
“Do not let them leave,” Jennifer ordered.
Marcus grabbed the phone. “Miller, this is Webb. Director of Defense. Listen to me very carefully. You do not let that asset move, not even to pee, without my direct authorization. If she tries to leave, you detain her. Am I clear?”
There was a pause. “Webb? The new guy? Look, friend, I’ve got this—”
“I’m not your friend, Miller. I’m your CO. If that little girl is taken because you were too soft to restrain her mother, I will come for you myself. Keep them secure. We are five minutes out.”
Marcus tossed the phone back to Jennifer. The elevator doors opened.
“I need you in the tactical van,” Marcus ordered Jennifer. “You run interference with the DA’s office and the local PD. I run the ground operation.“
“You’re making this sound like an invasion,” Jennifer noted, her professional façade cracking.
“For Elena and her daughter,” Marcus said, stepping into the elevator, “it already is one.“
When a former elite operator starts issuing commands with that specific brand of lethal seriousness, standard operating procedure goes out the window. Would you trust Marcus with your child’s life?
