Whiskey

Copyright © 2023 by Sybil Bartel Cover art by: CT Cover Creations www.ctcovercreations.com Cover Photo by: Wander Aguiar wanderaguiar.com Cover Model: Philippe Belanger Edited by: Hot Tree Editing www.hottreeediting.com The Ryter’s Proof www.therytersproof.com Formatting by: Champagne Book Design All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention. Warning: This book contains offensive language, alpha males and sexual situations. Mature audiences only. 18+ TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page Books by Sybil Bartel WHISKEY Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six Chapter Thirty-Seven Chapter Thirty-Eight Chapter Thirty-Nine Chapter Forty Chapter Forty-One Chapter Forty-Two Chapter Forty-Three Chapter Forty-Four Chapter Forty-Five Chapter Forty-Six Chapter Forty-Seven Chapter Forty-Eight Chapter Forty-Nine Chapter Fifty Chapter Fifty-One Chapter Fifty-Two Epilogue DELTA KILO GHOST Acknowledgments About the Author BOOKS BY SYBIL BARTEL The Alpha Elite Series SEAL ALPHA VICTOR ROMEO ZULU NOVEMBER ECHO WHISKEY DELTA KILO GHOST The Alpha Bodyguard Series SCANDALOUS MERCILESS RECKLESS RUTHLESS FEARLESS CALLOUS RELENTLESS SHAMELESS HEARTLESS The Uncompromising Alphas Series TALON NEIL ANDRÉ BENNETT CALLAN The Alpha Antihero Series HARD LIMIT HARD JUSTICE HARD SIN HARD TRUTH The Alpha Escort Series THRUST ROUGH GRIND The Unchecked Series IMPOSSIBLE PROMISE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE IMPOSSIBLE END Join Sybil Bartel’s Mailing List to get the news first on her upcoming releases, giveaways and exclusive excerpts! You’ll also get a FREE book for joining! WHISKEY Mercenary. Navy SEAL. Unconventional Operative. I didn’t join the Teams. I was recruited. They called me the Specialist. They said I had a unique skill set. I knew who I was. For years, the Navy tried to rein me in with their tactics, techniques and procedures. They told me to adapt and overcome. I didn’t adapt. I did my job. Now I worked for Alpha Elite Security. If you called me the Specialist, I’d eliminate you before you took your next breath. If you recognized me, it was already too late. I lived by my instincts and used the resources around me. No target was out of my scope… until my boss unknowingly handed me an assignment that was. The one woman I couldn’t kill. Code name: Whiskey. Mission: Eliminate. For my only child, my beloved son, Oliver. You were my greatest gift. The world was a better place with you in it. Everything in my life was better because of you. Thank you for teaching me unconditional love, perseverance, and compassion. You are and will always be my entire world. I love you, Sweet Boy, and I miss you beyond measure. Oliver Shane Bartel 2004–2020 For my readers, thank you for all of your love and support. Gratefully yours, XOXO Whiskey Tossing back the rest of my scotch, I heard him before I saw him. Adam “Alpha” Trefor, my boss and owner of Alpha Elite Security, took the seat next to me. “Not like you to drink in a bar.” I winked at the bartender and tipped my chin. The blonde walked over with a shy smile. “Another round?” Switching from my usual Macallan neat, I ordered Alpha’s preferred drink of choice. “Make it two Maker’s Marks on the rocks.” “Of course, sir.” Blushing, she barely looked at Alpha before turning to grab our drinks. I glanced across the bar to the outdoor lanai. “You scare them, you know.” Alpha’s ever-present intense gaze followed mine. “Who, bartenders?” “Women.” “Good.” He took in the same view of the lanai that I’d been looking at for the past half hour. “Now I know why you’re here.” “Yes, and hypothetical. If a firefight broke out in the next two minutes, we’d both draw, and bodies would stack up. But if something went south before we could exfil and the cops showed, do you know who the first person the bartender would point a finger at once she was questioned?” I pulled out my wallet as the bartender came back. “Here you go.” Setting our drinks down, she avoided looking at Alpha again. “Can I get you anything else?” Sliding three twenties toward her, I smiled. “We’re all set. Keep the change.” Blushing harder, she took the money. “Thank you, sir.” Her voice dipped. “Let me know if you need anything else.” “Will do.” I held my practiced smile until she walked away, then I glanced at Alpha as I picked up my drink. “It’s human nature. A frightened woman will always remember who scared her.” I nodded toward the table on the lanai. “Don’t take the new client.” Alpha grabbed his bourbon. “Four points of egress behind us, beach in front of us, crowded bar—the second shooting started, witnesses would hit the ground, take cover or scatter. How long have you been here?” “Half an hour. My point still stands.” I took a swallow of the bourbon. “Understood. Thirty minutes of recon, and you’re sure about the potential client?” “Affirmative.” The South American produce importer that Alpha had asked me to scout after he’d approached AES for security was neither importing produce nor South American. Not questioning my assessment, Alpha drank. Wondering why the hell he was here, I took another swallow. “But I’m