As soon as Grant said that, each man stiffened, and she was shoved behind Grant as the door to the room was thrown open with so much force it banged into the wall, scaring her son.
“Son of a bitch. I just got him to sleep, you idiot,” Laura yelled at the person, not even looking up. She shoved through the wall of men to get to Max. “I don’t know what is wrong with you but enough. I want to leave now!” She scooped her son into her arms.
“Shhh, Max, it’s okay.” Laura glared at the police captain, Jeff Bridges, as he crossed his arms and glared back. She should have figured it would be the one dickhead who’d had a grudge on her since high school.
“If you don’t want to know that your mother’s grave has been dug up, her body stolen, or that your friend is missing, then please go.” He swung his arm to the door. “You were always great at running.”
All eyes turned to her but nothing mattered as she managed to fall into the chair behind her. Her mother’s final resting place had been desecrated and her best friend was missing.
Anger, disbelief and hurt all swirled around her but she looked into Jeff’s eyes. “You know, Jeff, you were always a sore loser. And for your information, I didn’t run. I walked away from your ass. Sorry, but I didn’t date bullies then and I still don’t.”
The room quieted down and Daniel and Grant kneeled before her. “Your friend isn’t missing. She’s been taken to a secured place, where three of my men are guarding her. As far as your mom, I’m sorry. I don’t know why they did this but we’ll find them—and her.” Grant kissed the top of her head and stood while Daniel rubbed Max’s back too, trying to comfort them both.
“We’ll be leaving now. But, Mr. Bridges, if you ever, and I mean ever, take that attitude with my woman again, you won’t see another sunrise,” Grant snarled. “I expect any news to be sent to my man, Seth. I will also be leaving two men here to help with the recovery of Laura’s mother. She will be found and put to rest again.”
Laura realized that both men had only showed her their softer sides, but watching Grant deal with Jeff and his men, she knew their strength.
She turned her attention to Daniel and saw the same expression on his brother’s face. She’d known both men were the dominant type, but this was totally different. “Why do I feel I’m just now seeing the real you?”
Chapter Six
Daniel looked back at Laura as they drove out of Elyria, heading toward their small private airport somewhere outside of Cleveland. She hadn’t said a word as they’d ushered her out to the waiting Hummer. Her belongings were packed in the back and Max was next to her. She hadn’t cried or objected at all, just stared out the window.
Grant sat next to her while Seth drove. Zenith and Caser were behind them. Grant met his worried gaze and he nodded.
“So tell us about this police captain. Did you date him in high school?” Grant scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her.
She looked at Grant, then at Daniel before turning to look out at the window. “If you call one date going out. He tried something and I said no. He got angry, hit the wall and I left. End of story. Oh he tried to get me to go out with him again, but I wouldn’t and you saw his attitude this afternoon. He acted like an ass all throughout school. Is that enough information?” She tried to hide the grin but failed. Grant snarled and nipped her ear.
“You’ll get my mother’s body back, right? I know she’s not in her body, that she’s watching us now, but it’s just not right. Why would they do that to her?”
“There have been some rumors but we haven’t been able to confirm anything yet.” Daniel sighed. “We’re not supposed to mention this but…” He looked to Grant and he nodded.
“Have you ever seen the TV show The Walking Dead? Think small scale on that end. We’ve found evidence they are very close to actually succeeding,” Grant informed her as he brushed the hair away from her face.
“You’re kidding, right? They’re trying to make zombies? Why the hell would you do that?” She held up her hand. “Wait, forget I said that. I know why. Our government is doing the same thing, isn’t it? They want to use them as weapons or something?” She took a deep breath.
“We don’t know what our government is doing and frankly I don’t want to. The thought of this happening is mind blowing. We have orders to stop them at any cost and we will stop them, Laura.” Daniel reached back and squeezed her knee.
Grant stretched his legs out in front of him as much as he could and looked at Laura. “Do you still want to come back to New York with us, knowing we could take off anytime on a mission and that you and Max might have to be kept hidden for a while?”
“Grant, this can wait,” Daniel said, his attention on Laura.
She turned in her seat. “And what if we get to this hiding place and you get sick of us? Do you know how much work and time a baby takes, Grant, Daniel? Do the both of you really want to be in our lives? You can’t have just me. Max and I are a package deal.” She reached over and tucked the baby’s foot back in the car seat without waking him.
“I’ll tell you what,” Daniel said. “Why don’t we use this time as a window of opportunity?” Laura looked up at him, then at Grant. “I take it we’re going to be at this secret location for a while, so why not use this time as our trial period. We can all three get to know the other’s quirks and so on. By the way, we’re going to have to stop at the store when we get to where we are going. Max is going to need diapers, food and such. I have ten cloth diapers but if we’re going to be gone for a while I’ll need more.”
“We’ll take care of you both, but I don’t like waiting for a decision. You’ll find out I don’t have much patience. When I make a decision, it’s a done deal, and you, my dear woman, are a done deal. We know and accept all the responsibilities that come with raising a child. We’re not going to back away, Laura. We’re in this for the long haul and maybe one day you’ll let one of us adopt Max.” Grant placed his finger on her lips. “You and Max will be our family.” Grant leaned over and kissed her.
“We're here. Daniel, load the bags on the plane and also have Badger Team Tango meet us at secured home three. I think that would be the best place for our woman and her son.” Grant turned to him and winked as he opened the door and scanned the area.
“Where is this place? And where is Alex? I want to see her and make sure she is okay. You haven’t even let me call her.” Laura unhooked the car seat and handed it to him when he heard a loud scream coming from their right.
“Laura, is that you? Girl, you’d better get your ass over here and give me a hug!” A black woman with dreads down to her butt came running over and enfolded Laura in a hug.
Grant shook his head and greeted the other three members of their team while he spoke with air traffic control about getting clearance to head toward the mountains in Maine. Secured home three was their favorite getaway and their largest. With Laura’s friend and two teams together again, they would need the space.
Talking into the phone, he smiled when Laura took the car seat showing off Max to Alex. His gaze traveled over Laura’s best friend. She too was a full-figured woman, and with the way his friends and comrades kept staring at her, it looked as if she would be busy this week.
He grinned and nodded to Justin, Bo and Rafe. Wouldn’t Alex be surprised to learn that all three men were sizing her up as their next conquest?
“Back off, Jolly Green Giant. I’m going to hold my godson and I don’t need you crowding me,” Alex snapped at Justin when he got a little too close.
“Soon I’ll show you how jolly I can be,” Justin whispered in her ear but all of them caught it.
“See what you do to me, girl? I tell you, if I didn’t love you, I’d be killing you right now.” She rolled her eyes and scooped up a sleeping Max as he and Grant moved the women toward their private plane.
Laura yanked on his shirt and glared up at him. “Call off your goons. That was uncalled for.”
Before Daniel could s
ay anything Grant reached over and swatted her ass. “What is between your friend and them is none of our business. Now go get on the plane, both of you.”
* * * * *
One minute Laura was glaring at Grant while walking toward the jet—the next all hell was breaking loose. Her ears were ringing and her arm and the left side of her body burned as something heavy shoved her to the ground with a grunt.
“Don’t move. Daniel has Max and your friend is fine.” Grant was whispering. Or was he yelling? She wasn’t certain.
Lifting her head a fraction, Laura took in the scene around her. The private jet was now in flaming pieces. The two men who had been in front of her were now being seen by medics. Sirens blared in the distance as the ringing in her ears slowly tuned down.
“Are you hurt?” Daniel yelled, staring at her while covering her son’s body with his. She heard his muffled cries and Laura tried to reach toward them, but a fierce shot of pain raced through the left side of her body, making her cry out.
The heavy weight on her back lifted and Grant rolled to her side. “Where?” Was all he said, but it was enough.
Very slowly, she rolled to her uninjured side, panting and moaning the whole time. She looked down to her side and everything started to spin. Her clothes were almost melded to her skin and a small piece of the plane was sticking out of her side.
“Son of a bitch. Gary, we need you here. Seth, bring the Hummer and park it in front of us. Justin, Bo, you get Alex back into the car. Daniel, put Max in the Hummer, but have Seth check him out first. He’s worked on infants before.”
All of Grant’s words blurred together as people ran around doing what he ordered.
“No hospitals. I have no insurance, plus it’s not as bad as it looks.” Laura tried to peel the shirt away from her skin but someone reached out and held onto her hand.
“No, let me take a look first. Can you roll onto your back for me so I can get a better look?” The tattoo-faced man was speaking and she nodded.
Sucking in her breath, Laura rolled to her back and stared up at the man. His piercing green eyes reminded her of the pictures of her father. “You have amazing eyes. They remind me of my father’s.” Laura blurted it out before she could even stop herself. “Sorry.”
He smiled. “Thank you. Now let’s take a look to see how bad off you are.” The giant man’s hands were gentle on her flesh but the slightest touch hurt like hell.
“You have a few burns. Nothing life-threatening, but you have several small pieces of metal in your side I need to remove. I can give you a sedative and it will help with the pain. We need to clean your skin so infection doesn’t set in.”
He reached over to the small black bag he’d brought over and pulled out a needle and a small bottle.
“No! I don’t want any shots. Just do it,” Laura ordered. There was no way she was going to be drugged up when her son needed her.
The car pulled in front of them. She watched Daniel put Max and his car seat into the Hummer. She tried to ignore the pain as Seth slowly peeled her shirt away and started to pick out the pieces of metal.
Many of them were small, but when Seth looked up at Laura she knew he’d come to the larger piece. “Do it.”
She clenched her fingers, only to have Grant at her side twining his hand with hers. “You should have taken the shot but I understand why you didn’t. Hopefully soon you’ll learn to trust us.” He leaned down and kissed her lips softly distracting her as Seth yanked the piece out of her skin.
“Shit, that hurt!” Laura gasped and squeezed Grant’s hand.
“It’s out. Hold still while I put these butterfly bandages on. I’ll have a tube of antibiotic cream for you later when we settle down. Wear dresses if you can. That way nothing will rub or stick to your skin. Grant, do you have one of your shirts we can slip on her?”
For the next half hour, Gary, Daniel and Grant worked on cleaning her cuts and abrasions. Finally they were satisfied they’d gotten each injury. Grant helped her into one of his shirts when they were finished. Their men surrounding her making sure no one else saw what they were doing.
If she weren’t in such pain, Laura knew she would have been embarrassed. Cradling her in his arms, Grant got into the Hummer. Daniel and Seth followed, as did Gary.
“Head to Akron. My father has another plane arriving there in the next hour,” Daniel ordered Seth as he pulled the Hummer into traffic.
Leaning over Grant’s arm, Laura pulled Max’s blanket up over his small body and sighed. “Thank you, Daniel, for saving him.”
“I’m just sorry you got hurt. We never thought they would target you.” Daniel turned in his seat and leaned back to kiss the top of his head. “Sleep. We’ll wake you up when we get to the airport.”
Resting her head on Grant’s shoulder, Laura closed her eyes while her hand remained on Max’s car seat. Her life was in shambles and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. Not only had she endangered her life but Max’s and Alex’s lives.
Today was right up there with her mom dying as the worst-possible day in her life.
Chapter Seven
Stepping onto the plane, Grant carried a sleeping Laura. It hadn’t taken her long to fall fast asleep and she wasn’t the only one. He smiled as Rafe carried a passed-out Alex.
“Jed and Torch are on their way. They spoke with the captain and explained everything to him. The local press is being told an older jet exploded while fueling.” Daniel placed the baby carrier on the seat in front of them strapping it down.
His brother sat down next to him and carefully placed Laura’s feet into his lap. “I don’t want her at the condo. I want her at our house.” Daniel took Laura’s shoes off and started to rub her feet. “When she went flying backward…I don’t know how or why, but I can’t let her go.”
The sound of a bird screaming drew his attention and Daniel looked out the window, staring in disbelief. He swore it was the same bird from earlier sitting on the wing of the plane and staring at their window. “Do you see what I do?”
“It’s Momma. She’s watching over us,” Laura mumbled, peeking around him to stare out the window. “Thanks for taking such good care of Max for me.” She took his hand in his and kissed it.
“You should be resting. I suppose you heard what I said?” Daniel watched as she leaned back into Grant’s arms, wincing once, and nodded.
“We agreed to take this time to see what happens between us, but Daniel, I do feel something or I wouldn’t be sitting here with you right now. I wouldn’t have trusted you with my son while I slept. All I can tell you is I have to take it slow. What you two are asking for is out of the norm, and I’ve had nothing but bad luck when it comes to men.” She kissed Grant’s chest.
“We’ll wait. We have plenty of time. I’m afraid we might be awhile at the secured location.” Daniel glanced at his brother who nodded.
His brother stood and placed Laura into his lap. “I have a few things to check on and I want to make sure we have everything we’ll need for Max. I had Seth check in your bag and found the formula for Max but is he eating anything else? What size diapers does he need? Are you allergic to any foods?”
Laura smiled. “Max will need cereal and baby food. There is a box in the bag. Also, he has a prescription for these drops, which I’ll need filled again in a few weeks. He’s already into the large diapers—he is into a three or four. He’s about 22 pounds so whatever brand you go for, just have them check the size. I’m allergic to certain fruits—apples, peaches, plums. I drink two-percent milk because I’m lactose-intolerant even though I should drink the almond stuff, but can’t afford it. Other than that I’m fine. Oh but make sure there is plenty of dark-roast coffee, please.”
“Like your coffee, do you?” Grant said and smiled. “Okay, got it, and I’ll have them fill the prescription right away. Anything else?”
Her face turned a rosy color and she fiddled with his shirt. “Well, if we’re going to, umm, you know, we’ll need so
me kind of protection. I had to have my IUD taken out.”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll take care of you and we’ll most definitely be doing a lot of that,” Daniel teased her, brushing his fingers across her hardened nipple. “But first you are to rest and heal. Let us take care of you, Laura.”
She didn’t say anything, but turned her head to stare at Alex, who was watching their every move from Rafe’s arms. Her gaze landed on him, then on Grant. “You hurt my friend and I swear I’ll find you and rip your balls off. She’s been through too much with her mom dying, that dickhead using her, the threatening letters and her tires being slashed.”
“Alex, enough! It’s in the past. We have to let it go.” Laura tried to sit up and her face tightened as she gripped his arm tight to lift herself.
“You’re going to rip those stitches! Lie back down,” Daniel ordered but she ignored him as she scooted off his lap and into the seat Grant had been sitting in.
“I want to talk to Alex for a little while. You two go do your business and let us girls talk. I’ll rest later, I promise.” She patted his leg and smiled at him. “But I think both of us could use a nice stiff drink.”
Laura laughed as Alex slapped Rafe’s hands when he tried to keep her from getting up. “Let go you, big oaf! I want to talk to my girl.” She continued slapping at Rafe’s hand, but kept laughing as he nipped at her neck.
“Fine, but you will put your feet up and rest. You also need to eat something before you have a drink. You didn’t eat anything earlier,” Rafe ordered, placing her across from Laura.
“I’ll have the flight attendant make you both some sandwiches and some coffee. We’ll save the drinks for later when we get settled into the house.” Daniel leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Cream, no sugar, right?”
Looking up at him, she smiled. “Yep, thank you. I am a bit hungry.”
“I meant what I said, Laura. We are here to take care of you. Grant and I will always be there for you.” Daniel stood and made his way to the galley. Rounding the corner into the kitchen he stopped, shocked at seeing his mother and sister there making sandwiches and coffee.
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