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“A hatred of the man who had everything. They mentioned respected security team, kickass wife, son, and even the fucking government liked him.”
“Why didn’t you say something earlier?”
“At first I didn’t know what was significant and what wasn’t. Since, I’ve worked hard to block so much of that part of my life. It must have been buried. I’m sorry.” Ben drew her close.
Becky said, “So it must be someone that knows you, Jac. Knows you well.”
“Or not at all, but believes Caleb Rodney’s stories,” said Garrett.
Darcy shook her head. “This guy came to Ace the time I heard them, not the other way around.”
Jac leaned back in his chair. “Okay, you two can come, but you stand down if you feel you might jeopardize the mission or you are ordered to do so.”
Levi nodded. “Understood, Sir.”
“Right. Levi, you and Ben take Finley and Darcy back to the house and get them set up with the sketching program. Kaden, go home to Ivy and get her prepared to move back to the house.”
“She’s going to pitch a fit.”
Jac looked as though he completely understood. “Sorry, but you know how to handle that by now. It’s part of being your wife and our family. Rebecca, go home and get your things. Carter, escort her.”
“Mallory has already started packing. We’ll make our way over there. Are we calling Ryker?”
Garrett nodded. “Better do it. We can’t risk Oakley, and Ryker is going to want to see this to its finish. Callie and I will get there sometime tonight. I’ll be so damn glad to sleep in my bed more than a week at a time.”
Jac nodded. “We all will. Mark, is your mother-in-law still with you?”
“No, but we do have Shay. How should we work that?”
“Jessica, Anora, the nanny and whatever work she needs should come with them.” The depressive feelings were immediately drowning the room in frustrated anger.
“Cash, I need you to set up the house security. Make it tight.”
Later, with nothing to do and the men all working on finding Rodney, Finley took the women down to the pool since going out for a walk was not going to be allowed and she couldn’t get herself out the door without some kind of protection, anyway. The women were all ready to finish their day and a swim before dinner sounded appealing. Finley swam laps because she was more than ready to get some muscle burn to remind her that some things were the same. Hard work and determination always brought in results, so she swam another lap past what she felt was her endurance level.
Shay didn’t like to swim that much, so she had already taken the children out of the water and had taken them for naps. Spring went up with her, carrying a very sleepy Storm. Finley continued, determined to finish this lap when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“I’m finishing this lap,” she gasped, breathed heavily.
The next thing she felt was hands grabbing her then settling under her arms and she was bodily lifted from the water. Finley was sitting on the side of the pool with those same hands holding tight. She was breathing so heavily that speaking was not possible. She got a whiff of a familiar scent that was not chlorine from the pool. She groaned when she heard his voice.
“Finley Kaye, what do you think you’re doing?” said Cash sternly.
“Doing laps,” she said, not quite as breathless as she was a moment ago.
“You know better than anyone that when you are working out in the water that you can’t push yourself as hard as onland because you could fucking drown. You were sinking. And everyone is gone.”
“I was not. Sure I was tired.” She took a few breaths and tried to bring her voice to a more modulated, less shaky tone. “But I was fine.”
“You were not and if you don’t have the sense that God gave you to be self-aware and safe, you aren’t going to be sitting very well for a long time. You get me?”
“What? You are not doing that to me. It is not going to happen.” Her voice was stronger now. When she tried to stand up, she found she was a little lightheaded.
“Let me help you.”
“No, thank you.”
Cash barred her exit from the poolroom. “Listen. You are my woman now, my partner, my other half and if you think I am going to sit back and allow you to cause yourself harm because you don’t want to stop when it gets unsafe, there are a lot of things you aren’t going to like about being with me but mostly it’s because I am not going to allow you to go to the extreme. I know you’re frustrated, but we are headed out after dark, and I have to know that I don’t need to worry about you here. It screws with my head.”
