had been blown apart. Still, it was only his leg that had been injured, so why was his head so screwed up?
Before he could come up with an answer, the elevator doors opened, and Matt stepped off. He wore jeans and a light blue button-down shirt. There was an eager light in Matt's brown eyes, and Reid had a feeling a sales pitch was coming, but he wasn't here to get a job but rather to give one.
"I cannot believe it," Matt said, slapping him on the shoulder. "I figured you needed at least another month to come to your senses and agree to work with me."
Reid immediately held up a hand. "Don't get excited. I'm not here about your offer. I need some help."
"With what?"
"Robert."
"That's the last name I expected to come out of your mouth."
"And yet it did."
Matt met his gaze, then nodded. "All right. Let's go up to my office." As they walked toward the elevator, he added, "Can I get you a drink or anything?"
"No, I'm good."
The elevator took them to the top floor. The doors opened onto a luxurious space of glass-walled offices, colorful throw rugs warming up the wood floors, and even a pool table in one corner. He could see a couple of individuals in one of the conference rooms, a presentation of some sort in progress.
Matt led him into the executive office, which was more impressive. A massive oak desk sat in front of a floor to ceiling wall of windows overlooking the San Francisco Bay. A flat screen TV hung on one wall with a security bank of smaller monitors on the other wall.
Matt waved him toward the sitting area, which was comprised of a couch, two chairs and a glass coffee table. "Have a seat."
"Thanks. You've done well for yourself, Kelton."
Matt gave him a smug smile. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. I can give you the tour later if you want. You'll see more than a few familiar faces. The United States Army provided a great pool of talent for me to pick from."
"And all trained on Uncle Sam's dime," he drawled.
"You know it," Matt returned. "But we also provide training. We're now working on some of the most advanced technology systems in the world."
"I guess this isn't the bodyguard business."
"It can be at times, but it's a lot more than that. We've got our fingers in a lot of pies all around the world."
Reid stared at the man he'd known since he was nineteen years old. Matt had always been smart and aggressive and good at his job, but he'd never been rich. "Who bankrolled all this?"
"My father," Matt said, the humor fading from his eyes.
Reid frowned. "I thought your dad was out of the picture."
"Oh, he was, until he died. Then I got a letter and a big fat guilt check."
"Must have been really big."
"Yeah, it turns out dear old dad was a loser father but a brilliant businessman. I thought about ripping up the check. But my mom told me I should spend every cent of it on something that would make me happy, that my father owed me that. So, Kelton Security was born."
Despite the bravado in Matt's tone, Reid suspected that his friend had gone through a lot more emotional upheaval than his words indicated. But he'd never been one to pry into someone's life. If Matt wanted him to know something, he'd tell him.
"So what can I do for you?" Matt asked.
"I need a favor."
"You don't ask for favors."
"I don’t have a choice. I don't have access to the resources I used to have, but you do."
"Actually, I have resources beyond what you used to have," Matt said with an arrogance that made Reid laugh.
He and Matt had always competed with each other. In the old days, he'd usually won those competitions, but that was the old days. He shrugged off the past. He needed to stay in the present. "Great, then my favor won't be a problem."
"What do you need? You said it had something to do with Robert?"
"Yes. My brother was running a clinical drug trial in Colombia. Last week there was an attack on the clinic. All of the medical personnel were evacuated with the exception of Robert, who went
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