Like last night, the food is delicious, and I hum in approval as the scrambled eggs melt in my mouth. I don’t look over, but I can feel Andrew’s gaze on me. “This is really good, thank you.”
Asher grunts but has a hint of a smile on his face.
Aaron smiles. “I’m glad you like it. These are from our chickens. And most of the vegetables come from the gardens you walked by on the way here. If we can’t grow or raise it here, we try to locally source everything.”
“You have chickens, too? The garden looked amazing. Living off the land is a dream for most people. It’s so different from my life.” They’re looking at me expectantly, but everything I wanted to share, I did already.
“Do you like being a lawyer?” Rebekah asks.
“Mostly. I suppose contract law isn’t most people’s dream job, but it’s stable when you work for a large company, like JNG. I guess knowing all my hard work paid off is the best part.”
Rebekah nods and looks thoughtful.
Her sister, Hannah, is quiet. She’s spoken the least of all the women, and she surprises me when her soft voice asks, “We didn’t go to school. Our mother homeschooled us for a while. We’re working on our GEDs now.”
I’m not sure I hide my surprise very well, but it makes sense after what they shared last night. “That’s wonderful. You should be proud of yourselves. If I can help at all while I’m here, I’d be happy to,” I offer, and mean it, too. It was a stupid thing to say. They won’t need my help. I’m leaving soon—maybe even today—and my cheeks heat.
Andrew’s hand squeezes my thigh under the island, making me glance at him. His smile is gentle, softer than any I’ve seen from him yet. “Finish up, then we’ll go talk in my office. Okay?”
His words are innocent, but they still erase whatever appetite I have. After drinking the rest of my coffee, I push away my plate. “I’m ready when you are. Thank you again for breakfast.”
Andrew squeezes my thigh again. “Let’s go then.” Then he looks across the island and says, “Adrian, when you’re done, come to my office.”
“Talk to you later,” Emma calls out with a smile.
“If you have time, we’ll give you a tour of the garden,” Rebekah adds.
“Sounds good. I’m just not sure what’s going on yet,” I answer, then look up at Andrew. He’s like a giant as he stands next to me; his expression blank, giving away nothing. He must be an excellent poker player.
nine
Andrew
My girl’s gaze darts around as I lead her from the kitchen to my office. She only saw the family room and kitchen yesterday. If I get the answers I expect this morning, she’ll get a full tour later after we take care of a few errands. I can’t help smiling when I think about the tantrum she’s going to throw when I tell her my plan. Yeah, she’s going to fight me—I can guarantee it.
After she fell asleep in my arms last night, my brain wouldn’t shut off. Not that it usually does. But instead of JNG problems, my thoughts revolved around Jaclyn and making her mine. If I have my way, and I usually do, she will be mine soon.
"Do you need to use the bathroom before we have our meeting?” I ask as we pass the first-floor powder room.
Startled, her face lifts to mine. “Bathroom? No, I’m fine. Let’s just get this over with.” After a moment, she adds, “You know I’m a grown woman, right?”
“Of course I do. That will never stop me from taking care of you.” Her mouth drops open, and her eyes squint as if she’s trying to figure me out. She won’t, but it’s adorable that she thinks she can.
“Whatever,” she mumbles.
I’m not sure how much she knows about Daddy kink, but I don’t doubt that she’ll benefit from letting me take care of her since no one else has.
While she was getting dressed this morning, I read through all the intel Adrian received from our hacker, Tristan Parker. He and Adrian were college roommates. From what Adrian said, he tried to convince Tristan to come work for us, but he started his own white-hat cybersecurity firm—though he’s not averse to some black-hat work occasionally.
My Sweetpea had it rougher than she let on at dinner. No wonder she’s so worried about losing her job. Based on her high school records, Jaclyn’s been working toward this job her entire life, and I won’t take it from her. She can work from here just like we do.
What I hadn’t expected was for him to tell me that the Feds got tipped off and opened an investigation already. Tristan discovered through his contacts that the FBI and Homeland Security created a taskforce to investigate JNG for possible illegal dealings. Whoever played whistleblower implicated Jaclyn, not that I believe it. The feds went in with a search warrant last night and cleared out her office.
This is a huge clusterfuck. But the worst part is that Jaclyn is under suspicion. I am too, but I don’t give a shit about myself as long as I can protect Jaclyn, and my family from the fallout.
When we reach my office, I push open the door, and step aside to let Jaclyn enter fist. It’s a carbon copy of my office at JNG Headquarters, but I doubt she’d know that. Aaron and did the same; the twins and Adrian have their offices in our underground bunker. Biometrically secured and hidden within the pantry in the kitchen, it’s more secure than Fort Knox. Fireproof, bombproof, and stocked with enough supplies for all of us to stay inside for a year if necessary—not that we ever expect that to happen.
My parents were preppers; being internet-savvy, they probably understood more than most about the dangers the future would bring. Not that any of us believe we’ll ever hide out there, but it’s good to know we have it if needed.
