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I wave at her as she opens the back door to the patio. “Okay, Martha. I’m going to get my team up to speed, then we’ll help however we can.”
“Jeremy, can you go outside and partner up with Scott to keep an eye on the party planning personnel when they arrive? Jack, hang out in the kitchen in case Aiden needs you. I’m going to take these guys upstairs and brief them on the protocols that are currently set in place.” I don’t wait for them to acknowledge the request, knowing they’ll do as I asked.
Heading upstairs, I show the team to my room. Roger is the last to enter and closes the door behind him. “What a mess!”
I agree with him. “It’s what I had to work with, Roger. The bodyguards Aiden hired are amazing and capable guys, but they don’t have the proper equipment to do their jobs effectively. We have to text to communicate. Please tell me you brought plenty of communication devices that we can share with them.”
Jerry grins mischievously. “Indeed, we did. We brought extra everything, including our new ultralight body armor, modified weapons, simunition rounds, cameras, and wait for it!” He pauses for dramatic effect, “Ring tasers!”
“Ring tasers? What are those?” I don’t recall us ever having something like that.
Jessie laughs, “You’d think Jerry is a kid in a candy store with those things. He used one on Roger just to see if it worked. In case you want to know, they do! They’re a new prototype taser device that Ethan and Ben developed. They look like ordinary rings, but with a turn of the stone, they can deliver a charge that will incapacitate an assailant in close-quarter combat.”
Interesting. “Is it rechargeable?”
Jerry hands me a black box and gets down on one knee, flipping the lid open to reveal a large emerald-like ring inside. As I’m reaching for the ring, there is a knock on the door just before it opens. Aiden’s mouth drops open as he takes in the scene. Stuttering, he says, “I…I…um…I didn’t mean to interrupt your special moment.”
He turns to leave, but Jessie pulls on his shirt to stop him. “You didn’t interrupt anything other than our friend making a fool of himself. He’s just playing around showing Anna our newest toy. Come in and see for yourself. You’ll be getting one, too.”
“A proposal?” Aiden asks, confused.
“Only if you play your cards right,” Jerry suggests. “But no, it’s a taser disguised as a ring. Do you want to see if it works? I’ll be more than happy to use it on you if you need proof.”
I slap the back of Jerry’s head. “Be nice, or I’ll be testing it out on you!”
Aiden steps further into the room, unsure if his presence is welcome. Jerry shows him the ring and explains how it works.
“That’s pretty nifty, but I don’t think an emerald ring is quite my style,” Aiden says.
Roger hands him another box. “I agree. For us men, we’ll have more manly designs.” Roger grunts like Tim the Tool Man Taylor from Home Improvement, and I want to hang my head in embarrassment. Aiden laughs and opens up the box. Inside is a replica of his Stanley Cup ring. Roger points to the insignia, “All you have to do is rotate clockwise 90 degrees to turn it on.”
“Should I wear it now?” he asks.
I put on the ring Jerry has for me and face Aiden, “You may as well. You never know when you’ll need it, especially if a threat is unknown and gets too close. Speaking of threats, where are Penny and Patricia? You didn’t leave them alone, did you?” I make to leave, but Aiden stops me.
“Jack is with them. Mom asked me to let you know that the party planners texted that they’re ten minutes away.”
“Okay. Please let her know that we’ll be down in five.” Aiden leaves quickly and I have the team download the app for the alerts.
“Jerry, you’ll have access to their cameras via this app, and I set up a few others to cover the blind spots. After the get-together is over, I’d appreciate you setting up a few more. I don’t like relying on someone else’s tech. The cameras that are currently installed are archaic and don’t have any kind of thermal imaging. It’s fine for day-to-day use, but not when there is a credible threat.”
“On it,” he replies.
“Roger, I’d like you on the team that goes with Aiden on his away games. He leaves tomorrow morning at 3:00 am and should return home on Tuesday. He’ll have two practice days, followed by two home games. I’ll brief you guys tonight after Penny goes to sleep. For the record, Penny knows me as Anna, which I’m sure you’ve already picked up on.”
Jessie wraps me in a quick hug, “Ethan informed us of what transpired this morning after you got off the phone with him. I’m sorry we weren’t here for you.”
I pat her arm. “It’s okay. Penny has no idea that Gretchen is my mother, and I’m not ready to divulge that information to her. So, for now, I’m still Anna. The rest of the family and security know my real name, so no need to correct them if they use it. At this point, the only important thing is that Penny and anyone outside of Aiden’s family think that I’m nothing more than a nanny. What they call me is ultimately irrelevant.”
“Roger that,” Jessie says with a giggle.
Roger rolls his eyes. “Doesn’t that ever get old for you?”
“Never!”
“Let’s go, guys. We have a job to do.” With that, we all head downstairs and prepare for the chaos that’s about to ensue, only to be stopped by Aiden’s raised voice emanating from the living room.
“Patricia, there is no chance for you and me to get back together! I need you to stop pushing for something that is never going to happen.”
