Little Fury: Book 1 of The deadly Little Thing Trilogy
Little Fury: Chapter 26

I work for a couple of hours, only stopping when my phone rings and I see Parker’s name appear.

“Hey.” I say as I answer, “Give me one sec.” I grab my headphones and turn them on. I hear the Bluetooth click on. “You there?” I ask.

“Yup, I’m here.”

“How’s things Parker?” I ask as I make my way out of the house and head towards the water. It’s a very calm afternoon,

“Things are good. What’s up, Ava? Tell Parker what you need,” he asks me. I hear keys clicking in the background, telling me he’s working while we chat.

“I need you to replace me some candidates.”

“What type?”

“I need a you to start, as well as my own Wes, Theo, and Sebastian,” he laughs.

“I figured you would. I’ve started a list. I have a few names you and Marcus will each like, so you will have to decide who works best for you guys.”

“Actually, Parker, I need them just for me. I have a feeling Marcus will be receiving a few of his family members to fill those roles.”

“Okay, then. Let me see. I have a couple of guys in mind for each of your specifications.” I can hear the air quotes when he says “specifications.” As I walk in the surf, enjoying the feel of the water on my feet, I can’t help but laugh.

“And you’ve fully vetted them?”

“Ava Landry!!!! You did not just insult me like that,” he says, his voice raised, clearly annoyed. I know he would never do a half-assed job.

“Sorry, I know you wouldn’t give me names if they weren’t solid. Just not thinking before I spoke.” I tell him, my apology sincere.

“No worries. I’ve worked with all of them before. I’ve also tried to get Harry to hire each of them. But he keeps telling me we don’t need another Theo or Sebastian and that we sure as fuck don’t want another Wes with his mouth.” I laugh out loud at that because it’s all true. The ranch would be crazy with more of the same type of guys.

“Perfect. Send me their dossiers, and I’ll take a look right away. I want to video meet them all today or tomorrow and then set up in-person meetings as soon as possible when I’m back in New York.”

Parker and I chatted for another minute, talking music and sci-fi movies, Dune Part 1 being the dominant topic. We hung up, and three minutes later, as I was walking back to the house, I heard a notification that the dossiers had arrived.

I spent the next three hours going over the guys Parker sent me. I like them all, but I have my top picks. Ben Williams is young and has done some impressive hacks. Parker has noted that the kid is genius-level and think-tank smart.

Next is Caden Harker. He is older than me.

Ava, you’re 20. They’re all going to be older than you.

“Ben isn’t,” I mumble to the empty house.

Caden was a ranger. He did one tour and was given an honorable discharge after his brother and half his team were killed out on assignment and his mother was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. He’s an explosives expert and excels in small firearms. Lastly, there is Matt Forestt. Matt is a former MMA fighter. He coaches now and teaches self-defense classes after his little sister was killed by a mugger when she was 17.

Parker has included psychological evaluations for all the men. I see why he chose them. Matt and Caden have strong protective instincts regarding women and children. They both also have no problem, it seems, with a bit of questionable morality. And Ben is young, brilliant, and alone. According to his file, he bounced from foster home to foster home after his mom was killed by a drunk driver when he was eight. When he was fourteen, he hacked into the child welfare database and changed his date of birth so he would age out instantly. He’s been supporting himself by writing code and doing smaller hack jobs for the last three years. Parker’s notes all say that they all have strong loyalty tendencies and that all three will bond to form a strong unit. None of them have any indicators that make us think they won’t work for a woman. They all seem more likely to, especially when that woman is strong and intelligent.

I send messages to the three of them, and I go to the kitchen to make myself a bite to eat. I open the fridge and see a bunch of fruit and veggies and cheese. I grab it all in my arms and turn to drop it on the island. I grab a big platter and begin arranging the food on it. I open the cupboard and replace some delicious roasted almonds, crackers and a couple of cookies. “Perfect,” I say to the empty house… “girl lunch!” I smile down at the food. My phone goes off, and I return to the table. I see it’s a video call from Ben.

“Hello,” I say, smiling at the screen.

“Oh shit, you’re way hotter than I was expecting.” I raise an eyebrow at him but can’t help but smile at his bluntness.

“Hi, Ben, I’m Ava.” I look at him. He’s got dirty blonde hair that he has shaved on the sides, and the top is longer, falling over his forehead. He’s skinny, still in his gangly teenager body. He has a cute face, the kind girls swoon over, and a dimple to boot. “Tell me about yourself, Ben.”

“I know Parker, so I highly doubt there is anything you don’t already know.”

I bark out a laugh. “Fair enough. Favorite color?”

“Green, but like jade green.”

“Favorite food?”

“I’m not picky, but I do love Indian.”

“Favorite memory?” He doesn’t raise an eyebrow or miss a beat when answering my odd questions.

“When I was six, my mom took me to a fair. She let me ride every ride and eat everything I wanted. I threw up and then asked for ice cream, and she bought it for me.” He smiles at the memory.

“What do you know about me?” I ask him.

“I know you and your parents were in a car accident when you were seven. You survived; they didn’t. You were adopted, and the situation of your adoption is odd. From what I could see when I hacked Parker’s archives, your birth mother has pull with a lot of people. Because the adoption contract between her and your parents was like nothing I’ve ever seen before, I also, no matter how hard I tried, couldn’t replace out who she was, and I looked. She paid some very skilled people to make all records of her giving birth to you disappear from existence. What else? Harry Baird trained you, and every single record I’ve seen or watched says you’re fucking good. You were also raised by Beth, along with Marcus Rossi.”

I’m impressed with his rundown of me. Parker works hard at keeping all of our digital footprints to a minimum. “Well done, Ben. I’ll be in New York in a couple of days. I want to meet you in person. Can you be in New York on the 17th? I’ll have a room for you at the Hilton in midtown.”

“I can do that.”

“Parker will send you your ticket and flight info. There will be a car for you at the airport. I look forward to meeting you in person, Ben.”

“Me too, boss.”

I shake my head at him and disconnect the call. I eat a bit of the food I have in front of me. I turn on the sound system and select a playlist. “California Dreamin’ By the Mammas and the Papas starts playing.

I let my mind wander momentarily and hear my phone ring again. I look at the screen; it’s Caden Harker.

I answer the video call, “Hello, Caden.”

“Hello, Miss.”

“How are you?”

“I’m well, Miss, thank you.”

“Caden, please call me Ava.”

“Ava,” he says, trying it out.

“You were a ranger? Do you miss it?”

“I was, and I do, but only because I miss the order; I miss the regiment of it all,” he says evenly.

“I’m sorry about your guys and your mom.”

“All good, Ava. It’s just life.”

“Favorite colour?”

His lip twitches the tiniest bit, “Purple,” he says, and I hear it.

“Gonna need that explained, Caden. Not many grown men have the color purple as their favorite unless you’re a Vikings fan?”

He looks at me, narrowing his eyes. “Not a Vikings fan. My mom loved purple. Obsessively loved it. It’s ingrained in my DNA, seeing as how I grew up surrounded by it.”

“And now, when you think of purple, you get warm fuzzies remembering your mama,” I say, not looking for confirmation. But he does, nodding his head at me.

“Favorite food?”

“Fresh baked bread.”

I let him see that I was surprised by that answer.

“What do you know about me?”

“You’re smart, really well trained, lost your parents young and now you do bad things.”

“Ha,” I bark out. “Yes, that’s all correct. How do you feel about doing bad things?”

It’s his turn to laugh. “Parker filled me in, Ava. I wouldn’t have called if I couldn’t give 100% to you and our team. I follow orders well. I’m better than good with explosives. I’m trained to be calm in all situations. I know your history, and I would be happy to work for you.”

“Perfect! Parker will contact you with your plane tickets and hotel information. I need you in New York on the 17th. Does that work?”

“It does. See you then, Ava.”

“See you soon, Caden.” He disconnects the call.

I get a text from Parker; Matt will video call in a couple of hours as he is at a U-9 jiu-jitsu tournament. Looking at the time, I still have about four hours before Marcus will be ready to meet for dinner. The ocean is calling me; I head to my bedroom and change into one of my bathing suits. It’s a pink string bikini. I love the color against my tanned skin, and my ass looks great in it. I spray myself with sunscreen, grab a wide-brim hat and a towel, and head to the water.

The beach is quiet for such a lovely day, but I don’t mind. I drop my towel and hat and continue to the water, walking in and enjoying the warmth of it. The crystal-clear water always makes me feel so relaxed. I wade out before I float, my eyes closed, clearing my mind. I let the water cradle me. The water is soft, and the tiny waves caress my skin. I feel some fish swim by, so I turn to tread water to watch them. I have no idea what kind they are, but they’re pretty and have lovely colours. I haven’t swum out to it, but there is a reef is nearby. It makes for some beautiful aquatic life.

I float and swim a while longer before I leave the ocean. The sun is about to set, so I head back to the house. I see the outside shower and decide it is calling my name. I start it and step under the spray of water. I untie my bathing suit, hanging it over the side of the shower.

No one is on the beach, so I don’t bother closing the shower door. I leave it open and enjoy the stunning sunset as I wash the ocean’s salt from my skin and hair. The sun is barely a sliver when I turn off the shower. I grab a towel from the outdoor stash and wrap it around myself. I ring my hair out, twist it, and pile it on top of my head. I enter the house, realizing I have left the music on. “House Of The Rising Sun” by the Animals is playing. I heard this song a lot growing up. It was one of my dad’s favorites.

I walk into my bedroom and grab a towel for my hair. I head back out to the dining room, cleaning up my snack from earlier. I throw out the garbage and put the compost in the bin. I grab a beer and pop off the top when I hear my computer ring. I look down at my towel. “Fuck.” I walk over to the screen and answer the call, sitting down as his face fills the screen.

“Hey,” he says. “Want to call me back when you have some clothes on?” he grumbles at me.

“I’m fine, Matt, but if it bothers you, I can throw some clothes on.”

“I don’t care what you wear.”

“Amazing, let’s do this,” I say, looking at him. The man is fucking spectacular. He is all muscle and tattoos. He has a full beard and long dark hair, currently in a man bun, which he pulls off very well.

“What do you know about me, Matt?”

“Your name is Ava. Your parents were killed when you were seven. For some fucked up reason, you ended up at the Ranch, and I’m assuming you learned some less-than-legal skills.”

“Correct on all fronts. Do you have any questions for me?”

“Not really. I looked into you. I know Harry a little. He trains some pretty stellar fighters.”

“Don’t let him hear you say that. He doesn’t need another reason to have an inflated ego.”

“It’s the truth.” he says with a shrug.

“All right, Matt. I just have a couple more questions. What’s your favorite color?” He glares at me, and I realize that glaring is his resting bitch face.

“Grey.”

“Favorite food?”

“Burgers.”

“100% on the burger. Favorite memory?”

He’s quiet for a moment. And I’m not sure if he’s thinking or annoyed and ignoring the question. He has a constant scowl, so it’s hard to get a read on him yet.

“Teaching my little sister to drive. She was horrible at it but tried her hardest, convinced she would be the best driver ever.”

“I’m very sorry about your sister. Did they ever catch the guy?”

“Nope, the cops found nothing.”

“Did you, ever replace the guy?”

He sighs before answering, “No, unfortunately, I also couldn’t replace out who it was.”

“Well, Matt, I like you. If you’re interested in working for a morally challenged soon-to-be 20-year-old, I would love to meet you in person.”

“Just like that? That’s a pretty fast decision,” he questions me, and I smile.

“Parker vetted you a lot before he passed your file onto me. Harry also teaches other skills than just MMA.”

He nods, satisfied with my answer.

“Perfect. Parker will contact you with your flight and hotel information. I need you in New York for the 17th.”

He nods at me, all the confirmation I’ll be getting.

“Super. See you in a couple days.”

He grunts at me and disconnects the call. I close my computer, stand up and head to my room to get ready for dinner with Marcus.