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“Don’t know. It wasn’t sophisticated, so it could have been an internet special,” said Mark.
“Fuck, there isn’t anything we can do but wait,” said Carter.
“That’s why we need to flush whomever the fuck it is out,” said Levi.
When she resisted, Carter tried to pull Becky into his lap again and said something into her ear. She stopped momentarily and nodded, sucking her lower lip between her teeth. As the conversation about strategies to draw out the culprit grew more intense, Carter became more restless and volatile. He pulled Becky to lean against his side when Levi suggested they let her go to her parents with bodyguards and security.
“I don’t want her there. She could get hurt. No. It’s not going to happen.” Carter stood to pace but stopped and sat back down next to his girl. “There has to be another way, and we will find it, but Becky has already had two near-fatal attacks, and I will not purposely put her in the line of fire. They could be successful the third time around.”
“Da-Carter, you’ll keep me safe.” Becky put her hands around his muscular, tensed bicep.
“No, Rebecca Shea, I will not have it. I don’t know what kind of man you think I am, but I’m sure you know I would never allow you to do something to put yourself in harm’s way. I spend all my time ensuring you’re safe, healthy, and happy. No.”
Becky’s voice was clear and calm. And determined. “If this will end everything so we can go back to normal,” she put her hand up to stay the response several wanted to make, “ournormal, then I’m going to do it. I’d like you with me, but I can do it without you if necessary.” She turned to Jac. “Tell me how this will all work.”
CARTER FELT LIKE HEwas losing his ever-loving mind. They had just gotten their relationship back into the pattern he and Becky enjoyed best, and this shit had to happen. As much as Carter was proud of his Becky offering to do the tough stuff so they might end this stand-off, he was in control. Or at least he thought he was, and maybe that was the problem.
As much as he supported the other women taking bold steps even when it was against their partner’s desires, when it came to his own woman, he didn’t handle that very well. In fact, he took it just as well as the other guys had when faced with letting their women do something that was outside the bounds of safety, even a little bit. Sharlee had done it. Jessie and the rest of the women had all put themselves out there to end whatever was the demon stopping them from living their best lives.
He sat back and reflected on how he understood the men but also supported the women over the last years. Now he knew how much of a hypocrite he actually was. Because the idea of letting Becky get out there and expose herself to one or more people who wanted to end her, possibly for the information they perceived her to have or that they knew she had, scared him mute.
Jac said that nothing would happen until they got the intel back from Nick Sharp’s people, so until then, they’d wait. Carter figured they’d waited long enough for the research into people around there.
Jac leaned into Becky as she spoke quietly to him. He shook his head and answered close to her ear but loud enough for Carter to hear. “No, I didn’t accept your resignation. No, you can’t quit until this is all over and we have a long conversation. No, you can’t come back to work until then, and that last question isn’t something I can answer. That is a Carter question.” Jac looked around the room. “And that does it for us today on this subject. Any old business?”
The room began to empty ten minutes later, and before long, only Carter and Becky were left. She stood, and the fingers that grasped her wrist stopped her from leaving.
“Carter, let me go.”
“Sit down, Bec. This is important.”
“I wanted to visit before everyone left.”
“Understood. I’ll take you to see them as soon as we are done. Remember that conversation we had after the snowplow incident? The one about you having some Little tendencies?”
“Yes.”
“I’m getting a lot of those indicators recently. Your pampered mindset wants to be pampered more and I love that, but it makes you more vulnerable at times.”
“Meaning you won’t let me go in to help draw that someone out.” Her whole face took on a pinched look.
“Meaning,” he paused for effect, “there will be strong safeguards in place and plenty of back-up.”
Becky looked up from her nails, her eyes full of excitement. “I can do it?”
“Tentatively. But if you get hurt, after you’re healed, and the bad guys eliminated, I will paddle your ass nightly for a week. Hell, a month.”
“Okay,” she said with a big grin.
“Okay...?”
“Okay, Daddy.”
Carter slid his hands up to either side of her face and she watched as he lowered his head to kiss her lips hard. Becky’s moan grew as he drew back. “Can’t do anything here, baby, so let’s get your visiting out of the way so we can go home.”
“M-kay.”
Carter just smiled and shook his head. Yeah, his girl’s pampered mindset was engaged, even if she wasn’t comfortable with the knowledge or inclined to admit more than it resembled being a Little. It was just a label, and he was more interested in meeting her needs no matter what others wanted to call them. So long as she continued to allow him to push her limits and responded to his Daddy voice and rules, it all worked for him. He loved this woman.
