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Jac went down on his haunches, like Garrett had with Becky and she marveled at the family they had built with this group of men and women. She was proud of who they were and what they represented. The best of the best. Jac looked into Ivy’s frightened eyes. “We are going to keep them there and go pick them up bright and early tomorrow morning.”
“Carter won’t leave his plane,” said Becky with absolute assurance.
Garrett grunted. “No, he won’t. Since we don’t have much time before dark, we are going to leave them there overnight, on the plane, and give him a chance to work on the problem. Kadenwill continue to be our eyes and ears as to how they are doing, and Levi will make it comfy for the night.”
“But it’s cold up there,” said Ivy.
“Ivy,” said Monroe, “they have enough supplies to last a few weeks, so a few hours will be easy.”
Suddenly, on the wall, Kaden appeared. “Hey guys, this is the best I can do to communicate directly with everyone. Ivy, honey, don’t worry about this little overnight stop. We are cozy and have plenty of what we need. I’ll see you tomorrow and I love you.” His voice got firm. “Stay with someone tonight. I don’t want you to worry when you are by yourself.”
“Okay. I love you too.” Ivy seemed to relax once she heard Kaden’s voice.
Carter’s head appeared in the frame. “Hey, Baby Bear. I’m going to work on the plane and see if I can figure out what went wrong. Be good and Kaden is right, you shouldn’t stay alone so buddy up with someone. I love you.”
“I will and I love you too, so much. See you tomorrow.”
Levi came on briefly, gave some updates on things Becky didn’t even have a clue about and was gone. The screen disappeared.
“Okay, who’s going home with me?” asked Mallory.
“You know, if Ivy doesn’t mind, I think we’ll just spend the night together. We live very close, and it’s just another overnight with the guys in less-than-optimal accommodations,” stated Becky.
Ivy nodded.
Mark laughed. “Are you kidding? They are not in enemy territory, not on a hush hush mission, and they are inside an airtight, watertight plane. I’d say they are only missing their girls tonight. I know that’s a big deal but under the circumstances, they are going to kick back and enjoy the evening pretty well.”
“You’re right. I think we’ll head out and settle in for the night. Maybe a hot tub night is in order, eh Ivy?”
Mark started gathering his gear. “No hot tub if you two are alone. You’ll crank it up, drink wine, and then be too tipsy to know what you’re doing and could drown. No hot tub.”
The women stared at Mark and the room went silent. Then they burst out laughing.
“Man, Jessie better hurry and have this kid. You are losing it,” said Garrett, shaking his head.
Mark smiled sheepishly. “Don’t I know it.”
Monroe and Mallory talked for a few minutes and then Mallory spoke. “I’ll stay with you two if you think it would help.”
“Thanks, Mal, but I just don’t think it is a big deal now we know they are safe on the ground. Go home. We’ll be fine.”
Grabbing her gear and the extra curry from the fridge, Becky and Ivy went to Becky’s house. As the evening wore on, Ivy relaxed. Likely the too much Pinot Noir wine and the one glass of Carter’s whiskey she’d consumed contributed to the lighter mood, but she’d eaten, so Becky let her go. She didn’t offer to open another bottle of wine. Ivy was fun and smart, with a glow about her when nothing was stressing her out. She was the youngest of the women, but she was finding her way.
Becky made Ivy take some pain reliever and drink water before leaving a few crackers and another bottle of water and more medicine on the side table in the guest room. Becky couldn’t get to sleep. No surprise really, Carter wasn’t home because he was in the woods in a situation not of his choosing, so she lay there and thought about things. When she was in college, she’d never thought she’d know people like these she worked and played with now. Danger wasn’t in her vocabulary before signing on with Jac. Now, she slid past the word danger and assessed the level of risk.
As far as being a savvy businessman on the practical side of things, Jac wasn’t any better than any other. He was good at hiring the best to take care of the paperwork side. He had hired Becky, who took care of the front end. Later, Jac hired Sharlee, who was a computer wizard and after what seemed like forever, the two powerhouses were an unstoppable force as a couple. Now they had added little Storm. Jac and Sharlee aptly named their son.
Becky remembered when Jac hired Jessie, the forensic accountant, to handle the backroom finances and protect the business’ bottom line. Soon Mark was protecting Jessie in his home, and they were now waiting for their first miracle. Next came Ivy whom Kaden had met during a job that led them to Montana and later to deal with the mafia.
Then there was Mallory for Monroe, who met at a lifestyle gathering and things went from there. Monroe was a Daddy to Mallory who, like Becky, enjoyed being lovingly dominated by their mate. Finally, Callie, who had been with Garrett after Sharlee arrived but before Jessie, had disappeared and then reappeared in Garrett’s life. It had been rough going, and Becky had learned a lot about the dangers in government agencies, but things were fine now.
Now, she and Carter were better but had plenty of ups and downs. Becky was sure they would figure things out, but it wasn’t easy going right now. The girls all said it was part of the forever process, but she hated it. It would be awkward if they were to end their relationship. Becky couldn’t imagine working anywhere but in the same place with the man she loved. That’s why she was determined that they would figure things out.
Still, if it came to doing this job and taking care of his people, and his family, you could never ask for someone better to have your back than this team. You had to be careful that, if you were a woman, it was only your protection on the line,not your backside for chastisement. However, since Sharlee, Jac had turned his close female employees over to their men for discipline. The rest got his particular brand of “look.”
Jac was a demanding boss to work for sometimes, but he was always fair. She didn’t always agree with him, because he was over-protective of the people he considered his family, but he had an uncanny insight into the needs of his people. Like Carter and the others on the original team, Jac read his gut like other people read the newspaper. Maybe Carter’s gut was about him today and not her.
Like many men who worked with him, Carter believed in keeping his girl in line with a murmured reminder, a hand along the small of her back, the camber of her butt, or, when all else failed, a swat to the ass. Becky rarely felt Carter’s hand anymore, for fun or discipline. She had to wonder if that was because it wasn’t who he was now or maybe he was afraid to touch her. Or he didn’t want that with her anymore. Didn’t want to be her Daddy. But no, he had just made her call him Daddy. Somehow, she didn’t think she had suddenly become the perfectly safe, careful woman Carter talked about but didn’t actually want. He didn’t like perfection and that was a good thing because she wasn’t even close. Where was the fun in that, anyway?
