He’d never been on a team—military or otherwise—that allowed its members to become romantically involved.
It was one rule Trace never had an issue following.
Having witnessed too many careers ruined by mixing business with pleasure, he’d decided early on never to dip his toes in the company pond. And he never had.
Jake may not care if his team members hooked up, but as far as Charlie Team was concerned, the issue was a non-starter.
He’d been given the green light to lead his team as he saw fit. And just like in the military, he and the men under his command would keep their personal shit separate from the job.
Period.
One more reason to stay far away from Emma.
She may not be part of his operation in Richmond, but she still worked for McQueen. Between that and the fact that she was about a decade younger than him,andCoop’s younger sister—Trace knew he’d do well to keep his interaction with her to the bare minimum.
“And that guy there is Derek West.” Jake’s voice pulled him away from his thoughts once more. “D’s a former SEAL and Alpha Team’s technical analyst.”
Get your head in the damn game, Winters.
Trace’s gaze met the blue-eyed, blond-haired man staring back at him from his place across from Mac. With a two-fingered salute, Derek greeted him with a crooked grin.
“Glad to meet ya.”
With his wavy, unruly hair and a t-shirt that readI’m into hot-swaps, the former SEAL looked like someone still stuck in his college partying days, rather than an elite security specialist.
But Trace knew better.
If Jake hired him, the guy had to be one hell of an operative. And being the team’s technical analyst meant West was smart. Really smart.
“You, too.” Trace’s lips formed a tight, sort-of smile.
“Okay.” Jake looked over at him. “Now that the introductions are over, I’ll get to why I asked you all here this morning.”
Taking that as his cue to sit, Trace made his way to the chair at the far end of the table. It wasn’t anything personal against the others. He just liked to have a clear view of the entire room and the doorway.
Some would call it paranoid. He called it being aware.
Glancing around the room, Jake shoved his hands into his pockets, blew out a breath, and dropped a major bomb.
“I’ve decided to step down as Alpha Team leader.”
There was complete silence for about five seconds before Derek blurted out, “What?”He sat up straighter, as did every other person there.
“What do you mean, you’re stepping down?” Coop asked with a frown.
Mac’s round eyes filled with surprise at their boss’s unexpected announcement. “You’re quitting R.I.S.C.?”
Tracereallywanted to know the answer to both of those questions, too. The only reason he’d taken this job in the first place was because McQueen was the one running the place.
Friend or not, if the dickhead thought he was going to stick around while some unknown asshole took over the company...
“I’m not quitting R.I.S.C.” Holding up a hand, Jake staved off the impending barrage of questions and shook his head. “I just won’t be going out in the field with you, anymore.”
Trace breathed an indiscernible sigh of relief, but the others were still taken aback by the change.
“Why the hell are you leavin’ the field?” Derek drawled incredulously.
“A few reasons.”