“Me want more,” she said, pointing to her empty bowl.
“Don’t forget to practice your muscles,” Leo told her.
Grace grinned, pulled up her sleeve, and made a fist. “Me gots big mursles.”
“They’re getting bigger,” he said. “Daddy loves you, Grace.”
“Me wuv you,” she said, pressing her lips against the screen. “Mwah.”
Leo blew her a kiss.
Kit Kat rolled her eyes as she placed the phone in front of the baby.
“There’s my big boy. You listen to me. Stop giving your mama trouble,” he said firmly. “Love ya, big guy.”
Kit Kat moved the screen to her face. “We’ll talk later, all right?”
“Sure,” he said. “Please ask for help if you need it. If you need to add on to the nanny’s hours, do it. You know Carol and Jake will gladly assist you, and I know the women will give you a hand.”
“I’m used to it,” she admitted. “Let me get your heathens corralled, and then we’ll talk. I promise to ask for help. Be safe.”
“I’ll talk to you soon,” Leo said, disconnecting the call.
CHAPTER 27
Four hours later,the team glanced at the schedule photos as Cole explained the routes. “When I worked here, we varied the routes to keep from getting ambushed. Thanks to Sergeant Taylor, we have the calendar from the past six months. The attacks continued until two weeks before Sargent Ford took his leave. I went back to each one and noticed the rotation. They’re all coded in green.
Leo and Saint leaned in, studying Cole’s observation.
“It means they plan to strike again tomorrow,” Leo determined.
“Damn,” Saint swore. “What happened when Ford left? Didn’t it seem odd?”
Cole flipped the computer images back to the original calendar. “It won’t if you’re not searching for it. He’s intentionally confusing the dogs. Usually, our dog stays with us the entire time. Unless it gets hurt, sick, or develops behavioral issues. It got me thinking. There are more people involved besides him. They have to have at least one person who works with the dogs, and someone working patrol. The dog gets brought in for something, the trainer assesses them, and thenthe scent gets confused. Then the team goes back to the patrol, and then something happens.”
“According to your schedule, Alpha Team C will be delivering supplies tomorrow,” Hollywood noted. “Can we check out the members on the team?”
Cole scratched his chin. “It’s the only thing I can’t figure out. If it’s a team member, they’re putting themselves at risk every time the dog alerts incorrectly. Why put yourself in harm’s way?”
“It’s hard to believe we have soldiers willing to give up their brothers’ lives,” Hollywood said, shaking his head. “To have multiple people involved seems too hard to believe.”
“I’m with you,” Leo said. “These men grow tight with one another. Who’s the outcast? We’ve seen it happen before. Or do we have someone getting blackmailed to do it?”
“Sergeant Taylor may know,” Hollywood suggested. “I kinda notice she stays to the side a lot. The women don’t speak with her, and the men either treat her with disdain or ignore her.”
“While you went out today, Sparky got harassed,” Leo informed the team. “Sparky, can you tell us what happened?”
“I took Ice for a walk and for a bathroom break. When I returned, one of the men started harassing me about my dog. He stated we didn’t have any business here. How can a blind woman defend herself?”
“I’m not falling for that shit again,” Cole mumbled, making the team laugh.
“What happened?” Hollywood asked, curiously.
“The team decided I needed self-defense training. Since they taught me, they knew all my moves. Cole joined the team, and we used him as a test.”
“More like she beat the shit out of me,” Cole grumbled good-naturedly.
“Good. I worried when they surrounded her. I almost sent Apollo over to scare them. Ice did such a great job shielding you,” Hollywood said.
