Promises (The Kings of Guardian #14) - Kris Michaels Page 0,29

is safe with me.”

Chapter 11

Jasmine watched her husband as he sang. The meal finished and children put to sleep, most of the adults had congregated on the beautiful balcony of Joseph’s home. Her family enticed Chad to sing a couple songs, which he was happy to oblige. As the last notes of a haunting new melody faded, a warm and peaceful mood seemed to settle around the couples.

Jade leaned against Nic. “Hey, Jazz, do you ever miss being a PSO?”

She shook her head, her answer immediate. “Not at all. I mean, it was an exceptional experience, and it gave me Chad, but being in charge of his and our security is a full-time job. We’ve got a world tour coming up. Limited stops, but still enough to keep me more than busy. I’ve found my place in life and I couldn’t be happier.” She smiled at Chad, who dropped his arm around her and kissed her temple.

“Guardian has changed, hasn’t it?” Jewell sighed. “Big changes, fast growth, exponential potential.”

“It has,” Jason agreed from across the balcony.

“Jason, where do you see Guardian in the next ten or twenty years?” Justin asked from where he and Dani were sitting by the railing.

Jason blew out a lungful of air and took Faith’s hand in his. “Well, with twenty-six Alpha teams and thirty Dagger teams now trained and through the Rose, I’d say we are as big as we are going to get for the foreseeable future. Training at the Rose and at the complex will continue. The rehab center at the complex is as big as it is going to get, and we are going to work on building up the Rose for those who need long-term medical and mental health care. Of course, our Dom Ops side continues to grow as clients seek us out to ask us to investigate more. So, in twenty years, I imagine I’ll hand the reins over to one of Gabriel’s children, or perhaps one of ours, and they will take it into the next generation.”

“It has been a spectacular ride up to this point, hasn’t it?” Jacob asked to nobody and everyone. Heads nodded up and down.

“Hey, Skipper, I’m damn glad you showed up for that date with Tori, aren’t you?”

Laughter erupted. “Oh, hell yeah. If she didn’t show, I would have found her. Somehow. It was meant to be.” Tori was sitting in Jacob’s lap. She twisted and kissed him, whispering something quietly to him.

“Who would have imagined Guardian being such a huge part in all of our lives?” Jasmine chuckled. “Even Justin.”

“A high-class thief,” Dixon threw out.

“Cat burglar,” Drake added.

“Information Extraction Specialist,” Justin and Dani said at the same time, causing another round of laughter.

“Dude, you shocked the shit out of all of us,” Jared chuckled.

Justin flipped his brother the finger, getting another round of laughter for his efforts. “For all the shit I get, I’d rather you still didn’t know.”

“Was that your choice or the organization’s?” Joy asked from the dark corner where she and Dixon were sitting.

“Both,” Justin admitted. “Gabriel channeled my extreme thrill-seeking into a profession that provided me the outlet and kept me away from guns. Which I still hate.”

Jillian reached out and high-fived Justin. “You and me both.”

“His skill set is impressive and no matter what you call him, he is damn good at what he does.” Joseph pushed his foot against the floor, setting the double rocking chair he and Ember shared into motion.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Faith cleared her throat. “What do you think about the children eventually joining Guardian?”

Tori shrugged. “That will be their call. It is a damn good organization, but the risks in the field? The mother in me says hell no. I don’t know how Amanda dealt with it.”

“She is a strong woman,” Taty agreed and leaned into Mike. “Both her and Anna. They had to be.”

“What do you think they are doing over at the other villa?” Jade asked. “You think they are letting their freak flag fly?”

Jewell clapped her hands over her ears. “Ew!”

Nic’s head dropped back. “Please, stop!”

Jacob groaned, “Damn it, Jade!”

Jasmine shoved her twin. “Gross.”

“What? They’re old, not dead! Why wouldn’t they get busy? We are all going to do the horizontal mamba every chance we get while we’re here. Right?”

“Well, now that makes it awkward to go to the villa.” Mike stood up and offered Taty his hand. “But we do need to go.”

“You’re our ride, so we need to bail, too.” Dixon and Joy stood.

Jasmine leaned against