Numbers and Arms I

Clyde Adams was the tip of the spear. A Lieutenant in the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), his world was one of classified ops, tactical precision, and unwavering focus. So, when a joint-force assignment came down from his CO, pairing him with the Treasury Department, he treated it like any other mission. The objective: provide protective detail for a high-value asset, a forensic accountant who had stumbled into a viper's nest. The asset was Troy Nash. Troy was a whip-smart forensic accountant for the monolithic Meridian Funds, a man who spoke the fluid language of numbers and could smell a financial anomaly from a mile away. He’d found several—glaring, intentional, and dangerous discrepancies that pointed to a massive conspiracy. His curiosity made him a target. Their meet-cute was less "cute" and more "violent." An attempt was made on Troy's life in a grocery store parking lot—a professional hit meant to look like a random mugging. Clyde, who had been shadowing him, didn’t just intervene; he dismantled the threat with a terrifying, efficient grace. He saved Troy’s life before he’d even officially introduced himself. The official line was strictly professional: “Lieutenant Adams. I’ve been assigned as your protective detail.” But protecting Troy from the Meridian fallout was a full-time job. It meant long nights reviewing financials, safehouses, and a constant, simmering threat.