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“Agreed,” Jac said, taking charge once more. “Take us home.”
“Done,” Garrett replied.
“Split up and head home,” said Jac.
“Going straight. Heading east. Heading south.” Each told their direction, but nothing else.
“Meet you all back at the ranch,” said Callie. Monroe groaned.
Callie laughed. “Well, it sounded right, anyway.”
Chapter 10
The next evening was stormy and dreary, but spirits were high as the Alpha team gathered in the dimly lit room, their expressions somber yet determined. It was time to debrief and figure out what they had learned from the harrowing experience that had nearly cost them Levi, Finley, and Storm. Shadows played against the walls, heightening the tension and urgency of their purpose, but it was couched in the gratitude that their people were all safe.
“Alright, everyone,” Jac began, his voice steady but tinged with underlying emotion. “We need to discuss what happened, learn from it, and plan our next steps–especially concerning Darcy.”
He glanced at the enigmatic woman, who stood apart from the group, her arms crossed defensively over her chest. She had stayed in a guest room with the door locked from the outside last night. She had Callie as a sidekick all day.
Finley was exhausted even after a night at home. She slept with Levi because he was recovering from his rock to head experience. Both had some restlessness all night. Levi was attentive but still not feeling well. Cash was on a rollaway in the room. He was a great caretaker and cuddled with her in the large armchair in the room when she woke with nightmares in the night. Poor Levi had been as exhausted as she was, but Finley had the nightmares.
Cash’s arms around her in the dead of night gave her the sense of comfort and security she lost yesterday. Levi was hercompanion, her cohort in crime. The man she connected to as an equal partner. Cash had proven he would nurture, protect, and get firm with her when needed. Levi was intent on boosting her to the best of her abilities. She would have to fight first before he would join in. Both men would demolish her enemies before they made it to her. She loved them both for their different personalities.
Finley was in mental control from the moment she was fully awake in the van until she was at the mercy of that asshole who took his frustrations out on her. When she saw the guys in that room with her, she thought she would fall apart. Her training, her dignity, and her upbringing of playing things down got her through. But once she was in the bedroom with her guys, she’d lost it and cried until there were no more tears. Annihilated, she had fallen into a deep, heavy sleep that made waking up from the nightmares that much harder.
Cash was always so nurturing and gentle, Levi was the “buck up Marine” kind of guy and it was Levi she needed when they’d rescued her. The guys seemed to know that. Cash gave Levi the first contact. Cash, once he understood the situation, would have helped clear the area, but he had backup, so he dropped to his haunches to make sure their girl was okay. Levi saved her from what she thought was a bomb. She needed them both.
She had thought Carter scooping her up was going to be much more awkward than it was. Monroe took care of her until they got to town. The trip to Monroe’s doctor friend wasn’t a walk in the park, either. Her ribs were x-rayed and wrapped, blood and urine samples taken, and he even had a portable CT machine that she was made to endure. Her cuts and abrasions were cleaned and bandaged as necessary. Monroe was given a long list of instructions. She ate a little when they finally returned to the house and then fell into bed to fall apart.
“You don’t need to do anything with me. I appreciate that you got me out of there, Finley and the rest of you, but I can deal with things alone. I have most of my life and I haven’t gotten less intelligent since taking up with those guys.”
Finley spoke up. “You didn’t take up with them, Darcy. They enticed you with their cause, which wasn’t anything but hot air. And they mistreated you horribly once that Ace Avenger guy showed up.” Finley gingerly turned to Jac. “They didn’t want her around anymore, but she knew too much or had seen too much, so they kept her around. She wouldn’t have lasted much longer before someone decided they didn’t want that liability any longer.”
Darcy shrugged, but her vulnerability was obvious. “But I’m out now and I can handle things myself. Just where is here? Finley, you said outside of Lexington, Kentucky. Not sure I can hitchhike home. I might need to borrow bus fare, but I’ll pay you back. I’ve always worked.”
Jac asked, “Where was the last place you knew where you were?”
“About winter last year, I knew we stopped in Chicago because Ace,” she shrugged, “that’s what they call him, or boss, needed to meet some people. He didn’t trust me enough to leave me with the rest, so they brought me. Promised they’d sell me if I made a peep. I didn’t.”
Finley watched as Levi, who sat on one side of her, rubbed a hand over his face. His head was likely pounding, his mind racing with questions and anger. She nodded when his next question verified her assumptions.
“How could this have happened? Let’s back up. First off, how did these men manage to get so close without us knowing?” asked Levi.
Cash patted her hands as they sat folded in her lap. She turned her hand up to grasp his, and he raised her hands to his lips before replacing them and released her to stand up.
“I’m trying to think about that. I have gone over this whole place with a fine-toothed comb. Unless they have already been here at your invitation, the cameras don’t show anything unusual.” Cash looked over at Kaden.
“Cash is right. I don’t find a thing out of the ordinary. So, Jac, I hate to say it, but it’s someone connected to you privately or in business. And we have no way of knowing how far back it goes.” Mark was darkly intense. Jessie rubbed his thigh, and he seemed to relax, slightly.
Jac spoke. “As far back as the first note. A year and a half ago. When did Ace appear, Darcy?”
“About a year ago?”
“Okay. Hell, I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but it must be someone who has known us for a while and is privy to quite a bit of information. Not as much as you all, but enough,” said Oakley.
“I haven’t allowed my name connected to this place, but if you have enough information, you can find us on the tax rolls,” said Sharlee.
“And other places,” said Jessie. “Court documents, birth records, and someone in the same caliber of expertise as Sharlee wouldn’t think it difficult.”
