Page 6 of Cruise

“Oh, hey, I’ll join you. Sarah, do you want to help too?”

Suddenly, all the women were going with her and Beth to the snowplow barn and Willa was fine with that. Maybe helping with decorations would keep her mind of the captain coming closer.She followed behind Beth and wondered how they would take care of the captain.

Although Beth had said they were taking Willa to the snow plow barn, they had gotten on an ATV and drove around the property. Beth had spent about twenty minutes familiarizing Willa with the property and the safety features. When Willa had questioned Beth about sharing so much with a stranger, Beth had chuckled and explained she knew Willa would be staying. Cruise had claimed her and Willa hadn’t objected. Beth had given her one of their watches with the security features and gone over the codes the women had for their security company part of the bail bonds.

Beth had stopped them behind the bail bond’s gym and they’d made their way inside. Willa enjoyed working out and could see this might be a place she’d spend a lot of time. She admired the clean areas and large space for not only the treadmills and weights but also the two large rings where hand to hand could be practiced.

Following Beth into the office, they found Winnie growling at the computer. “Ugh, I’m so tired of this stupid program we have to input all the data in. Hi Willa, sorry. Low sleep with little kids and a new program has me ready to scream. I’ve got pastries and coffee we can have in the break room.”

Willa didn’t know if it was her place but she loved working with data and numbers. Sure, flying was her first love but she couldn’t fly twenty-four seven.

“I’m kind of a data nerd so I’m happy to help any way I can.”

Winnie stared at her, then reached to hug her. “I will pay you in whatever you want - money, books, food or anything if you’d help me out a little.”

“Hey, what if I want Willa to work with me?” Beth questioned.

“Listen, you already grabbed Rose and Ellie to help you. Quit taking all the new women. We have other businesses that need help.”

“La, la, la, I can’t hear you.”

Willa giggled at Beth’s antics, holding her hands over her ears. How they could make her smile after the fear she’d been experiencing was a mystery?

“Get your butts in here. He’s three hours out and we need to hash this out. My husband may be President of the MC but he should know we’re not going to stand by and just let the menfolk handle it.”

Willa found herself sitting with the Franks’ sisters, Regina and the other women she’d met. They’d set up a mini command center in the breakroom with white boards, a large computer screen and multiple scenarios. These women didn’t mess around. They had a contingency for everything. Willa swallowed and held back tears. Cruise had welcomed her and she’d known she could make a home with him but these women. They’d shown her they had her back but also pulled her in as part of their group.

“Hey, it’s okay. We won’t let him hurt you,” Remi’s words and the pat on her shoulder had her shaking her head.

“She’s not scared she’ll get hurt. She’s happy about being a part of the awesomeness of us. She’s experiencing Code Rachel for the first time,” Willa nodded at Beth. Beth had gotten it perfectly.

Willa basked in the presence of these women. When Beth had explained Code Rachel was the code they could send to eachother when emotional backup was needed, she’d never dreamed she’d be experiencing it.

“Seriously! How do you know this stuff?” Sarah groused and scowled at Beth.

“Surveillance. I notice everything and I’m not constantly in the state of when can I be alone with my man?”

Willa giggled.

“You’ve got to admit my man, Bear has got it going on. When he gives me that little smirk, it’s all I can do to form a sentence sometimes. Besides, you try having all my kids and dogs blocking any and all alone time. See how much you daydream then.”

“Ladies, I think with what is planned, we should grab some lunch then meet back here. I have lunch waiting at the clubhouse.”

“Perfect, Regina. I need to pick up something I think will be helpful later. Jesse worked on something for us. We’ll meet you all back here. T-minus two hours. Let’s be back here in one.”

Willa wanted to be Remi with her authoritative and matter of fact manner. Everyone nodded and Willa followed Beth out to lunch though she wasn’t sure she could eat.

The women all seemed confident that their plans were perfect but Willa worried she’d freeze when faced with the captain. Could she do this?

Beth held open the door, waiting on her. “Willa, relax. This time, you’re not alone. Trust me. He won’t know what hit him.”

Chapter Five

Cruise finished putting the brakes back together. He’d hoped he could meet Willa for lunch but he’d run into another issue with the car. If he wasn’t on a timeline, he would have blown it off.

He wiped has hands after he tightened the last piece. Maybe music would help. He couldn’t get his mind off the trouble coming toward the compound. Scoop had updated them that the tracker had taken a small detour and was currently stationary. It was at a café so Scoop guessed the captain wasn’t in a hurry to get to Willa without fueling up.

Right now, they were in a holding pattern but Cruise’s senses were screaming. What he remembered of the guy wasn’t good. So full of himself that stopping for lunch seemed strange. If he was as obsessed with Willa as it seemed, Cruise would assume he’d be hurrying to Bluff Creek, not taking a leisurely drive and a long lunch.

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