“We’ll have a meeting after breakfast. Everyone’s eating now. I know I gave you a few days off, but if you want to sit in on the morning run-down, you’re welcome to join us,” Leo said, shutting off his water and wrapping a towel around his waist.
“Thanks. I’ll be there soon,” he replied as Leo went into the locker room. Something troubled him, as evidenced by the way his shoulders slumped, and the ordinarily positive man seemed quiet and pensive.
Hurrying to finish, Liam made a mental note to ask Cole if he knew what troubled Leo. Between the leader’s warning about Addyson and his new position, he didn’t want to step on any toes.
Entering the kitchen, he took the empty chair. Shadow poured coffee for those who needed it. Sparky stroked Ice, her service dog. Whiskey’s dog, Hope, sat on her bed in the corner next to him. Saint and Knight leaned close to one another, speaking in low tones. Shadow and Taco sorted the latest intel, while Bear marked the latest maps.
Cole entered with Brody at his side. Upon his hand signal, the German Shepard lay down beside him. Liam smiled, excited about working with the K-9 unit. He and Cole got along great. Apollo, his new K-9 partner, picked up commands like a pro. He couldn’t wait to work with him at the end of the week.
“All right, let’s settle down,” Leo said tiredly. “We have the logs sent by Colonial Rutherford. According to the records, Sergeant Ford, Cole’s former boss, had access to the team’s schedule. He knew what dogs went with each team. As far as anyone knows, we’re private contractors coming in to advise them on a malfunction with one of their weapons. In every single ‘raid,’ the rebels tend to grab them first. With us there to repair the weapons, whoever’s supplying them will have to move carefully. They can’t afford to piss off the rebels, but the weapon count must be accurate to keep from raising the alarm.”
“When will we spin up?” Knight asked. “They scheduled Gabby’s ultrasound for next week.”
“Whiskey’s getting all of our paperwork in order. The contract must be signed off in D.C. It’ll be at least a few more weeks,” Leo assured him.
“How long do you expect us to stay there?” Knight asked.
Leo sighed. “Listen, I know both of you have wives expecting. As everyone knows, I do, too. I’m hoping if we do the groundwork here, whoever’s aiding the rebels will fuck up as soon as the numbers don’t add up. Sergeant Ford’s our prime suspect, but we can’t rule anyone out.”
Patch rubbed his head in frustration. “We know you’re worried about Catherine, boss. You’ll get us home asap. We’ll follow you wherever you go, but we’re hoping it won’t take us long to catch the traitor.”
“I agree. My wife has already threatened to unman me for getting her pregnant. I don’t need to add fuel to the fire by missing the birth.” Leo rubbed his eyes. The tension he felt showed in the deep lines around his eyes, and his posture stiffened as he spoke about his wife.
“Bear marked the latest attacks, the teams with K-9’s, and the ones without. Everyone needs to familiarize themselves with the different teams. Sparky will tell us about the rebels in thearea and who we must watch out for. We’re not there to act as SEALs. We’re investigating, and if any of you decide to act like heroes and get us stuck over there, you’ll be on latrine duty for six months.”
Leo turned to Cole. “I want you to spend some time with Shadow, Taco, and Saint. Taco will be here later. Tess fell in the community center, and Doc wants to run a CT scan.” The men grew restless as Leo held his hands up. “Hold on to your panties. She’s fine. Tess landed on her back, and it’s a precautionary measure.”
Relief showed in the team’s faces.
Leo continued. “Cole, I want you to review the files for all the K-9 staff you worked with. Add anything missing or any facts you think we need to know about each one.”
“Will do,” Cole affirmed.
“Liam will join us at the end of the week. We’ll expect him on Thursday for PT. On another note, Sparky has some news she wants to share with us.”
The red-haired woman smiled. “My friend, Rocker, has decided to accept a position here. We’re expecting him as soon as he wraps things up. Leo has given me permission to share the news with you, since he worked with the team when you saved me. If you approve, he can start right away.”
“Hell, yeah.” Shadow gave his stamp of approval.
“He’ll make a great addition to the team,” Saint added.
“I’m sorry to hear about his divorce, but I agree. He has my vote,” Knight said, sipping his coffee.
“What did I miss?” Taco said, coming into the kitchen, grabbing a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a piece of cold toast.
“Rocker agreed to come work for us,” Leo informed him.
“Sparky’s a good judge of character. He seemed cool. I give him my vote,” Taco said, putting the toast in his mouth while he grabbed a cup and poured some coffee.
“We all have issues, and you adopted all of us,” Shadow said to Leo. “Bring him on.”
Leo turned to the new members of the team. “Usually, Doc and Michael get a vote, too. But since Doc has started full-time at the hospital, we only use him as backup. Michael volunteers when he can since he’s the pediatrician for the entire town. You still get a vote. If you want to see his qualifications or ask the Alpha Team, we can hold off until you have the time. Whiskey, what’s your vote?”
Whiskey paused. “I’m not working the teams. He’s responsible for having your six.”
“You’re a member of this team as much as any of us,” Leo said, staring at one of his best friends.
“He has my vote,” Whiskey agreed quietly.
