Prologue
PROLOGUE
It’s been almost four months since my life drastically changed when everything and everyone I knew was questioned. I got dragged back into my military past when previous events came back with a vengeance. One of my best friends died to save me, but only after betraying me and almost getting me and our whole team killed. My children were put in danger and I had to kill their father to save them and myself. I no longer work at Stiltner Software Design; now I work at the Winters Building helping to run it and several other companies owned by the man I’ve been waiting on my entire life. I’m marrying Logan Winters soon; six weeks to be exact. I never thought I’d meet a man like him, and sometimes I still can’t believe I have or that he wants to marry me.
Not to mention the fact that Logan called in a favor and I was tested by my University with a Harvard exam and tested out of everything in my program so I got my degree a week later. Logan knew I didn’t need to keep going to classes when I could spout the information in my sleep, and was getting an A+ in every class since I started going. Actually the level I tested at gave me my PHD in Criminology with the emphasis in Forensic Psychology for the Advanced Development of Homeland Security. Logan also secretly still works for Homeland Security so he was very proud to say he was marrying someone that has a PHD in the same career field and also helps run all of his companies.
Wow. Summing up my life events from the last few months is pretty cut and clear when you look at it. Yet, even though my life seems like it’s on track and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life, something keeps catching and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. It always does when it’s the most inconvenient.
Even though I still do my job at the Winters Building, I also reenlisted with a few conditions: I only serve one week a month training and picking the new recruits for my elite unit of Military Police, and I’m still in charge of the program doing whatever assignments I get plus profiling whatever cases they need help with. It was an easy compromise. I could hardly say no when the President asked me, since he did help me when I needed it, and he sweetened the deal very nicely by upping my rank with the condition that I also train the Secret Service guarding Him. Apparently, the thought that there are people that serve that are better trained and not on his protection detail scared Him when he remembered how easy it was for me and my team to get to him the first time.
This arrangement works very nicely for us. Technically, in the military you’re never supposed to be an officer unless you have at least an associate’s degree, but since I was chosen to run my elite Military Police Program I was made an Officer after getting the waiver from the ex-President. Little did I know that He was the one that had arranged everything in trying to kill me. This new President is much better. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s scared I’ll kill him or because he respects me and my abilities like he says, but as long as he doesn’t cross me or give me any reason to question him, I like him. When I got out of the Military about five years ago I was a Major, now that I’m back in and labeled as active duty, even though it’s only one week a month, I’m a Brigadier General. Granted it’s only a one star but it’s three ranks higher than I was and I’m the youngest person to ever hold that rank. Plus, our arrangement includes that my five years out are considered as I was still enlisted so I now have ten years in the Army and if I stay in for another ten then I can retire as a four star General with full retirement so it would be as if I served twenty years instead of only fifteen technically. Not a bad deal if I do say so myself.
This is my week on base. My kids aren’t as happy with the fact that I’m gone one week a month and sometimes randomly throughout the month, but they understand the purpose and are pacified with the fact that they have our newly extended family with them all the time. Their bodyguards and mine, our housekeeper, cook, butler, and the new driver live there with them in my home. Logan and his new bodyguard are also there frequently so they get to spend time with everyone which they love. Not to mention the best part: Since I have agreed to reenlist with these exceptions the base for my elite unit training was moved to Fort Benning so I can be closer to home and we get to see Madison, Christiaan and Jojo all the time. The kids are so happy about that last part. They love them so much and the fact that they have all of these people in their lives makes me feel so much better about all of the decisions I’ve made throughout my own.
For a long time I always thought I messed up their lives by messing up mine but I know now that I made the best choices because it’s led me here. Now, they have a big family of people that are willing to do anything, including die for them. Jesse and Rory are growing up with more love in their life from people that truly care than most kids do. Hazel told me a while ago that it was easy to see that I had done, and was doing, more for them than what most parents would do to make sure their children had a good life. At the time I thought she was just trying to make me feel better about myself, but I see now she was right. My life had been a fight from the start but it’s only made me do better for myself and my children so they never had to struggle the way I had to.
Damn, what just happened? That’s what I get for thinking about how happy I am and how great my life is going instead of paying attention to these idiots in front of me. I swear, sometimes grown men are worse to train than children. I sometimes think I would’ve preferred teaching toddlers: Mine were easy enough to teach. These idiots hate having to take orders or being dropped by a woman. Why are some people so chauvinistic? I’ll never understand it. Man, woman; what’s it matter who’s teaching you as long as you learn how to keep your own ass alive? Sometimes, I think the fact that I’m so small and yet so able to take them all out so quickly and easily is something that bothers them more than the fact that it’s a woman teaching them how to be better at their jobs. Maybe if I looked bigger and manlier they wouldn’t be so pissed off I think. The fact that I am considered the most dangerous person in the world is something most men don’t swallow too easily when you look like their baby sister. I’m sure the fact that the second most dangerous person in the world being another dainty woman is even harder for them to accept.
Speaking of Madison, she’s going to be here later to show me the samples of the cake designs so we can pick one for the wedding. I’ve been slacking on that and starting to cut it close. The baker isn’t happy he doesn’t have a cake design yet and only six weeks to complete it in once he gets the order, but he’s a gentle old man and his chiding is more like that of a grandfather. I guess I’d be upset too if I had to make a cake big enough to serve almost five hundred people and don’t know what it’s supposed to look like yet. Other than that Madison has definitely done amazing pretty much planning this wedding herself since I’m not very girlie when it comes to these things and don’t really know much about how these things are supposed to be. She is definitely the best Maid of Honor ever.
I just wish we could’ve cut that guest list more, but between Logan’s family, friends, business connections and associates and my connections, friends, extended family and business associates we were lucky we got that number so low. If we hadn’t done a lot of slimming it down we were looking at almost three thousand guests and there was no way in hell I was walking down the aisle in a poufy dress in front of that many people. I would’ve eloped first, but Logan’s Godmother would’ve dropped dead if that would’ve happened. She never had children so Logan was all she had and she’s definitely a very good woman that deserved to see the closest thing she had to a son get married in a church. When she asked after I suggested eloping I couldn’t refuse. Her big pleading eyes reminded me of Rory’s when she wants something and it broke me.
Okay, back to reality here. How did these morons qualify for the Secret Service when they act like they don’t know their ass from a brick? No wonder we have so many assassinated presidents. I guess his deal was definitely because he was concerned for His safety. Shit, with these idiots in the White House guarding the leader of our Country how in the hell is it possible that America hasn’t been over ran yet? We have to be the luckiest country in the world. Oh well. I’ll train these morons. Well, train them or beat them to death; whichever comes first. I guess that will depend on how quickly they wise up and start listening to me.
“Morons! Stop acting like a bunch of idiots and do things the way I told you too. Trust me when I tell you that if you don’t start listening to me I will beat you to death in the process of trying to train you and I will make it look like an accident. Now, start from the beginning.”
GREAT SPIRITS HAVE ALWAYS ENCOUNTERED VIOLENT OPPOSITION FROM MEDIOCRE MINDS-ALBERT EINSTEIN
“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won’t adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words “make” and “stay” become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free.”― Tom Robbins, Still Life With Woodpecker
