Grady walked over to stand in front of me, nose to nose with the trainee. “And my future wife, mother-fucker.”
“Calm down, cowboy.” I pulled him back by his elbow. “You’ve had the trainees for a few weeks now. It’s my turn to play.”
The off-duty guards shoved the asshole toward the door. I walked down the line, stepping into each trainee’s personal space to see how they’d react. Most stood military straight, appearing to be made of stone. When I stepped into Bridget’s space, her body stayed frozen but the corners of her lips turned up. She was struggling not to laugh. The next two men and a woman passed first inspection. The next man looked me in the eyes with contempt. I finished moving down the line, reading the last two as bored.
“Donovan, Grady, if the two of you are ready for my feedback, I’m ready to give it.”
“Do you want to go into my office?” Donovan asked.
“She wants it to be public.” Grady said, answering for me.
“Whatever,” Donovan said, shaking his head as he sighed.
“Bridget,” I called out. “I’m starting with you because I know you.”
“I’m ready,” she called out in excitement, stepping forward with a bounce. “Hit me with your best shot.”
Bones and Grady chuckled from behind me.
“Grady?” I called over my shoulder.
“Yeah, babe?”
“You’re in charge of Bones.”
“Shit,” he mumbled, but I heard him moving.
“Why do I need a babysitter?” Bones growled.
“We don’t need a lawsuit because you beat the crap out of someone.”
I heard Donovan sigh and assumed he was moving closer to Bones as well.
“Bridget, you have a bruise circling your neck. Nice job with the make-up, but as you know, I have my own experience covering bruises. Who did it?”
Her grin fell, and she looked at me with a determined look in her eyes. She wasn’t going to tell me.
“I’ll only ask you one more time, and only because we’re friends. Who put that bruise on your neck?”
Her eyes flashed with anger, burning brightly with unshed tears before she turned her head away defiantly.
“Anyone else care to answer the question for me?”
Trainee Drake stepped forward. “I have no proof, ma’am. But two days ago, Bridget was running down the dorm hall toward her room. She’d been crying. I tried to talk to her to find out what was wrong, but she refused to answer. I’ve noticed she’s been purposely steering clear of trainee Henderson ever since. I’ve heard him make a few inappropriate comments about her since that day.”
“Thank you, Drake,” I said, nodding. “Did anyone else see or hear anything?”
Another man in line squirmed for a minute before stepping forward. “I witnessed the incident. Trainee Henderson pinned trainee Delany to the wall, holding her by the throat as he fondled her breast. I yelled at him, and he let her go.”
“Fucker,” Bones growled from behind me. I could hear Grady and Donovan grunt as they restrained him.
“Thank you, trainee Kemp. But why didn’t you report the incident?”
“I didn’t feel it was my place, ma’am.”
“Hmm. Trainee, what is the most common security assignment that this firm takes?”
“Protection duty, ma’am.”
“Who are we hired to protect?”
Dropping his shoulders in defeat as he answered, “Mostly single women.”
“Yes. And by not coming forward, future clients—female clients—could’ve been targets of sexual assault by one of our own employees.”
He slowly nodded, dropping his head to look at the floor.
“You and trainee Delany are dismissed. Go pack your bags.”
Bridget walked toward me, head held high. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You failed to report a dangerous man. This is a life and death business, Bridget. Loyalty to your team doesn’t count if it puts our own clients in danger. You of all people should understand that.”
Her chin trembled. “I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping quiet. Proving I could handle him on my own.”
“And the next woman? What do you think her chances of fighting him off were?”
She held my stare for a good minute as the tears slipped past her guard.
“Donovan?” I called out.
“Yeah,” he answered in a strained voice, still helping to hold Bones back.
“I’d like to recommend that both trainee Delany and trainee Kemp be considered for the next recruiting cycle if they wish to reapply. Both of them are learning a lesson that I don’t think they’ll ever forget.”
“We’ll consider their applications if they wish to reapply,” Grady answered for him. “They’ve both been excellent candidates.”
“Thank you,” Kemp said, before throwing an arm over Bridget’s shoulder and leading her out of the gym.
“Trainee Henderson.” I smiled, stepping closer to him. “I suggest you forgo packing and run like hell. I’m not sure how much longer Donovan and Grady are going to be able to hold Bones. Bridget is his woman, whether she knows it or not.”
Henderson’s glare turned into a look of surprise. He glanced briefly at Bones before running toward the front doors. Hopefully, he had a spare set of keys hidden in his vehicle because as the doors to the gym closed behind him, Donovan and Grady lost their hold on Bones and he went running after him.
“As for the rest of you, your next assignment is to restrain Bones, so he doesn’t kill Henderson. Good luck.”
They stood stunned for a brief moment, eyes wide in shock, before they ran toward the exit.
“Work together as a team!” I called after them.
Grady laughed, throwing an arm around my shoulders. “That was mean.”
“On-the-job training,” Donovan said before turning to me. “Did the rest of the trainees pass?”
“You’ve got three more that lack initiative, but I’m sure Grady will eventually deal with them. And Grady’s having a sit down with another one of the trainees to dig around his background. But after one child abductor, two DEA agents, and a sexual predator—maybe we should do the profiling during the initial interviews next time?” I turned to grin at Donovan and Grady who were both scowling. “Nice job, boys.”
My cell phone rang, and I moved away to answer it. “Hey, Kierson. Sorry about earlier.”
“I’ve become accustomed to your bitchiness,” he said, snorting. “I got a call from your DEA agents. Seems they had your help in apprehending one of Nola’s henchmen. Any clue what kids he kidnapped?”
“Off the record?”
“If we have to.”
“Nicholas recognized him. I’d focus on where the guy lived around the time Nick was kept with Nola in New Orleans. I can’t ask Nick to relive it by going through a pile of photos, though.”
“I don’t blame you. Poor kid has been through enough. I’ll fly out and pressure the guy until he squeals.”
“Thanks, Kierson. I owe you.”
“You owe me a dozen at least,” he said before hanging up on me.
“Is Nicholas okay?” Grady asked.
“I think so. I left him with Whiskey, but I need to get back.”
“I’ll be home in about an hour.”
I nodded as I walked away, but before I got to the exit the war room door slammed open and Tech came charging out. “Security alarm at the main house!”
Chapter Seven
“What do you mean I can’t kill him?” Whiskey argued, standing over Henderson’s crumbled body, holding a gun to his head. “The law says that if someone breaks into your home intending to harm you, you have the right to shoot him.”
“Not after you kicked his ass,” Sara argued back.
“Language,” Nicholas corrected her.
“Sara’s right,” Nana said. “You broke his leg, a few ribs, and maybe his collar bone. And he’s unarmed, so I don’t think you c
an shoot him.”
“But that’s not fair,” Whiskey said, looking over his shoulder toward where we stood staring. He threw us a quick wink before he continued his argument. “What about the fact that he got blood all over the carpet? That’s damage to personal property.”
Sara giggled. “He wouldn’t have bled all over if you wouldn’t have beaten the snot out of him. Look at him. He’s a mess.”
“His cheekbone looks broken too,” Nicholas said, leaning over to push a finger against Henderson’s face.
“How can you tell under all that blood?” Sara asked, squatting down for a better look.
“This sucks.” Whiskey fake pouted, holstering his gun and pulling the kids away from Henderson. “Get him out of here, boys! The kids say I’m not allowed to shoot him.”
Donovan and Tech gathered Henderson from the floor, both grinning as they roughly pushed, pulled, and kicked him out of the house. He screamed in pain which made their grins widen.
“I’m not cleaning this mess,” Nana told me before she strolled into the kitchen.
“My poor carpet,” I said, looking at the once cream-colored carpeting now smeared with blood from the dining room into the living room.
Grady laughed. “I’ll call Lisa. She can finally put her cleaning obsession to good use.”
I turned to look at the kids. “You both okay?”
“It was awesome!” Nick said, jumping up and down in excitement. “That guy came running in and before he even saw us, Whiskey flipped him over—” Nicholas acted out the movements as he narrated “—and body slammed him into the floor! Then he kicked him before twisting his arm back and—”
“We heard it pop!” Sara yelled over Nicholas, just as excited.
“I was going to say that!” Nicholas complained.
“You were taking too long!”
“Don’t fight!” I interrupted them before things escalated. “I don’t want to hear you squabbling at each other right now.”
“She started it—”
“Did not—”
“Run,” Grady said, pushing me toward the back deck. “I’ve got the brats.”
Grady interrupted them, asking for an update on their homework as I hurried out the sliding door. I spotted Whiskey at the far end, leaning against the rail, smoking a cigarette.
“Rewarding yourself?” I laughed, walking over to lean against the railing next to him.
“Trying to calm myself before I say something I shouldn’t.”
“You looked pretty calm after beating the crap out of that guy.”
“Until I realized what would’ve happened if the kids were at home, alone, with a nanny.”
I fell silent, thinking out that scenario. Whiskey was right. We had too many run-ins with bad men to leave the kids unprotected. “I’ll talk to Anne and Grady. We can use one of the upstairs offices at Silver Aces Security as a classroom for the kids. They’ll have ample protection.”
“They need you.” Whiskey slowly exhaled a stream of smoke. “Starting next week, I’ll be working full-time again. They need you around to watch out for them.”
“I can’t,” I said, shaking my head.
“You’ll get past the panic attacks. You’ve gotten past worse.”
“The panic attacks aren’t the problem.” I turned toward the field, leaning my head back to feel the sun on my face. “I’ve boxed myself into a life I don’t even recognize.”
“You have a great life,” Whiskey said, looking confused.
“Does she?” Grady asked.
I stiffened at the sound of his voice, but I didn’t turn around.
“Sure, we envy everything she has: a nice home, a big happy family, a smart healthy kid, great friends. But did Kelsey ever choose this life?”
“She created this life,” Whiskey insisted. “Built it from the ground up. Hand-picked this family.”
“Out of necessity,” Grady said, placing a hand on my shoulder and rubbing the tense muscle between my shoulder and my neck. “She had to hide from Nola and keep busy. She built a life that she never planned on living.” He moved a palm to my cheek and turned my face toward him. He saw the tears I was trying to hide. “And now she feels trapped.”
I wanted to say something, anything, to yell and scream that it wasn’t true, but I couldn’t. I just stood there, seeing the pain in his eyes before he leaned in, kissed my forehead, and walked away.
He reentered the house, closing the sliding door behind him. I felt myself slowly sink to the deck floor.
“Shit.” Whiskey sighed, sitting beside me. “I didn’t know.”
“I’m a horrible person.”
His chuckle vibrated against my shoulder. “Not even close. You’re just feeling lost at the moment. We’ve all been there, just for way simpler reasons.”
“I don’t know what to do.” I heaved several deep breaths, trying to get control of my breathing.
“Maybe we can help,” Anne said.
Anne, Alex, Katie, and Lisa walked toward us and squatted down beside me.
“We’ve packed your bags and called Kierson,” Alex said. “He’s short a profiler until he can convince Maggie to come back.”
“You can meet him at the Detroit FBI office. He’d like your help with the scumbag trainee who used to work for Nola,” Katie said.
“I’ll take care of the kids,” Anne added. “Even if I have to quit working at the store.”
“Not necessary,” Whiskey said, nudging my shoulder. “Kelsey had Sara place an employment ad for a full-time teacher to work with the kids. Within the first hour, twenty applicants applied. I’ll do the interviews next week. And we’re setting up a classroom at Headquarters, so they’ll be safe.”
“I’m so relieved.” Anne exhaled a long breath. “I really didn’t want to give up the store.”
“Tech and I will take care of Carl,” Alex said, still focused on me.
“And I’ll get the blood out of the carpet.” Lisa smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ve already sprayed it to presoak.”
“Then it’s settled,” Grady said, carrying out my suitcase. “I’ll load the SUV, but you need to say goodbye to the kids.”
He didn’t look at me as he carried the bags around the corner of the deck and through the back door of the garage.
“He’s so angry,” I cried, holding my fingers against my lips to stop the air that whooshed out of my lungs.
“No, he’s not,” Alex said, leaning in to tilt my chin upward. “He’s just trying to shield himself, luv. He knows he might lose you.”
“We’ll take care of him,” Lisa said.
Katie smirked. “And kick his ass if he gets too down.”
The sliding door opened again, and Nicholas stepped out. His eyes were swollen and red from crying. As everyone stepped back, I opened my arms, and he ran into them. We both cried as I rocked him, and everyone drifted away to give us some privacy.
“I love you,” I whispered, stroking his hair. “More than you will ever know.”
“Then stay,” he cried. “Don’t leave me.”
My breath rattled in my lungs as the tears filled them. “I’m so sorry, Nick. I wish I could be the mother you need right now.”
“You can. You are. Don’t leave me.”
“Look at me,” I said, pulling him away from my chest and leaning my forehead against his. “I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t know that you were safe and loved here. You have Grady, Sara, and your aunts.”
“It’s not the same,” he whined, wiping his cheek.
“I know it’s not. But you’ll be okay. I’ll come back as soon as I can. And we’ll talk on the phone every day, just like we have been. And you’ll keep an eye on Sara and Carl for me. I trust you to watch out for them.”
“You promise you’ll come back?” he asked as he sniffled.
“Nuclear bombs couldn’t keep me away.” I kissed his forehead before lifting him in my arms and carrying him with me around the side of the house to the driveway.
Covering his face with kisses until a smile appeared, I told him I loved him again before passing him to Anne. I squatted in front of Sara and held my arms out. She grinned and wrapped her little arms around my neck.
“I’ll miss you, little bug,” I whispered.
“You’ll be back. You always come back.”
“You keep reminding Nicholas of that, okay?”
“Deal.” She kissed my cheek and then ran over to Whiskey who lifted her into his arms.
I waved to everyone else, unable to say individual goodbyes, and walked around the SUV to where Grady was waiting. “I love you,” I whispered.
“I know,” he whispered back with a gravelly voice. “Be safe.” He pulled me into his arms for a deep kiss that had me questioning whether I was doing the right thing by leaving. When the kiss ended, he opened the driver’s door and gently pushed me toward the SUV, before he turned and walked toward the house.
My heart tore open as I slid behind the steering wheel and drove away.
Chapter Eight
“The blue streaks in your hair don’t really scream FBI,” Kierson muttered, signing me into the FBI satellite office in Detroit.
I grinned. “I don’t plan on turning into one of you tight-ass suits any time soon.”
The security guard working at the reception desk snorted.
“Classy,” Kierson said, steering me through the metal detectors.
When the red lights and a siren went off, Kierson rolled his eyes and handed me a plastic tub.
“Seriously?” I asked, with a raised eyebrow. “Can’t you just turn that thing off and let me pass?”
“You’ll get everything back when we leave.”
I unloaded my gun, placing it in the tub, followed by two switch blades and a taser. Kierson raised an eyebrow, and I sighed, pulling another knife from the underside of my bra and dropping it loudly in the tub.
“That can’t be comfortable,” Kierson laughed.
“Christmas present from Hattie. Katie helped her find a slim switchblade, and Hattie sewed in a sleeve for it into the base of my bras. I can get through most airports with security thinking that it’s an under-wire bra.”
Kierson scowled. “That’s a federal offense.”
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