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The ladies were great, but a weekend was almost too much. Mallory’s cheeks were sore by the time she began packing her things to go home. She wanted to go to Monroe’s home. What would he have chosen for his house? Looking back, she hadn’t realized that no subject was off-limits with the women amongst themselves. Her face stayed hot with embarrassment, laugher, or tiredness most of the weekend, but she felt like she was part of a posse now. “Her friends” was an actual reference in her life now, and it was an incredible feeling.
Playing with little Storm was heartwarming, and her maternal instincts pushed forward. She thought the desire for children had diminished after the kidnapping, but it hadn’t. If anything, she was afraid that if she didn’t take what she wanted out of life, it wouldn’t happen. Mallory resolved to have that happily ever after she had once dreamed of daily. Becky seemed to have the baby itch, too, if that longing look in her eye was accurately interpreted. Maybe they would be the next in the group to start a family.
Breakfast over, the return to work marked the beginning of a new week. As Mallory watched Becky, Sharlee, and Jessie get ready for work, she resolved she would return as well. She loved her profession and wanted to get back there as soon as possible. Damn her reservations. Ivy had nothing to do until later that morning, but she left with the others because she said she needed to “put on” her face. Jac stayed home with Mallory, waiting for Monroe and Garrett.
“I can just go in with you, and Monroe can grab me from there,” said Mallory as she dropped her pack in the entryway.
“No, it’s much further for the guys to go, given the direction they are coming from, so we’ll just stay here. Coffee?”
Chapter 18
Monroe was as antsy as a little kid going to the circus. He anticipated seeing Mallory but was also frustrated because they would deal with the question of a copycat or an accomplice. And the bigger question was, where were they? He and Mallory needed to resolve this. After Monroe and Garrett had discussed things with the guys as they waited for the plane to get off the ground, he knew they were all in agreement. Get this done, answer the questions, move on. Things had been hanging on for entirely too long.
Monroe wouldn’t give anything for his family of friends. They were the best, and he knew it. Just have them agree to back him up, join with him to finish this mess was more than Monroe would have ever expected from regular business associates. He never doubted they would agree with him, but later, openly discussing his love for Mallory was immensely freeing.
Carter leaned over to get Monroe’s attention as they sat in the waiting area for their plane to board. “Okay, are you saying you have no doubts about Mallory? I mean, aren’t you worried you cement this connection in trauma?”
Monroe leaned forward and ran his hand through his hair and then used those same fingers to comb it back into place. “No, because we’ve shared scenes together several times, gone to another private party, and played there a bit, then we spent almost two weeks on the phone for hours before her abduction. We were going on a final, regular date before making the relationship public.”
“Aren’t you worried you’ve moved too fast?” asked Levi. “I mean, I’m not interested in making any commitment for a while and honestly, I’ve watched the stress you guys go through. I’m pretty happy just supporting you. I’m not into going through that myself.”
Kaden stood when their boarding group was called and slapped Levi on the back. “Yeah, I remember those days of being free, unencumbered, and still hadn’t met Ivy. Believe me, when you find the one for you, those walls come crashing down so fast, you have to dive out of the way to avoid being crushed.”
Mark was naturally contemplative and not prone to lengthy discussions. Still, he looked at Levi and spoke with his typical seriousness, allowing his heartfelt sincerity to come through loud and clear.
“When you find the woman that is for you, your soul mate, the one person in the world that completes you, there is no settling for anyone else. You will move heaven and earth to keep her with you and then to make her happy. And when that time comes, when you find her, we will be right there to support you. It will happen whether you’re ready for it or not, but it’s the best thing that can ever happen to you.”
Mark leaned back and resumed his silence. The rest followed suit. Sitting next to him, Monroe noticed Garrett was quiet until Mark spoke.
Under his breath, he said, “And sometimes it can destroy you.”
Monroe renewed his determination to finish this mess so his girl could be safe again because it was past the time they find Garrett’s woman. Whether Callie wanted to be found was irrelevant. They needed to throw that door open or find closure. This open, seeping wound wasn’t healthy.
***
Jac closed the digital file on the weekend security job and nodded to Sharlee, who sat down beside Kaden on a sofa.
“We have a new focus this week. I know we have been running information in the background, but considering what happened Thursday afternoon at the office, we need to step up our planning and end this game. We all need to get back to business as usual, and Mallory needs to heal.”
Sharlee looked at the team. “I have a handful of good leads, but Jac hasn’t thought we should pursue the ones that aren’t sure things, and I have to agree. We don’t even know if there is another person. The copycat kidnapping could have been a one-off.”
Jac nodded as he sat in a chair, turning to face the team. “Right. We aren’t the FBI and have limited resources. We have to be smart about what we go after. Unless it’s something that will help us, we turn over whatever we get to the FBI and move on until we find evidence that will help us find the answer to our primary question.”
Monroe said, “Okay, so first, Mallory wants to go back to work. I don’t know how she can, but I also don’t know how to stop her. Inactivity is driving her as crazy as the fear that someone will approach her uninvited.”
Kaden smiled. “Rubber paddle not working for you?”
Monroe answered, his smile strained. “She loves it too much.”
Levi whistled. “She was made for you, man.”
Another pinched smile. “Agreed. Any ideas how I give her what she wants without going mad myself?”
Garrett spoke up. “Yep. I’ve been her bodyguard when you can’t be with her. I think we have built a rapport that would allow her to agree to me continuing in that capacity for now. Besides, as stoic as she appears to be, not letting things get to her, she is a mess, not knowing if she is truly safe or not. I’ll pick her up and take her home. Or, if she needs to drive for some reason, I can follow her then hang out in the store keeping an eye out.”
Mark spoke up. “She going to be okay with that, Monroe? Rapport or not, her employer would have to agree, and Mallory would have to be comfortable with it.”
“She’ll be comfortable with it if she wants to go to work,” said Monroe.
