Ben Mercer is an ex-cop, lamed, framed, and thrown off the force for a crime his partner committed. Now homeless, he has no expectations for a better life until he's recruited by Durand, head of Vanguard Security, to join a team that deals with problems the police can't or won't touch. All Ben needs is the approval of the team leader, Zach Turner.<br><br>To get it, Ben has to prove to Zach that he still retains his skills as a sniper, and that he can handle any job thrown at him, despite the still painful damage to his knee. He does, and is immediately pulled into a job with the team, rescuing a kidnap victim.<br><br>Ben had one big secret, or did have until Durand drew it out of him. Before his life was drastically changed he had denied, even to himself, that he was gay. Now that he's accepted it, and learned that Zach is as well, can the two men forge a bond beyond that of being teammates and friends? It will take several more jobs before Ben gets his answer.

A Second Chance

“They will unlock the doors, as well as turn off the security on them, he explained.” He handed Zach the plan for the fourth floor, marking his unit with a red X. “It might seem childish,” he admitted wryly, “but after the tenth time of a customer forgetting where their unit was, despite them being laid out in numerical order, we’ve made it a policy to do this.”


“People,” Zach replied with a laugh as he folded the map and put it in his pocket.


With everything completed, Zach and Hayley went on to the hotel after he called Ez to find out their room numbers.


While Zach and Hayley were at the storage facility, Ben unpacked, which meant putting away the few things he’d brought with him. Then he went down to Ez’s room as Ez had said he wanted to show him the weapons the team had brought with them.


“That’s quite a selection,” Ben commented as he checked out what was in one of the two cases that had been part of the team’s luggage.


Chapter 14