Page 62 of Tempest

Ken showed Mac where to go, and Ryan waited as Rick shut down the helo. As Rick finished his check and secured the bird, Ryan sent Ivy a text. It took a couple of minutes, and she let him know that they were still a couple of hours away. She included the potty emoji with a frown along with one of a cup of coffee. He laughed and shoved the phone back in his pocket.

“She’s got you good,” Rick commented as he locked up the helicopter.

“Hook, line, and sinker,” Ryan answered.

“Congratulations. I never thought you had it in you. The cool sniper falls for a Texas dynamo. Who would’ve guessed it?”

They made their way to the stairs and Ryan laughed. “I never saw it coming. When I first saw her, I thought she was about the worst idea in the world. An hour later, I figured she was about the best. Ended up we worked for the same company, so I had a chance to see if I was right.”

“Then you came to Texas and assigned yourself her personal bodyguard?”

“Someone was going to come, and there was no other answer than me,” Ryan replied as they entered the lobby. “What about you?”

“Single and staying that way. My family name gives a lot of women ideas, and I don’t want any part of that. It was one of the reasons I joined the Navy. I wanted to have a life outside the state where nobody was interested in me because of what they thought I could do for them.”

Ken met them in the lobby, and Mac stood outside with his dog as he let him exercise. “I was thinking of grabbing some barbeque. How does that sound to everyone?” Ken asked the group.

“Perfect,” Ryan replied.

“Can I have a couple of minutes before we leave?” Ken asked.

Rick looked at them and then walked outside and joined Mac on the grass. “What’s up?” Ryan asked.

“I understand that Ivy and Ryan want to put in their own people. It makes sense because of what’s been going on. I was just wondering when my last day was going to be. I want to line something else up as soon as I can. My wife is pregnant, and I want to get our insurance squared away as soon as possible.”

Ryan tipped back on his heels and shoved his hands in his pockets. “As far as I know, Ivy has no plans to replace you. We looked at your file that our internal person put together, and neither one of us has any reason to believe that you’re not the best person for the post. Best as I can tell, you were stopped at every corner from doing your job. My personal recommendation is that she keeps you and expands your responsibilities. I have a feeling that if you had been able to do what you recommended, then a lot of this nonsense would never have happened.”

Ken’s face split into a smile. “Damn, that’s not what I expected to hear. I figured you were coming in to replace me.”

“No way, man. I have a job I love, and this isn’t my area of expertise. The only reason I’m here is to make sure that nothing happens to Ivy or her family. This is personal for me.”

“So why did you bring your team in?”

“Because I figured that the four of us could secure the wells faster if we worked together. We all came off the Teams, and we have a philosophy that we work together on everything so that we can succeed. I never go in alone.”

“Not like us Delta guys.” Ken laughed.

“Yeah, you guys are sneaky bastards.”

“Said like a true frogman,” Ken said.

Ryan put out his hand. “I’m here to help you secure the wells and get what you need to make sure that no one gets hurt again.”

“Couldn’t ask for more,” Ken answered as they shook hands.

Rick stuck his head in the door. “If you two are done with the coffee klatch, we’re starving.”

“Coming,” Ryan called out.

***

The four men sat around the picnic table and devoured the best that Midland had to offer in barbeque. “I know this is a regular thing for you guys, but I’ve only been a civilian for about six months, so this is pretty much heaven,” Ryan said as he devoured a rib.

“Are you telling me that Ivy hasn’t taken you to eat proper Texas barbeque? That’s downright un-American,” Mac said, as he plowed through a sandwich.

“I haven’t been here a week yet. We almost went the other day, but…we never made it.”

The table erupted in laughter. Ryan realized his mistake and threw everyone a dirty look. “That woman is going to be my wife, so I suggest you show the proper respect.” A flash of possessiveness rushed down his spine, and he wondered if he was going to have to make his point further. When everyone’s eyes flew down to their plates, he relaxed. A little.

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