Love in the Limelight (Astrid and Elio)

Hank cast a disdainful glance at Chad's blustering entrance, "Cool it, man. Take a seat. The Boss hasn't even spoken yet. Can you stop flailing around like a damn fool?"

"Come on, Hank, you're missing the point here. Look at the crap that joker's spitting. Does that sound like something a decent person would say?" Chad tried to retort, but Hank grabbed him before he could continue.

Astrid rolled her eyes at Chad, "Can we cut the chatter and actually get something done for once?"

At Astrid's words, Hank and Chad knew it was game time.

It had been ages since they'd been in the field doing the Boss' dirty work, and the adrenaline was kicking in hard.

Astrid glanced at Chad and drawled, "Fetch my gear from the company's safe room. I'm gonna need it."

"No way, Boss, are you stepping in?" Chad was practically bouncing with excitement. "Seriously, Boss, for a guy like Jay? You really need to get involved personally?"

Astrid explained, "If Jay's managed to stay off Elio's hit list this long, it means he's either got something up his sleeve or someone's got his back."

"Do you think a slick operator like him is just gonna wire the cash because we asked nicely in an email?"

"Would you bet he's gonna want a meet-up?"

No sooner had she finished her prediction than the ping of an email alert sounded.

Astrid clicked on the new message, and sure enough, it was from Jay requesting a meeting.

Chad's mouth twitched, "Boss, were you a fortune teller secretly? How are you always spot on? Hey, can you predict when I'll finally get a date?"

"Focus on the job, or I'll have you planting cacti in the desert-with a quota of a thousand before you can come back," Astrid shot back, and just like that, Chad was out the door like a shot.

Hank closed the door behind Chad and turned to Astrid, "Boss, there's something else. An international hit squad's been making waves, giving us a hard time."

"And we've got some internal issues

too. Not everyone was thrilled when Healey handed the reins over to you, and since taking over, you haven't been back. I got a message from the informant, saying the

Love

second-in-command's been getting

too bold."

Astrid raised her hand slightly, "No worries. I'll handle it after this business is sorted. They're just grasshoppers. They can't cause a storm."

Hank had full confidence in Astrid's

abilities. But lately, she'd been dealing with a lot, and her identity

was special. The organization didn't know her true identity, only that

Healey had passed the leadership to

someone named Aster. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the FɪndNøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

If her identity was exposed, it would cause a tsunami in showbiz. At least until Astar achieved her goal of winning the best actress award, her identity had to remain a secret. "Hank," Astrid tapped on the mouse, and the photo of a middle-aged man appeared on the screen.

Hank barely glanced at the image before he said, "Boss, I've checked this guy out already. He's Jay's head of security, an ex-mercenary. Just another gun for hire. Easy to handle." Astrid nodded, "Keep an eye on Chad; he's impulsive. We can't afford slip-ups."

"Don't worry, I've got him covered. You're meeting Jay alone? That's risky. Let me come with you. I've had some training; I can protect you, or at the very least, be your human shield."