“Seven,” Brantley corrected. “I’ve recently hired JJ an assistant.”
“Potentially eight,” Reese corrected. “He’s made an offer to another … comm specialist, but he hasn’t accepted the position yet.”
“How many more are you lookin’ to bring on?” RT strolled back toward them.
Brantley glanced at Reese, nodded for him to answer.
“That depends on how we structure it,” Reese told RT. “As it is, we’re a bit lean for a full investigative team in this area. Since our cases require us to move quickly in the sense that we’re lookin’ for someone who could potentially be in a life-or-death situation, we need to cover ground quickly. But at the same time, we need to maintain coverage on our workload.”
“The cold cases?”
“Exactly.”
“Will you continue those?” RT asked, glancing between them.
“I’d like to lend a hand to neighboring departments if we’ve got the ability to do so.”
“So how many are you thinkin’ and how much ground are you coverin’?” RT lowered himself into one of the chairs, propped an ankle on a knee, and sipped his coffee.
“I’d say a full team would be roughly ten, maybe twelve. That includes the electronics experts and support personnel.”
“Ten or twelve per region?” RT clarified.
Reese looked at Brantley, then back to RT as though confused by the question. “Yeah, I guess. Are you lookin’ to create more teams?”
“I’m not.” RT motioned toward them. “But I figured y’all are.”
Brantley hadn’t discussed this with anyone, including RT. It had been mentioned, but only once. Something about creating these teams in a few major cities across the US.
“Eventually,” Brantley noted.
“From experience,” RT continued, “I can tell you it’d be wise to keep your electronics and support teams in one place and send field agents where they’re most needed as you grow. Less on overhead that way.”
“We’re willin’ to do whatever you need us to do,” Brantley told RT. “Our only objective is to remain useful to those who need our services.”
RT looked at Hunter, the men clearly having a silent conversation. When Hunter nodded, RT turned a wide grin on him and Reese.
“I’m not gonna pretend we have to get into the minutia to move forward. From the minute you showed interest, we were on board.” He chuckled. “In fact, it took me all of three minutes to present it to the board and get one-hundred-percent buy-in.”
Brantley stared like an idiot. He hadn’t been sure what to expect, but having spent his entire career working for the government, where the wheels turned slowly when it came to decision-making, he damn sure hadn’t anticipated a full-on welcome by the end of this meeting, much less just half an hour in.
“Seriously,” Hunter tacked on. “We’ve taken our fair share of missing-persons cases over the years, but we’ve never had the manpower to dedicate full teams to it. However, there is one caveat.”
Of course there was.
Brantley waited patiently for the bad news.
“Man, don’t look like someone punted you in the balls. It’s not that bad,” RT said with a choked laugh.
“In my experience, it usually is,” he admitted.
Hunter glanced between them, his gaze landing on Brantley when he said, “We’re aware you’re both accustomed to bein’ boots-on-the-ground leaders”—Hunter held up a hand, thwarting Brantley’s prepared argument—“which you will remain.” He exhaled with a smile. “However, you’ll also be considered executive management within our infrastructure. With that comes a few additional responsibilities. Financials, sales, whatnot. But you’ll be assigned a personal assistant and a bookkeeper to deal with your office work. If the need arises, we can get you a spot for an office manager, as well. A complete clerical staff’ll free up your team, allowing them to dedicate one hundred percent of their time to the cases.”
Brantley knew JJ would be pleased with that.
“The assistant I just hired…” Brantley glanced between RT and Hunter. “If it’s all the same to you, we’d like to utilize her.”
“Hire whoever you see fit. You will maintain operational control.” RT got to his feet. “But what Hunter’s leavin’ out is the other executive responsibilities. You’d be required to show up a couple of times a month for meetings, keep the board and the other teams up to date on what you’re focused on and how you’re spendin’ your money. As well as the paying clients you’re accumulatin’.”
“Payin’ clients? The ones we help don’t usually need our services again.”
“If they’re lucky, that’s true. But they’re not the clients we’re lookin’ to deal with. However, we provide myriad services.”
Brantley nodded, understanding.
“As for spendin’, we’ve got a relatively foolproof budgeting system, which we’ll go over so you know where your funds are allocated.” RT motioned to the barn. “And if you’re in agreement, we’d like to rent some space for some of our agents.”
Brantley glanced at Reese, looking for confirmation he was in agreement with any or all of it.
“We can move those funds around in the budget,” Reese said, which Brantley took as full agreement.
RT pulled out his phone, tapped something on it. A second later, Brantley’s phone chimed, as did Reese’s.
“Those are your individual welcome packets, outlinin’ salary, benefits, and the like. We can discuss those further whenever you’re ready. We’ve got the same packets for each of your current team members, with the exception of the new assistant since we weren’t aware. But we can have it by early Monday mornin’. It’s all covered. Like I said, we’re thrilled about this expansion. And I personally think it’ll benefit all of us in the end.”
Brantley agreed. He knew they’d have access to resources they hadn’t even had with the state. Plus, and probably most importantly, they’d have some organization. As much as he loved his team, that was one thing they’d yet to master.
When the rest of the team arrived, Brantley had regrettably informed them of the governor’s decision to disband the team. He was surprised there hadn’t been too much pushback. Aside from Baz and Charlie asking about the pensions they’d been promised they could keep, which he’d told them he would have to follow up on.
Once everyone had settled down, they spent a couple of hours mapping out what the new task force would look like under the umbrella of Sniper 1 Security. RT and Hunter had stayed under the guise of offering their insight, but Brantley got the feeling they stuck around because they wanted to see how the team meshed.
It’d been slow going in the beginning, what with Jessica James—known simply as JJ—having a tantrum after learning not only had her personal life gone up in flames, her professional one was in a state of chaos as well. Luckily, they’d managed to talk her off the ledge, and once she was on even ground again, it didn’t take long before she was leading the charge.
As for Charlotte Miller and Trey Walker, the newest members of the task force, they were still in that awkward stage where they acted as though they had little input on the subject matter. Every so often, one or both would speak up, but it had taken Reese’s continuous attempts to include them before they were contributing as true members of the team.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Sebastian Buchanan, a.k.a. Baz. Everyone knew the man was dealing with a personal problem, which happened to be in the form of a one-night stand that had the potential of becoming a life-long relationship. In an effort to lick his wounds, Baz had gotten shit-faced on New Year’s and gone home with a woman. Turned out, that woman—Molly Ryan—was convinced she was pregnant, although it had only been a week and was still too early to confirm. Needless to say, Baz wasn’t in a good place, what with dealing with that and working through his feelings for JJ.
Perhaps because of Baz’s personal crisis, JJ was in rare form, taking full control of their most rece
nt development by claiming she was in charge of the reorganization. That, of course, meant everything had to change, including the layout of the barn.
Good thing the rest of them were pretty casual about the whole thing.
“You know what? I think I’ll leave y’all to this,” Brantley suggested shortly after RT and Hunter had left. The absolute last damn thing he cared about was where desks were placed or who sat where.
“And just where are you off to?”
“I’ve got a couple of errands,” he lied. “Then we’re headin’ over to the festival. It is Saturday,” he reminded everyone. “Y’all should probably do the same.”
Chapter Two
Travis Walker propped his head on his hand and stared down at the beautiful woman still sleeping beside him, the soft morning light peeking in through the window allowing him to see. It was one of those rare moments, the kind where he could simply remain still, his brain not erupting in chaos, allowing him to enjoy the peacefulness.
These past few months, or maybe the past few years, had done a number on him mentally. He was dealing with so much, and it seemed every time he turned around, there was one more thing to add to his to-do list. A wife, a husband, five kids, a highly lucrative business … they all wanted a piece of him, but it seemed there was rarely enough to go around. He wasn’t complaining, because he had a great life. Rather, he was just more aware of these rare moments.
Travis watched for long minutes, waiting until Kylie stirred, her internal clock signaling it was time to start the day. Because Gage had gotten up with Maddox a short time ago, Travis was going to take advantage of these few minutes he had alone with his wife.
“Mornin’,” he whispered when she rolled onto her back, her arm sliding up over her eyes as though she wasn’t ready for the day to intrude.
“Already?” she mumbled around a smile.
Travis tugged the sheet gently, allowing the soft Egyptian cotton to glide down and reveal one dusky pink nipple.
“What are you doin’?” she whispered, her arm sliding away, eyes opening, adjusting to the light.
He smiled, loving the way her nipple puckered as though beckoning him. “Startin’ the day right.”
“Kinda like you ended the day right with Gage in the shower last night?”
Travis leaned down, licked her nipple as he recalled those sinful few minutes he’d had alone with Gage. “Exactly like that.”
“Anyone ever tell you you’re spoiled?”
He chuckled, sucking lightly on her nipple, then applying more pressure until she was moaning. His hand joined the party, gliding over smooth, warm skin to cup her other breast, kneading the generous mound.
Travis proceeded to wake her fully with his hands and his mouth, lapping, licking, sucking, until she was whimpering and pulling at him.
“Is this where you want me?” he asked, moving over her, settling his hips in the cradle of her thighs.
Another whimper was her response, Kylie’s fingertips digging into his biceps, her knees clasping his hips.
Without preamble, Travis slid into her silky heat, enveloped by the tight velvety clasp of her pussy. He grunted as pleasure consumed him.
He wasn’t sure what prompted him to move slowly, to take his time, but it felt like the perfect moment. Brushing Kylie’s hair back from her face, Travis smiled down at her as he pumped his hips, pushing in slow and deep, enjoying the way her body locked down on him, those sweet moans coming from her. It wouldn’t last long, he knew that much. Kylie was a wildcat in the bedroom, and she preferred fast and dirty to slow and sweet, but he would take this for as long as she would allow it.
When she began rocking beneath him, attempting to quicken the pace, he knew she’d be issuing orders any second, and just thinking about it made him grin to himself.
“Travis,” she whispered, her hands moving to his ass, jerking him closer when he sank in deep. “More … please … more.”
He punched his hips forward, listening for her satisfied ahh, yes before doing it again and again until he had to put a hand on the headboard to hold them in place. He drove into her deeper, faster, watching her the entire time, loving the way her back bowed, her breasts thrust upward, the sleek column of her neck stretched as she twisted and contorted in a desperate effort to find her release. He wasn’t giving her nearly enough and he knew it, but Travis wanted to drag it out until she was overwhelmed by the simple pleasure, crazy with the need to come.
It didn’t take long until her nails were digging into his flesh, her body vibrating, her pleas coming faster. Only then did Travis shift positions, pushing up to his knees, adjusting so her feet were planted on his shoulders, allowing him to grab her hips and hold her lower half off the bed so he could pound into her hard and deep.
“Yes,” she screamed. “God, yes.”
With every driving thrust, her breasts bounced, an erotic sight that always got him. In fact, everything about her got him. Thanks to five pregnancies, Kylie’s body wasn’t the same as it had been before, but the truth was, Travis loved it more now than he had in the beginning. She was curvy and soft in all the right places, and never more beautiful. He knew it had something to do with the fact she was confident in her own skin, having grown into the role as mother and wife with the ease of a woman who knew what she was doing.
And she turned him on like no other woman ever could.
“You ready to come for me?” he growled softly, his fingertips digging gently into her flesh.
“Yes … yes … yes…” she moaned with every thrust of his hips.
Travis shifted again, bringing her feet down from his shoulders, slipping his arms beneath her knees and leaning forward, bending her in half as he fucked her, giving her everything he had.
Travis was aware his lovely wife didn’t want sweet and gentle. She wanted to fuck, to enjoy the pleasure assaulting every nerve ending. He knew this because she wasn’t scared to tell them as much.
It was then Kylie grabbed a pillow, placed it over her head, and screamed his name, muffling the sound so as not to alert the kids.
Unable to resist, Travis followed her right over that precarious edge, slamming into her one final time and draining himself.
When he flopped onto the bed, he pulled her onto her side, holding her close, kissing her forehead, and doing his best to catch his breath.
“Good mornin’,” he whispered.
This time, she giggled, nipped his chin, and said, “Yes, I believe it is.”
A couple of hours later, after Travis and Kylie had gotten up, showered—separately, much to Travis’s dismay—and joined Gage in making breakfast and getting the kids ready for the day, Travis was packing up the last of the snacks Kylie insisted on taking with them to the festival.
Despite their afternoon plans, they’d been doing their best to entertain the kids, but when it became apparent the munchkins were unable to focus on anything except for the upcoming Fantasy Festival being held in downtown Coyote Ridge, Travis decided it was time to get the festivities underway. Or rather, he’d informed the kids they would be leaving at exactly noon, which meant they had to watch the clock so they weren’t late.
“Daddy-O! It’s time! It’s time! Let’s go!”
Travis smiled as he tucked his cell phone in his pocket and grabbed the smart key to the Cadillac Escalade.
“I’m comin’,” he called back, hefting the duffel bag onto his shoulder.
“Hurry! Hurry!” Kate chanted, echoing her brother’s excitement.
For the past five minutes, ever since Kylie told the kids they needed to get their shoes on so they could leave, the house had been filled with whoops and hollers, the munchkins eager to get to their destination.
With key in hand, Travis stepped into the foyer to find the three oldest kids sitting dutifully on the bottom step of the stairs, their little butts wiggling with excitement.
He watched them for a moment, teasing them with his eyes, then laughed. “All right. Let’s get on with it.�
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“Yay!” They were instantly on their feet, stomping toward the door, barely avoiding trampling one another in the process.
“Kylie! Baby, you ready?” Travis called up the stairs.
“We’re comin’!”
Kylie and Gage were in charge of getting Haden and Maddox ready, so Travis headed out to get Kate, Avery, and Kade buckled into their car seats.
“I’m gonna play with Derrick today,” Kate informed him.
“Is that right?”
“Nuh-uh,” Kade argued. “I’m gonna play with Derrick first.”
Travis tuned out the ensuing argument, a talent he’d acquired from having six brothers, and one he’d perfected after having multiple children. Over the years, he’d gotten pretty good at keeping an ear out for critical moments when he had to intervene. Otherwise, he would leave it to them to figure out.
“Are you gonna play with Derrick, too, sweetness?” Travis asked Avery as he secured her in her seat.
She nodded, smiled.
Avery was his sweet girl, the one who was quiet and shy, rarely instigating, but at the same time, smart enough to know to never back down. And he was pretty sure she’d adopted the same method of dealing with their arguments as Travis had.
Chuckling, he leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.
When he turned and closed the door, he saw Kylie and Gage coming out of the house, locking things up behind them. Gage had a kid on each hip, while Kylie had two more bags, in addition to all the ones Travis had already loaded up.
“Y’all good if I go?” he asked. “I’m gonna swing through and pick up Pop.”
He got a nod in response, so he offered a small wave and hopped in the SUV.
Twenty minutes later, with his father riding shotgun and three of his crazy kids raising a ruckus in the backseat, he was pulling into one of the empty spots at his cousin Rex’s bed-and-breakfast. He’d checked in with him ahead of time to see if they could secure a few spots for family, knowing the festival would cause everything else to fill up fast.
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