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  “You won’t think it’s perfect after you hear what I have to say.”

  Sam quietly groaned. She refused to ask or open this topic up again. If it weren’t for her love for Cody, she’d have reevaluated her friendship with Bev. She’d expect a friend to support her in her decisions, not try to bring everything down so Sam moved back to Georgia and was as miserable as her friend.

  “I’ve been investigating. Actually, having someone inside do the investigating into what I can’t get my hands on as a civilian.”

  Confused, she asked, “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about what really happened the day our husbands died.”

  Frustrated, Sam silently counted to ten before she responded. “We know what happened. You have to let it go, Bev.”

  “No, Sam. We know what they wanted us to believe, but there’s more to it, and I have proof that’ll make you rethink who you work for.”

  3

  Finally cane-free, but still limping, Ken once again was about to approach Jesse with the same request. He had to think of something that would sway his boss’s mind about letting Sam go. Although he’d been shut down on his first request, he wouldn’t give up. It would be best for her as they took on more dangerous ops each day.

  He didn’t know why he’d thought she’d be safer with HIS than SWAT. The thought of her nearby had seemed perfect at the time.

  The problem was he couldn’t tell Jesse it was for his own peace of mind and to calm the frantic beating of his heart for her safety. She’d solidified her spot on the team as a much-needed asset with her quick eye and dead-on shooting. She actually put the other two snipers on the team to shame. And Jesse happened to be one of those. Her being able to hold her own made it more difficult to achieve his goal.

  He’d gritted his teeth long enough, worried about her each time the team went out to a precarious situation. He’d promised her late husband to protect her however he could, but that had already been a commitment in his heart. Before he’d left Fort Benning to join HIS, he’d tried diligently to get her to quit the police force. Stubborn didn’t begin to describe the woman. When she’d made SWAT, he’d about lost his shit. A man on a mission, he’d shown up on her doorstep and insisted she give up the team. His disapproval had seemed to make her more determined to stay in the job.

  At the open doorway to Jesse’s office, Reagan’s laughter floated into the hallway. “Please, Daddy.” That pleading voice always did him and the other agents in for whatever she wanted.

  “You can, but you can’t force anyone, pumpkin.”

  “But, it’s for a good cause.”

  Jesse chuckled. “It is, but still—”

  Cutting her father off, Reagan turned to him. “Don’t you think so, Uncle Ken?” Ever since she’d been little, she’d begun calling every agent “Uncle,” and they all loved her as if they were. Boy, did she have them wrapped around her cute, little finger. Him included.

  Noting Jesse’s reluctance, he hedged, “What’re you asking?”

  She heaved a heavy sigh like he should know what she’d been discussing. “The jar?”

  Confused, he simply asked, “Jar?”

  Nearly bouncing with excitement, she said, “Swear jar.”

  Oh, hell. Most of HIS may as well hand over their paychecks. They came from military or law enforcement backgrounds that tended to lead to foul language from time to time. “Why a swear jar?”

  The nine-year-old smile made him feel like he should’ve, once again, known the answer. “College money.”

  Ken looked at Jesse who only shrugged. “I see.” He really didn’t because with a millionaire mother and wealthy father, college would be a drop in the bucket. Yet, he knew they didn’t spoil her—the agents were good for that—but still….

  After a kiss on her father’s cheek, Reagan skipped out the door with a girlishly decorated jar in her hand. Ken stared at it and swallowed. They’d always tried to curb their language around the children and did a pretty good job. On an op though….

  Jesse shook his head and turned his attention to Ken. In a blue polo shirt with the HIS logo over his left breast, Jesse waved him into the office. “Come in. We need to chat.”

  Hell. He didn’t like the sound of that. Still, he entered and sat in the familiar chair facing the desk with a stern-looking Jesse behind it. “Yes, we do.” Although he couldn’t imagine they had the same topic in mind.

  As he sat, he figured if he couldn’t get Jesse to dismiss Sam, he’d have to convince her to resign. Somehow. His gut clenched, and he felt like a heel for what this might do to not only her but their relationship. Selfishly, he wanted her near him and happy. As a civilian, her life wouldn’t constantly be in jeopardy, and he wouldn’t be a bundle of nerves. He and Jesse had thought getting her out of SWAT had been the wise thing to do since they’d found out about the sexual harassment, even though she hadn’t filed a complaint. Some men liked to brag way too often. And while he’d wanted her out of SWAT, maybe they should’ve hired her to do the computer work with two of the Hamilton siblings, Devon and Emily. Then they’d have fulfilled Lance’s request to keep her safe. Finally.

  He’d love to marry her, not only because he loved her, but if he did, he might persuade her to avoid a profession where she risked her life, whether it be police, SWAT, or HIS. Something inside his heart flipped at the two of them being together as husband and wife. Then it sank in knowing she’d never agree to such a thing if he pushed her to give up what she loved.

  In truth, he’d hoped she’d be safe by his side and not as an agent, yet he knew he’d have to go slow with her. A lifetime ago he’d had two chances with her. The first time they’d met, their kiss had been hot and searing. Not ready to commit to a relationship, he’d pushed her away and into Lance’s arms. When he’d felt ready to build something between them, he’d touched his lips to hers again, only more gently. It’d been a year after her husband’s death, and she’d put a screeching halt to the intimacy. He’d been right to fear it too soon after Lance’s death, but now was the time for them.

  While she’d followed his direction as a senior agent and her team leader, he’d focused more on being her shield than allowing her to spread her wings, so to speak. Hell, after each op he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her until they couldn’t stand. It’d happen soon, but he wouldn’t wait until an op occurred.

  If things didn’t go his way with Jesse, she’d be seeing him later today as they had a serious topic to discuss. Deep down, he knew he had no chance of winning, but he wouldn’t go down without a fight. The only upside—and he meant only—was she’d been added to his team in the split. That allowed him to continue to watch out for her as best he could.

  Funny how with Jesse refusing his resignation, his strength and confidence in commanding the overall team had returned. They’d find another sharpshooter to replace her. Heck, they had piles of unsolicited resumes from people with impressive experience. A woman he’d worked with on a government-sanctioned mission would be an excellent choice. Finding her was another matter as who she worked for hadn’t been solved.

  With all the danger that came their way, he wanted to admit that he liked Sam working with him, knowing that her skill enhanced every mission. But that contradicted his desire to protect her, and his focus on her when she was there. Without her realizing it, the woman scrambled his brain. He had to break through this clutter to return to normal. Although something tickled his mind that since he trusted her, he shouldn’t worry and should let her do her thing, and he do his. Then a response that she might get hurt slapped it away.

  He knew his views were archaic, but dammit, he wanted her safe—always.

  “We’ve got an abduction.”

  Straightening himself in the seat, Ken’s mind focused and his heart pounded, adrenaline readying to spill into his veins. The switch flipped and his mind tuned i
nto the problem. “Child or adult?”

  “Both. Listen, I don’t have all the particulars yet.” His jaw clenched. “Or the go-ahead.”

  Ken knew Jesse would get them airborne as quickly as possible, even if that meant getting the go-ahead in the air or on the ground. Whether family or police or government had agreed they’d want HIS to handle the situation, they generally took too long to pull the trigger.

  “The team is coming in now. I need you and Rob to agree on that split and not let anyone on Bravo team disappear. When I’m ready to brief them, I’ll come to the two of you.”

  Waiting sucked. Once Ken knew someone needed their help, he wanted to be there pronto. “You’re going to send out Bravo team?”

  “Have to.”

  A stab in his chest would’ve been easier to take than his boss remarking on his injury and the impact. Taking a deep breath, he remembered Jesse didn’t have a problem with his injury and the decision made sense.

  “Because I think they’ll need the extra man power, I’m also going to send a couple of my brothers.” He held up a hand to stop Ken’s rebuttal. “I know I said we’d leave these missions to the agents, but they want to help, and, if at all possible, I’d like to keep a full team intact in case something else comes up on the fly.” He sighed. “Look, this looks like it could get messy. The asshole”—Jesse regarded the paperwork on his desk before looking back at Ken—“one Ronald Wheeler, owns an arsenal and has beaten his estranged wife more than once. She filed for divorce and sole custody, and Ronald doesn’t appear to be taking it well.”

  An angry fire blazed in Ken’s gut, ready to erupt. There should be a special place in hell for men like this. Ken stood. “I’ll take care of Rob. If you need my team, they’re yours.”

  Jesse’s lip quirked up at the end. “Have them on standby. If this becomes a multi-state chase, Rob may need the backup.”

  Exiting Jesse’s office with the yellow folders from before, Ken hoped Jesse received the particulars and go-ahead quickly. As they all knew, every moment counted in an abduction case.

  In the war room, Ken found Rob still in his all-black attire striding out of the locker room. When they approached each other, Ken grasped Rob’s hand at chest level and smiled at his friend. “Welcome back.” He nodded as agents walked by them, ready to debrief.

  “Glad to be back.”

  “How’d it go?”

  Rob grinned. “Piece of cake.”

  Ken almost snorted out loud. “Only a few bullets flying?” While true, it had been said in a lighthearted jesting manner.

  “I’m thinking we need to train the team in evasive driving. I imagine Brad could help, but it wouldn’t hurt to get them onto a professional course.”

  Brad Hamilton had once been U.S. Secret Service. Although he hadn’t been an official driver, he’d somehow managed a few driving classes that had helped HIS when trouble had arisen. Now that Brad would be staying back more often, Rob’s idea had merit.

  “I’m sure Old Man won’t fight it.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “Maybe two per team.” Old Man was Jesse’s designation as being similar to a commander. Ken just couldn’t call him that outside of an op or in discussion with the team. They’d been too close. The same held for Sam.

  Rob showed surprise for only a millisecond before he returned his features to his blank expression. “Teams?”

  Nodding, Ken led him to one of the empty offices. “Teams as in two. One for me and one for you.”

  Ken sat behind the desk, and Rob took a chair in front of it. “That’s not a bad idea.”

  A sly grin spread across his face before he told Rob, “It’d include a raise for you, of course.”

  Rob shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but Ken knew the man saved nearly every penny he made. “I wish I could take credit for the idea, but it was Old Man’s. The family is stepping back. They’re available for special ops or when our numbers aren’t enough. But they’ll take over the investigative side freeing us up for the field.”

  Rob nodded. “I figured they’d step back at some point.” Almost as an afterthought, he then asked, “How’s the hip?”

  At the question, Ken automatically rubbed a hand over the wounded area. The skin was still tender to the touch but he’d never admit such. “I’ll be fine. Back to ops in a couple weeks.”

  “It’ll suck not working side by side with you.”

  “I’m sure we’ll have some ops that require both teams.” In fact, Ken knew one was in the offer stage. Once Jesse accepted it, most of the team would be gone for as long as it took. Due to the need to expedite everything since it included a child abduction, Ken expected to hear about it shortly.

  “I imagine that’d be the case.” Rob half stood. “I’ve gotta debrief.”

  Per Jesse’s orders, Ken was to delay Rob while he pulled the specifics for that op and ensured Rob accepted the new team leader role. “We thought, since everyone was here, we could present the team concept to them.”

  “Christ, Boss, the team is exhausted.” He really didn’t care for “Boss,” but he’d been dubbed that and that’s what the team called him. Except Sam, in private. And the Hamiltons. Maybe because they’d grown up together, the brothers had never stuck with any callsigns they’d been given either in their careers.

  “I know, but this is important and shouldn’t take long.”

  Spotting paperwork Ken had dropped on the desk, Rob scooted forward. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  “Including us, there’re twelve agents. We’ll each have a sharpshooter and a field medic.”

  Rob looked up from his perusal of the list Ken had handed him. “But we only have one medic—Rodney.”

  Reaching across the desk, he tapped his finger on a name listed on the paper. “We’ve hired Ash McNabb. Casper was a D-boy and a paramedic before he became a Green Beret then Delta.”

  Rob whistled, as he should for someone with such elite experience. Respect and all.

  “As for team designations, I’ll lead Alpha team and you’ll lead Bravo team.”

  A grin split Rob’s face. “Still making me second, aren’t you?”

  “Filling these big shoes is hard,” Ken jested.

  “Big shoes, my ass.”

  Ken chuckled. “You’re just jealous.”

  Rob snorted. “You just keep thinking that.”

  “All right, let’s get back to this so we can get you out there and announce it to the group.” Motioning his head toward a single sheet of paper, he explained, “That’s the suggested breakout. But this will be your team too, so it’s not set in stone until we both agree.”

  “So your sniper is Sugar, while I have Nemo.”

  Ken nodded in agreement. “We’ll beef up that position to two on each team as soon as we can find sharpshooters that fit.”

  Looking up from the list, Rob smiled slyly. “How about we switch?”

  Without warning, Ken bristled at the remark. Although it felt like jealousy, he refused to admit it. “What’s wrong with Nemo?” Neftali, aka Nef, aka Nemo, had also been a SEAL, so he and Rob should get along great.

  “Nothing. Sugar’s just better to look at.”

  Anger raged through him, and he could’ve sprung over the table and strangled the man if his hip and professional restraint hadn’t held him back. Sam was millions times better to look at, but he didn’t want anyone else believing that. He’d try Jesse’s approach to when he’d attempted to resign. “No.”

  His second-in-command laughed. At him. What the hell? He hadn’t done anything that warranted the humorous response. He decided moving on would be the best option. “For a medic, I’ll keep Rodney and you can use Casper. He shouldn’t need any training.”

  Sober again, Rob nodded. “That works.”

  Glad to be back on track, Ken proceeded with how he’d split the once larger team. “I’ll
keep Franks, Cowboy, and Stone. That’ll leave you Romeo, Celeb, and Speedy.” He looked up from the list. “Any issues?”

  “You have more former spec ops than I do.”

  “Remember, you’re gaining a Delta for your team.” To move him off that topic, he added, “Also, we each have someone formerly from the FBI—Stone for me and Romeo for you—which can help in investigations when the Hamilton clan isn’t available. The rest are a mix of backgrounds.”

  Rob leaned back and nodded. “That works for me.”

  Jesse walked by the office and nodded at Ken as he continued toward the war room.

  With a grimace, Ken spoke, “Your team is up now. Old Man is waiting to brief the team. You can debrief the op you just completed while you’re in the air. There’s no time to waste on this one.”

  Rob surged to his feet, all appearances of exhaustion evaporated. “Then why the hell have you kept me here?”

  Not wanting the vulnerable position of being seated while Rob stood over him, he unfolded himself from the chair and held out a hand, staying Rob. “Calm down. Old Man had to get the information. We haven’t wasted any time, except right now. Get out there and I’ll get the team.” With that, they both strode out, Ken falling behind because of his limp.

  When the team had all congregated in the war room, Old Man quickly introduced the team breakout. As expected, no questions were asked. The men and women trusted the judgment of their leadership and that helped tremendously in HIS op success. “Bravo team, you’re up for this one. Let’s go. Alpha team, you’re on standby.”

  With the room half empty, Ken called his team together near the end of the conference table. As they huddled around, he asked, “Anyone have questions or concerns about our splitting up the teams?”

  “I’m glad you did it. It’s better than arbitrarily being put on standby or never knowing if you’ll be chosen for an op,” Danny Franks, former DEA, offered.