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“What?”
“Nothing.” She brushed their conversation off. “So, you up for tonight? Dinner and drinks at a restaurant in town.”
“Town? We can do that?”
“Yes. The owner is Cole’s father’s best friend and a former Blackstone teammate. Us wives, Abby, and June are the only ones who need escorts when we go out. We’re like chum for the Cartel.” She gave a dry laugh and hopped off the stool. She almost reached the door when she swiveled on her heel. “Ivy too.” She inclined her head. “She can’t leave without one of you with her. Blonde and gorgeous, she’d be prime meat on the black market.”
For me, too.
“That’s some dark humor you have there.”
“It’s a lot easier to make fun of the danger we’re in than to try to repress it.” She shrugged. “We keep it casual at Zack’s unless it’s a holiday. The guys normally wear jeans and a t-shirt. Just no fatigues.”
“Copy that.” I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and left for my run. I ran until my breath came in short gasps and my shirt was wet with sweat. I neared the house and allowed myself to slow to a walk.
“Hey, Logan wants to see you in his office,” Sloane called as she caught sight of me.
“Thanks.”
I noticed Ivy’s door was shut when I zipped by, heading to Cole’s office. I heard Keith’s voice and slowed, not wanting to interrupt.
“Feedback?” Cole asked.
“Straight shooter, logical, and fair. I couldn’t have asked for a better replacement for Doc Roberts. I like her, Cole. I think I might ask her to take on the whole family.”
I hoped Cole would share Keith’s praise with Ivy at some point.
“I like that idea, too.”
“Thanks.” Keith hurried out of the room and gave me a nod as he trotted by. I liked Keith. He was quiet but fit with everyone else here. He obviously had a lot going on in his personal life, something about his wife. I’d figured out that much, but I wasn’t about to ask. Whatever it was, I hoped it would end soon. A guy in our line of work didn’t need that kind of stress in his life.
“Hey, Logan.” I stood in the doorway and waited for Cole to ask me in.
“Beckett.” He registered my presence. “This’ll only take a sec,” he said with his eyes on a file. “Come on in.”
I moved just inside the door and stood still. The Army life was ingrained in me, and the casual style of the others would take time.
“At ease.” He tossed the file on the table and looked up at me. “You coming to Zack’s tonight?”
“Yes, I think. Sloane just gave me the invite.”
“Good. So, here are some things to know. Zack used to work on my father’s team, but his passion seemed to be more behind a stove than behind the scope of a gun.” He chuckled at his own words. “Anyway, he’s got a restaurant in town that’s safe for us all to relax and have a bit of fun. The town is used to us and pretty much give us our space. Still, we don’t often venture far when we’re out with the girls. We take turns watching over them if they decide to move about, but we don’t hover. We make our presence known, but that’s about it.”
He took a moment, and I thought he was done, but he continued. “Zack’s place is big, and though most of his staff keep their eyes open for strangers, that doesn’t mean we can’t be spotted or that our girls are safe. The Cartel would love to get one of us, but they know our weak spot would be our wives and children. That would hurt us the most. All of us keep our eyes on our family all the time. Ivy is new here, and so are you. I’m going to ask you to do the same for her.”
“Understood.” I was fine with that order.
“Ivy might not be in danger with the Cartel specifically, but between you and me, she could use a little extra protection.” Oh? “So, if you can help keep an eye on her and report back if anyone stands out, that would be great. That being said,” he got up and stepped close, “you have my permission to do whatever is necessary, depending on the circumstance. Just remember, you’re not in Afghanistan anymore.”
“Not a problem.”
“Suck it sucker, you’re it!” someone screamed from outside the door, and Cole smirked but quickly regained his composure.
“Good. We convoy into town. I’ll warn you now, the girls haven’t been out in a while.” He gave me a God help us look. “The kids are all back from Abby and June’s tomorrow, so they’ll want to blow off some steam.”
“I’ll be ready.” I smiled and tried to remember the last time I’d gone out for drinks in public. “If there’s nothing else, I need to check on a buddy.”
“Moore?” he asked.
