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“How about a barbecue tonight? I can bring Jamie and Zeke, and we can have dinner at your place.”
“No, spend time with your friends. They came to see you.”
“Yeah from New York,” Zeke cuts in, and I want to Gibbs-slap him back.
“No, baby, dinner at your place. Let me walk you out. We’ll pick up steaks, you make the rest.”
“Sounds good,” Jamie says before she moves to her husband, and he wraps an arm around her.
They’ve been married for a couple of years and both work hard, demanding jobs. Zeke is with special operations or SWAT with the NYPD. Jamie just left the FBI, where she was a profiler. She now works for a private company. Something came up at her work and Zeke wanted to get her out of town. That’s the main reason they are here. A few years ago, before she left the FBI, a serial killer went after her. I don’t know how Zeke handled that. I was back in Montana dealing with my mom when it happened.
“Show them around and then come to the house. How about tomorrow I’ll get you passes to the zoo, if you like that kind of thing?” my girl offers, and I kiss the top of her head.
“Come on, baby.” I move out to take her to her car. I instantly get the feeling we are being watched and look around. “Where is your security?”
“I left Krystal with the kids. I’m okay.” I’m helping her into the car when the feeling comes over me again. I lean down and kiss her lips.
“Go straight home.”
“I will. See you soon.”
I kiss her again and close the door. Then I move to the curb and watch her leave. The feeling returns later when we leave so I can show Zeke and Jamie around Nashville. I know in my gut I’m being followed, so I purposely move through areas until the feeling is gone.
“Lost them,” Zeke says from the passenger seat of their rental. I’m going to talk Lydia into letting me stay with her for the night and take me home in the morning to get my truck.
“You felt it too?” I turn to look at him, taking my eyes off the road for only a moment.
“Yeah. Any thoughts?”
“Lydia’s ex has been on the run for a month now.”
“I remember you telling Zeke about that. He’s not going to come out of hiding quite that easily. Does he have anyone working with him?” Jamie asks from the back seat.
“You looked him up?”
“Of course. You’re a friend. I wanted to help. Colton craves control in everything he does. His ultimate control was over his wife because his boss took control from him. Now he doesn’t have his wife. Plus, he’s a big game hunter. I’d like to talk to Lydia about him. I have some thoughts.”
“I think you’ll like to stick around for a bit.” Zeke is trying to talk Jamie into staying longer than the two weeks they had planned.
Zeke told me about the issue at her office. How their computers have been hacked and private locations have been released to man who wants to avenge his father’s death.
“I can give Maverick the information on Colton and go home with you when you do. I’m not going to leave my team high and dry. Besides, being here has given me some insight I want to talk to Noah about.” Jamie sits back in her seat, and I look at her in the rearview mirror.
* * *
A couple of hours later we are moving around the back deck at Lydia’s house as the meat cooks on the grill. I called Cobi, and he’s hanging out also to visit with Zeke and Jamie.
“So where is David?” Cobi asks Zeke.
All of these guys served under me at different points of my career in the Army. Zeke and David were in a bad attack years ago and got out before Cobi. But they know each other through me.
“He and his wife are over on the Sunshine Coast for a bit. By the way, did I tell you Jericho is a dad?” Zeke chuckles.
“He and Emily have twin girls. It was touch and go for a bit because she was kidnapped, but the girls are home and growing,” Jamie adds as she snuggles with Zeke.
I look in the window to the kitchen, where my girl is putting together sides to go with the steaks.
“You guys got the steaks?” I ask as I move across the deck and step through the slider. It was a question, but I don’t care to hear if anyone said yeah or nah. I need a kiss from my girl. I watch her from the bar for a moment before I move around it and take her in my arms. “I need your sweet lips, baby.” I kiss below her ear and along her neck. She turns from what she’s doing and leans up. I kiss her long and deep. I love the feel of her lips against mine. When I pull away, she’s breathless and fisting my shirt.
