Excerpt of His Guarded Heart by Lia Davis

"I don't need a bodyguard." Beau fisted his hands atop his desk.

"It's not your choice. The orders came from—"

Beau slammed a palm against the wood, silencing his chief of
staff, then took some deep, slow breaths. Notes on postcards
weren't reason enough to call in a Federal Protective
Service agent to cover his personal security. "I know where
the orders came from."

FPS didn't usually play babysitter unless the orders came
from the President, which told Beau they had made a threat
assessment and the results must be grave. Yet, no one would
explain to him how serious. With a sigh, he sat back in his
chair and tapped his fingers against the desktop. "It was
two separate incidents, both of them accidents."

Jaw tightening, Greta folded her arms and stared at him. No
doubt his chief of staff wanted to choose her words
carefully. If she'd known about the notes, she wouldn't have
waited this long to escalate the security issue. "I have to
disagree, sir. Those so-called accidents were avoidable, and
happened in public places."

She pointed to the file she placed on his desk upon entering
his office. "The file has everything you need to know about
your new security detail."

Exhaling a heavy, growl-like breath, Beau opened the file
and scanned over the details.

Judd Wolfe

Intelligence Security Lead

Federal Protective Services, Homeland Security

"Would you like me to cancel your dinner reservations?"

Beau raised a brow and returned his attention to Greta. "No.
I'll just take my babysitter with me."

She pursed her lips. "Judd Wolfe is not a babysitter. He's a
highly trained operative."

"I can read. Thank you, Greta. That is all."

When she didn't move, he raised his gaze to meet hers and
lifted a brow. With a huff, she pivoted on her heels and
left. Beau returned his attention to the file. Wolfe had
served in the Air Force from the time he turned eighteen
until three years ago. The records in front of Beau said it
was an honorable discharge due to an injury in the field,
but gave no details. Figures. Military documents listed only
the most basic information.

Nothing else.

A heavy knock on the door drew his attention. It swung
inward, revealing a tall man with lean muscles that filled
out his white button down and black slacks well. Even the
briefcase in his hand didn't take away from his
attractiveness. Beau studied him from his shaved head to the
strong, clean-shaven, yet familiar face before he locked
onto the agent's stern stare. The dark brown depths told him
nothing of the man's emotions. Cold and uninviting. The
memory of a younger version of the man before him flashed
across Beau's mind. Then it dawned on him. Beau had
represented Judd Wolfe a couple of times during his time as
a JAG.

"I see the Air Force didn't make you less of an ass." Beau
watched one dark brow rise.

"No. I'd say the same about you."

Beau stifled his amusement behind a slight rise of his
mouth. As his lawyer, Beau had found it entertaining to get
under Wolfe's skin. "Who did you piss off to get babysitting
detail?"

Judd lifted one shoulder as he moved to the windows along
the wall behind Beau, scanning the grounds outside. "The
list is too long."

"So tell me, why has Homeland Security put a bodyguard on me?"

Meeting his stare, Wolfe narrowed his eyes. "You've been
targeted for assassination."