Brutal Obsession (The Safeguard Series, Book One) Read Free Page A

Maybe I’ll buy it myself and relive my youth. Good luck. Love you. Bye.”
    Before Keane could respond to any of what Sadie had just said, she’d hung up and disconnected the line. He shook his head at the speed in which his sister lived her life, as well as threw out her thoughts, wishing he could teach her to slow down and enjoy the time they’d been given. Every day was a good day that someone wasn’t shooting at you. At least, that was what he told himself and he was rarely disappointed.
    Wasn’t that why he’d resigned from the LAPD SWAT? Keane had been in enough harrowing situations, throughout his military career and that of his subsequent civilian career, to know when to hang up his hat. This move to a higher-end investigation firm on a smaller scale was his fresh start, but the amount of surveillance on this vast acreage had him wondering if something hadn’t been left out of the welcome aboard package.
    Keane set his cell phone back into the console before shifting the sedan back into gear. He pressed the accelerator and slowly navigated the rest of the private drive until it opened up into a clearing that revealed quite a shock.
    Instead of the usual Floridian housing structures that were so common, a large modern log cabin was positioned among the sheltering shade trees with not a pine tree in sight. Why would someone move to Florida, open a business in the Sunshine State, and not live the dream of the typical plantation house on a property of this size?
    A large pond, almost big enough to be classified as a lake, could be seen behind the property. It was the detached log outbuilding that caught Keane’s attention. It could technically be used as a security post this far out from the main entrance. It wouldn’t surprise him after what he’d seen on his way in.
    The deep colors of the naturally aged oak matched the main house. Speaking of which, the place had to be north of six thousand square feet, not including the attached four door garage.
    There appeared to be quarters over the garage from the look of the dormers, which should be letting in plenty of light. Defending the grounds in a firefight would prove to be easy and it left Keane wondering if that had been a consideration in planning the layout. The massive oak logs could stop a .50 caliber round if they had to. Somebody had put some money into this venture and he was beginning to second-guess his initial impressions of his new employer.
    The double doors opening into one of the garage bays were standing wide open and a custom painted silver 2002 VRSC V-Rod Harley Davidson could be seen inside, challenging the apparent tranquil lifestyle created here. Keane could hear the ratcheting brass notes of Wagner’s classical Ride of the Valkyries drifting from inside after he’d shut off his engine. It was then that Keane caught sight of the contradicting man himself.
    Townes Calvert.
    Owner and operator of Safeguard Security & Investigations (SSI).
    A retired Gunnery Sergeant for the United States Marines.
    Keane only had the pleasure of meeting the man once in California when they’d met up for drinks. Calvert had a rough edge to him, but so did a lot of men in this business. He’d presented himself well, wearing khakis and a buttoned down shirt with pressed creases in all the right places. Still, Calvert appeared to buck the system with his long, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck, which did have a black eagle, globe, and anchor tattoo inked into his tanned skin.
    The broken nose added character to Calvert’s face, although Keane doubted the women thought him too attractive. He looked as if he’d spent a few rounds in the ring with Muhammad Ali while in his prime.
    Regardless, the man had a reputation of being solid and the opportunity to work for him came highly recommended by a couple of Keane’s old contacts from his military days. This was the change he’d been looking for…a calmer life, more cerebral cases,