Page 6 of Evening Shadows

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 into 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.”

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