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“That wouldn’t be necessary,” said Levi angrily.
“Maybe you don’t think so, but we are looking at you from this side of the pain, and I swear that is how it would be. We’d need to dedicate a man to babysit you, and I know that isn’t your goal. Stay here. I’ll be our representative. I need you better when she comes home because she is going to need to feel protected and understood.”
“You are better at that shit than I am.”
“And you are getting better. You can do this.”
“Okay. You’re right. My head hurts like a bitch.”
“Glad you agree.”
Levi watched Jac as he stood in the center of their makeshift command room in his previous living room. Sharlee had taken over the room for her “home office” and Jac was fine with that. They had a family den they used for relaxing and entertaining, besides a slew of other dedicated rooms like his media room, recreation room, gym, and indoor pool area. The size of his house and the number of dedicated rooms didn’t matter today. His face was a mask of determination as he addressed the team, waiting for his next move.
Levi loved the people in this room and he had been part of saving each one of the women from one threat or another. These relationships were hard earned and cherished. It was no secret that Storm was the apple of his parents’ eye. Jac had said he wasn’t sure about children, but when Sharlee had told him she was pregnant, he was sure.
Levi and the rest of the agency noticed that Jac smiled whenever he looked at a Sharlee. The other members of the team were the same with their partners. Levi wondered if he wantedthat with Finley. He didn’t know, but he did want to explore that angle with her. He wondered if she was like Jac. Not thinking she was into mothering, but if it happened, she would be fine with it.
The way he felt about Finley right now was painful, and that had to indicate some kind of important feeling. He knew it was time to admit the feelings he had for her were real. Very real. Levi had always taken care of his girlfriends, but his emotions never were engaged to the level they were with Finley. The job was to first get her back unharmed, then help her get past this event and see where these feelings led them.
As though Jac was reading Levi’s train of thought, he said to no one in particular. “Having a child with Charlotte has been the crowning accomplishment and joy of my life. Watching our son grow through infancy and now as Storm is tackling his toddler years, life has come alive in this house. He’s always giggling, running, climbing, and keeping Finley on her toes. That woman is more than up for the job, though.”
“Jac, we are going to find them soon, very soon,” said Levi, speaking as much to his friend as himself.
“Yes, we are.” Jac took a deep breath and blew it out. “Garrett, we need the rest of our strategy and plan. What you can pull together at this point, that is.”
“Monroe and I have been working on that.”
As Garrett began to discuss the situation, Levi reminded himself that Finley had not only served the Marine Corps with distinction but had also taken on Storm with her typical calm demeanor and can-do attitude. That little boy never ruffled her feathers, never disrupted her calm, purposeful way. The only one he ever saw show some raw emotion between them was Cash.
Not that Levi or Finley were cold people, she simply didn’t let many people in, until now. And she knew how to compartmentalize her needs over the needs of her charges orher responsibilities. Now Cash and he were in her inner circle. It was precious to him. To them. And he would learn to open up and bring her all the way into his heart. Cash was his lifelong friend, and he had no trouble getting down in the dirt with his emotions. Levi would learn too.
Levi, Cash and Storm were the people she let down her defenses for. Not finding them wasn’t an option for anyone. They would bring them home safe and sound. Then their private lives would change forever. His, Cash’s and Storm’s, anyway.
Cash reappeared. Damn the man. “Okay, Cash. Get in there and bring our baby home.”
“You got it. Time to kick some ass and take names.”
“Damn it,” Garrett muttered, clenching his fists. “We need to get organized better than this and we can’t if we don’t know where we’re going. Get the notes out here on the table. Grab your partners. Let’s work out a plan on how we are going to find them.” His eyes met Jac’s, then Cash’s and lastly Levi’s eyes and the understanding between them was palpable - they would do whatever it took to bring Finley and Storm home safely.
Callie, her face set in a fierce scowl, asked, “We can keep on the videos while we wait.”
Monroe began cataloguing things in place at this point. “Kaden and Sharlee are working on tracking their location, but it’s still a work in progress.”
“She’s doing the best she can,” said Jac, glancing over at his wife, the pain evident on both parents’ faces.
“Still getting blocked. It’s almost like we are being teased with the prize, then it’s being yanked away. Don’t ask me what or how we are getting the information because that is a government and trade secret. And,” she said with menacing tones to whomever it applied, “don’t ask me to stop.”
No one responded. There was nothing to say as everyone watched her and Kaden sit in front of a bank of computers, theirfingers flying across the keyboard as their eyes darted between multiple screens. Despite the panic that obviously threatened to overwhelm her, Sharlee remained focused, her jaw set in grim determination.
While she held fear in her eyes, her resolve to find her son and their friend was unyielding. It was obvious how Sharlee was putting her fear in a box and pulling out Vapor, her alter ego. Vapor was well known in the underground internet world. She was going dark, diving deep, and she was unrivaled in that universe. She’d find them soon.
Ryker and Ben Darrington approached Jac and Garrett as Cash was doing a sitrep on property security. Ryker spoke. “Colonel Darrington has offered, when we nail down the location of Finley and Storm, to fly a few of the team to the location, using his helicopter for aerial reconnaissance. That might allow us to get in quickly and come in dark. The element of surprise may be a big factor when the time comes to go in.”
Jac reached out his hand to shake Ben’s. “Thank you. I’ll take you up on that offer. We have a couple of prop planes and Carter has said we should consider a helicopter, but I’ve put it on the back burner. Probably will be looking at that again. Of course, I’ll pay for gas and whatever else you need to make it happen.”
Ben nodded. “I’ll need to go and get the bird. Is there a place I can land?”
“Yes. Cash, show Ben the runway.”
