But what struck Ellie the most were the huge framed photos on the walls of wild animals in their natural habitats. She walked around the office, examining each one in turn. Each photo showcased a different animal: a huge grizzly bear slapping a salmon out of a river, a pride of magnificent lions lazing on the savannah, a tiger stalking a deer through a lush green jungle, a pack of gray wolves in a forest, a black panther lying on a tree branch with an unsettlingly predatory gaze in its yellow eyes, and a snow leopard caught in mid-leap from one snowy crag to the next.
Then she got to the last one. It showed the sun setting over a European castle, with some winged creature— a hawk? A bat?— flying in the sky overhead. Ellie peered at it, then stopped and stared, and finally laughed. The flying creature was a dragon!
“I love watching people react to that one,” an accented male voice remarked.
Ellie spun around, startled. A group of people were walking into the room.
One of the men offered his hand. “Hello. I’m Lucas. And the dragon is mine.”
She glanced at him curiously as she shook his hand. Lucas was tall and slim, wearing an expensive-looking suit. She wasn’t an expert on clothing, but she’d swear it had been tailored for him. He had gold and diamond rings on his fingers, and a gold chain around his throat. His features were sharp and chiseled, and his eyes were a brown so light that they appeared as glittering gold as his jewelry. Lucas didn’t look like a man who’d do private security; he looked like a billionaire or a prince.
“Ellie McNeil,” she said. “Pleased to meet you. Um... What do you mean, the dragon is yours?”
Hal explained, “When I hire a new team member, I ask them what animal... uh... represents them. You know, which one they’re most like. Then I get them a photo of it, for inspiration. Lucas just had to make my life difficult.”
Ellie laughed. “What a great idea! Which animals go with which people?”
“Guess,” said another man. He offered her his hand. “I’m Rafael, but everyone calls me Rafa. I’m one of Hal’s old buddies from his Navy SEAL days.”
Rafa matched what Ellie had expected the entire team to look like: tall and muscular, though not quite as big as Hal. He had black hair as tousled as if he’d just rolled out of bed, smooth brown skin, and a charming smile. While Hal often seemed wary and guarded, constantly alert for any threat, Rafa seemed completely relaxed. Ellie could see at a glance that he was a ladies’ man.
“Well? Which do you think is mine?” Rafa’s tone was playful, but challenging, too.
This really is “Meet the Family,” Ellie realized. Rafa’s playing “Are you smart enough for my best friend?”
“Not a fair game, Rafa,” Hal said, his voice dropping to a warning growl. “She only just met you. Maybe later...”
Ellie liked how Hal always tried to protect her, even from something as minor as being wrong in public. But she wasn’t one to turn down a challenge. Especially when it involved making a good impression on people who were important to Hal.
She met Rafa’s black eyes squarely. “No, I’ll guess now.”
Hal’s lips curved into the hint of a smile. She could see that he liked that she’d taken up the challenge and stood up to his buddy, whether or not she succeeded. “Watch out, Rafa. Ellie’s coming for you.”
She looked from Rafa to the photos. She already knew that Lucas was the dragon. Though she barely knew him, it felt right: the strangeness, the elegant power, the hoard of gold and diamonds. So what animal felt like Rafa?
The lazy sensuality, the physical power easily worn...
“You like going to bars and having women draped all over you, don’t you? There you are.” Ellie pointed to the photo of the lion, stretched out in the sun with his pride of lionesses.
Rafa winked at her. “Very good! Yes, I’m the king of beasts.”
Two team members, a black woman as curvy as Ellie and a tatted-up guy who looked like a gangster, immediately pounced on Rafa, shoving him and making scornful noises.
“King of one-night stands,” the curvy woman teased him.
The tatted guy gave him a hard but playful punch in the arm. “King of Vegas marriages!”
“No, come on,” Rafa protested. “That was just that one time.”
More scornful noises erupted, and Rafa and the tatted guy got into a scuffle. Ellie glanced at Hal, but he didn’t blink an eye. Obviously, some roughhousing was normal in this crowd.
The black woman stepped aside, leaving the guys to it. She wore a cherry red tank top that showed off her cleavage and white shorts that showed off her ass, and looked like she’d just come from the gym. Like Ellie, she was curvy but strong, with muscle beneath the softness. Ellie liked her immediately, reminded of herself and Catalina, women making their way in the tough job they loved.
“I’m Destiny. And you don’t have to play those macho games with me. I’m the tiger: fierce and gorgeous.” Without even looking, Destiny shot out her fist and gave Rafa another smack on the arm. “Give her a break, Rafa! She’s already squared off with the Godfather. She doesn’t have to prove a thing.”
The other woman, who had been standing back, added, “She’s not auditioning for team psychologist. Hal vouches for her. That’s enough for me.” She stepped forward and offered Ellie her hand. “I’m Fiona. Pleased to meet you.”
The two women on the team were a study in contrasts. Destiny was short and curvy, but Fiona was tall and slender. Destiny’s skin was darker than Rafa’s, her eyes a deep brown, and her hair tumbled to her shoulders in a mass of silky curls. Fiona’s platinum blonde hair was braided, then pinned tightly into a bun. Destiny was cheerful and exuberant, Fiona cool and reserved. And unlike Destiny’s ultra-casual attire, Fiona wore a business suit with flats that she could run in, and a loose jacket that Ellie guessed concealed an armored vest and a gun. Possible several guns.