“Don’t you want to have lunch first?” Dane asked.
“After lunch, silly. Strawberry ice cream with oatmeal cookies.”
“That’s her favorite. Don’t worry if your place doesn’t serve it.”
“What Becca wants, she will have.” Dane took his cell phone out of his pocket and typed in a short message to Bates. “Do you have a car?”
“Yes. Why?”
“You’re driving.”
The Admiral’s Eighth was busy for a Saturday afternoon. Dane knew it would be because of the Christmas shoppers visiting the downtown area. His bar allowed its patrons to relax in a comfortable environment, without music blaring, unlike many of the stores and restaurants in the neighborhood.
“Over here,” Dane said as he pointed to a booth marked reserved.
They made their way toward it, Becca chattering excitedly. “Does Lucky have lunch, too?”
“He eats breakfast,” Dane answered, happy to be in her company.
“Can he have dessert?”
“We’ll see.” Dane helped Becca with her coat then hung it on the hook outside their booth. “There you go,” he said as he picked her up and sat her on the padded seat.
Jules took off her coat and hung it over top of Becca’s, then took her seat beside her. Dane hung his coat over hers. He smiled, realizing that they had the appearance of being a family. He slid onto the bench across from them, followed by Lucky sitting at his feet.
Immediately, a waitress was at their table.
“Hi, there, welcome to the Admiral’s. My name is Annie. I’m your server.” She glanced at Dane, instantly recognizing him. “Boss. I didn’t know this was your table.” Her embarrassment betrayed her with a deepening blush.
“Hi, Annie. I’d like you to meet Becca and her mom, Jules. They’re going to be regulars here.”
“Hi,” Becca said happily. “I want chicken fingers and fries, please.”
“One of my favorites. How about the two of you? Do you know what you’d like to order? Or would you like to look at the menu?”
“What do you recommend, Dane?”
“We’ve got the best burgers in town.”
“I’ll have a burger with onion rings.”
“Make that two,” Dane said. “And two beer and one—”
“Milk is fine for Becca.”
“Milk,” he said before turning his attention to his table mates.
“Do you know what?” Becca asked, turning her attention to Dane.
“Tell me.”
“Santa Claus will be here soon.”
“He will?”
She nodded her head. “Yep, and he brings lots of presents for everybody.”
“Yes, he does.”
“We’ve been reading Christmas stories,” Jules explained. “Becca is learning about Santa’s workshop and his reindeer.”
“Wow. How many reindeer does Santa have?”
Becca held up both hands with one thumb bent across her palm. “Nine!”
“Nine? I thought there are only eight.”
Becca shook her head and laughed before she recited all of their names, “Comet, Cupid, Dasher, and Donner, and Dancer, Blitzen, and Prancer, and Vixen, and Rudolph in front!”
“Which one is Rudolph?”
“He’s the one with the red nose, silly!”
“Right.”
Their waitress, Annie, arrived with their drinks. “Your lunch is almost ready. I’ll bring it to you shortly.”
Dane thanked her, then turned his attention back to Becca. “Have you seen Santa and told him what you’d like for Christmas?”
The smile Becca gave him made his heart melt. “I want a doggie, and a pony, and more books.”
“I told Becca that Santa couldn’t bring a puppy with him on his sleigh. It’s too long of a trip for a puppy. The same goes for a pony.”
“You want a doggie? What kind?”
Becca needed no encouragement to talk about her dream dog. “He is white and brown, and he has long floppy ears.”
“Like Flopsy?”
“Yep. And he has a long waggly tail. And he has short legs.”
“Is it a Basset Hound?”
Becca shrugged her shoulders.
“Jules, do you know?”
“It could be. I don’t know where she got the idea. Becca knows not to expect a lot of presents from Santa. He has all the children in the world to give presents to.”
“Here you go,” Annie announced when she arrived with their meals. “One chicken fingers with fries for Becca, and our burger special for Jules and Boss. Let me know if I can get you anything else.”
“We’re fine. Thank you,” Jules said. She waited for Annie to be out of earshot before she whispered to Dane, “She calls you Boss.”
He shrugged.
“Val calls you Boss, too. Why is that?”
Dane took a bite of his burger.
Jules wouldn’t let him ignore the question. “Does everyone call you Boss? Is it your nickname?”
Dane swallowed then took a swig of his beer. “My unit called me Boss, and the name stayed with me.”
“What does it mean?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me. I want to know. Tell me.”
“Not now.”
“Why not?”
Dane glanced at Becca, who was busy eating her chicken fingers. His gaze returned to Jules, who hadn’t touched her meal.
“Your burger’s getting cold.”
“I’m a mother. My food is always cold. Out with it.”
“They call me Boss because when I was on a mission, I was in complete control. I took out the enemy without any of my men getting shot. We had the highest loss exchange ration of any unit.”
“Loss exchange ratio?”
“Enemy kills.”
Dane reached for her hand as he saw the color drain from her face. “Please, don’t. Not here. Not now.”
Jules pulled her hand away, recoiling from his touch.
“Why is Mommy white?”
“Mommy’s not feeling well,” Jules said quickly. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this. We have to go, Becca.”
“I’m not finished!”
“Red,” Dane’s voice was low and pleading. “Stay. Don’t punish Becca.”
“I’m not. We have to go. I’m not feeling well.” Jules got to her feet. “Come on, Becca. It’s time to go.”
Dane stood up and motioned to Annie to come to their table.
“Yes, Boss?”
“They have to leave. Will you put their meals in a container? There’s also a special dessert in the freezer for them. Bring that with you. Thanks.”
“Sure thing. I’ll be right back.”
“We don’t need to take our food with us.”
“Yes, you do. Becca hasn’t finished her lunch, and I promised her strawberry ice cream with oatmeal cookies. I don’t break my promises. Ever.”
He helped them with their coats.
Becca crouched down to talk to Lucky. “Bye-bye, Lucky. Too bad we couldn’t have lunch with you. See you later.”
“Here you go,” Annie announced as she handed a thermal bag to Jules. “I hope you come back soon.”
“Thank you,” Jules replied. She turned to Dane. “Thank you for lunch. Goodbye.”
Dane crouched to see eye to eye with Becca. “Goodbye, sweetie. Look after Mommy for me, okay?”
Becca wrapped her arms around Dane’s neck and kissed his cheek. “Okay. Bye.” She let go of him and took her mother’s hand.
Dane stood up and watched Jules lead Becca out of the restaurant. He had never felt as powerless as he did at this moment. Red had cut him off at the knees because of a nickname. He was proud of that name. His men had give
n it to him, and he’d be damned if he let anyone make him feel ashamed because of it.
“What set her off this time?” Bates asked from behind Dane’s back.
“My name. My fucking name.”
At that moment, Lucky’s wet nose pressed against the back of his hand. Dane looked down at his dog and shook his head. “You’ve got the damnedest timing, boy.”
“This is it,” Val Williams said to Bates as he neared the driveway to Jules’ townhouse.
“You sure you don’t need backup?” Bates looked at her in his rearview mirror. Val had been fidgeting during most of the drive—something that would have bothered him if he didn’t have Boss on his mind.
“Don’t joke about something like that. Jules invited me. I’ll be fine. You can go and do whatever it is you do when you’re in town.”
He steered the vehicle into the driveway and turned off the ignition.
“What do you think I do?” Bates’ furrowed brow betrayed his usually expressionless face.
“I have absolutely no idea. Maybe you have a lady friend you visit. Or perhaps you treat yourself to a spa day.”
Bates stared back at her. “You don’t want to be late.” He opened his driver’s door then stepped out of the SUV to make his way to the back passenger door.
Val waited for him, knowing how much he didn’t like anyone to break the rules. She was aware of what he was doing without having to watch him. Bates took his time, surveying the area, looking for any possible threat, before he let her exit the safety of the vehicle. She knew she was safe. Dane had assured Val when she first joined his staff that Bates had some quirks that she would find odd. He told her to go with the flow, and not let him get to her. That’s what Val did, and in return, she took liberty in teasing the man whenever she could.
Her door opened, and a hand reached in for her. She handed Bates a tote bag filled with Christmas baking and a few gifts. Jules’ phone call a few days ago had given Val plenty of time to bake and purchase a few presents for her niece and grandniece.
“Thank you, Bates,” she said as she exited the SUV.
They walked to the front door of the house.
“This walkway needs to be cleared properly. Someone could get hurt.”
“No one clears a walkway like you.”
“Damned right.”
Val rang the doorbell. The sound of Becca’s voice announcing to her mother that Auntie Val had arrived caused Val’s heart to swell.
“Aunt Val,” Jules said with a sigh of relief upon opening the door. “You came.”
“You invited her, didn’t you?” Bates accusatory tone surprised her.
“That’s not—” Val shook her head. “Don’t mind him. He’s miffed that your walkway has some snow on it.”
“Merry Christmas.” Bates handed the tote bag to Val. “Call me when you’re ready to leave. Boss and I will pick you up.”
“Will do. Thank you, Bates.”
Jules stepped back to allow Val entry. As soon as the door closed, they could hear the sound of a shovel clearing the walkway.
Jules gave Val a questioning look to which Val smiled and answered, “That’s Bates. He has to have things done right.”
Val shrugged off her coat and hung it on the antique coat rack by the front door. She slipped off her boots before following Jules into the living room.
“Today works out perfectly for our visit. Dane had plans for coming into town, so I hitched a ride.”
“I didn’t see him in the car with you.”
“Bates dropped him off first. Dane didn’t want to cause any problems. He said your last meeting didn’t end on good terms.”
“No, it didn’t.”
Val looked around the room. “This room looks like it did the last time you lived here. It didn’t take you long to settle in again, did it?”
“Not when professionals put the house back together for me. I couldn’t have done it with Becca underfoot.”
Val placed the tote bag on the coffee table. “I brought you some Christmas baking, and—” she paused while she pulled out a Christmas stocking filled with presents. “This is for you. I remember how much you looked forward to your Christmas stocking first thing Christmas morning.”
“Aunt Val, I—”
“Hide it somewhere then put it out beside Becca’s on Christmas Eve. You have a stocking for Becca, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. She’s into Santa big time. Every night she crosses off the number of sleeps before he arrives.”
“Speaking of Becca, where did she run off to?”
Jules put the stocking back in the tote bag. She pressed her finger to her lips and whispered, “She’s discovered a new game, hide and seek. She wants you to find her.”
Val smiled with amusement. “I haven’t played that game in ages. Not since you were a little girl. Make sure there’s a cup of coffee waiting for me after I find her. We can sample some of my baking if you like. I made your favorites. At least they were your favorite.”
“If they’re your shortbread cookies, they are still my favorite.” She gave Val a warm smile. “You might want to look in my O F F I C E,” she said, spelling out the word.
Val nodded in agreement, deciding first to pretend to look for Becca in the living room.
“Becca, where are you? Are you in the living room? Are you hiding under the tree?”
Val moved through the room, making loud sounds so that Becca would hear her. Eventually, she made her way to Jules’ office and called out, “Is Becca in here? I wonder where she could be.”
Val searched for the little girl, looking behind the curtains and the furniture. “No, she’s not here,” she announced. Val got to her hands and knees to look under the furniture. “Not here either. Where is she? Oh, I know,” Val said happily. “She must be under Mommy’s desk. Val made her way around the large antique desk, confident she would find Becca. The child was nowhere.
“Becca?”
With her hands on her hips, Val took a final look around the room. It was a large room. A love seat, two winged-back chairs, two large wooden bookshelves, and a massive and heavy antique desk fit nicely in it.
“Child, where are you?” Val huffed. She moved to the doorway and called out, “Jules! I can’t find Becca.”
Jules walked out of the kitchen, laughing at her aunt. “You can’t find Becca?”
“I’m serious, Jules. If she’s not in the office, where else would she hide?”
“I saw her go into the office myself.” Jules ignored the slight stab of panic in her belly. “How hard is it to find a four-year-old?” she asked as she made her way into her office. “Becca! Where are you?”
“She has to be in another room,” Val said, trying to reassure Jules.
“No.” Jules shook her head. “She knows the rules. She doesn’t go upstairs without me. There’s only the main floor for hiding—living room, kitchen, the office, and the bathroom.”
“Then I’ll look for her on this floor, and you go upstairs just in case she decided to change the rules of the game.”
“Becca!” both women called out.
Their search became desperate. Val heard the slamming of doors upstairs as Jules exited each checked room. The sound of Becca’s name echoed throughout the house. She checked the living room, tossing cushions to the floor in case the child was hiding beneath them.
“Becca, this isn’t funny. Please come out wherever you are. You won, sweetie. Auntie Val doesn’t want to play anymore.” She listened, hoping to hear the child’s giggle, only to hear Jules’ footsteps upstairs on the wood floor.
Val returned to the office. “Becca? The game’s over. Please come out.”
Jules made her way down the stairs.
“Did you find her?”
Val, unaware of Jules standing behind her, startled with a
gasp. “No. Jules. I’m worried.”
“Becca,” Jules cried out.
Val walked to the foyer in search of her purse. She pulled out her cellphone and pressed the call button.
“Who are you calling?”
Val held up her finger to quiet Jules. “Bates, we can’t find Becca. Please come and help us.”
It wasn’t until she heard the urgency in her aunt’s voice that Jules allowed panic to take hold of her. She steadied herself against the staircase railing.
“She can’t be gone, Val. Do you think she’s been kidnapped?”
“No! What makes you think that? If anyone can help us find her, it’s Dane and Bates. Do you think she could have slipped outside?”
“She can’t open the door. It’s too heavy for her. There’s no way she could be outside.”
“She’s almost five, Jules. Don’t underestimate her.”
“This is all because of him, isn’t it?”
“What? You can’t possibly think that Dane had anything to do with this.”
“You work for a man who has a personal bodyguard and lives in a high-security compound. He must have made a lot of enemies. Don’t you think someone has taken Becca because of him?”
Val couldn’t answer her niece. She had no explanation for Becca’s disappearance, and she refused to let her imagination run away with her.
“Let’s keep our wits about us, okay?” Val opened the front door and stepped onto the landing. “Becca!” she called out then cursed Bates for clearing off the walkway. There was no way to tell if little feet had stepped outside.
“Becca!” Jules called out from beside her. She grabbed Val’s hand. “Where is she?”
Val heard the sound of a car racing down the street toward them. In seconds, the black SUV pulled up the driveway, and both the driver’s and passenger doors opened.
“What’s happened,” Dane called out as he ran up the walkway with Lucky and Bates behind him.
“It’s Becca,” Val said, trying to stay calm. “We can’t find her.”
Bates turned and surveyed the area. There were no footprints in the snow. “Do you think she’s outside?”
“No. She can’t open the front door. It’s too heavy for her.”
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