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"If anything includes putting yourself or Ro in the sight of an abusive asswipe, the answer remains."
"Luca, wait a second," Teagan said, holding her hand up. "I'm a police detective. I put myself in danger for victims all the time, and Evie is much more than a stranger. She is my identical triplet."
"Teagan Anne, you are here as a courtesy. I respect you and your opinion. I know you have tactical experience and could be an asset to us, but you are not going to be there when we put the plan in motion."
"Why not?" Teagan tried to control the anger that was boiling underneath.
"Yeah, why not?" Ro parroted.
"Because you," Luca paused, looking pointedly at both of them, "are too much of a distraction. We," he motioned toward Octavius this time, "love you entirely too much. Being there, even the possibility of being in danger, would be a major mental distraction. We will be able to work better knowing the women we love are safe at home. We will bring Evie straight to you."
"But," Teagan started. She had caught the L word that Luca had just said, shrugging it off as a direct reference about Ro and Octavius.
"The answer is no," Luca answered.
"Controlling, domineering asshole," Teagan muttered under her breath. Ro's sharp intake of breath was Teagan's first sign she had said the wrong thing; Luca's words were her second.
"I don't care how angry you are, Teagan, you don't disrespect your Daddy. We will be discussing this further after the meeting ends."
"For fuck's sake." Jason slammed his fist on the table, drawing everyone's eyes back to him. "Can we stop pussyfooting around and come up with a plan to help Evie?"
"Yes, of course," Ro said, concern evident in her voice.
"Roger that." Octavius nodded in agreement.
"Sorry," Jason apologized, taking in a deep breath. "I'm not happy about an innocent woman being beaten and having my hands tied on helping her immediately." Teagan heard the words but read between the lines. It wasn't just an innocent woman. She was his innocent woman.
"I agree with Teagan. I don't think we should be excluded from helping our sister," Ro said, looking imploringly at Octavius.
"You know they are going to show up even if we forbid it," Octavius said with a sigh.
"Fine. They can come and sit in the surveillance van with Jason," Luca conceded.
"I won't be in the damn van," Jason said. Luca looked at Jason, holding his gaze for a second before speaking again.
"Roger. I'll read Tim in; he can do surveillance. We've got this, Jason. Trust the process," Luca said firmly. "I called up my friend, Ben. You remember Ben and Brad from that mission in Irbil?" Luca paused, waiting for the men to make the connection.
"Yeah, Marine Special Forces, right?" Octavius asked first.
"Yes. I ran into Ben at a convention recently. He's a detective in Washington, about an hour away."
"Oh, we'll have to invite them over for supper some time. I can make tacos, and you guys can catch up," Ro said.
"And?" Jason asked, bringing them back to the conversation again.
"Ben told me about having to hide out in a cabin in the mountains with his now wife. She had witnessed a murder and they needed a safe house. Turns out, he and Brad bought this cabin on a one-way, dead end road up on a mountain as a retreat for fellow service members who needed to get away. He said we could use it anytime, just to let him know. It sounds exactly like what we need for this mission. Ben said it's foolproof, security wise. We can see anyone coming or going long before they make it up to the cabin."
"The plan is to somehow get Evie to the cabin without causing too big of a scene, then?" Ro asked.
"Ideally. If we can sneak her out during an event or something when Montgomery is otherwise occupied and get her to the mountain before he has her trailed, this could work," Luca answered.
"A big event? Like the inauguration ball?" Teagan suggested.
"That could work," Luca said, writing it down on paper. "When is it?"
"Mid-January, I believe," Ro answered.
"That's over a month away!" Jason all but bellowed.
