Page 13 of Rescuing Royce

The rest of the morning was spent with them. They were the best friends a girl could have. After a quick shower, they took her out to her favorite place for eggs benedict and a huge side of crispy hash browns. They talked about normal things and argued over who in their tight circle would get pregnant. A baby boom was in the making, and Amber had to wonder at Reese’s odd moments of weepiness. It was not like her. She didn’t say her thoughts out loud but would put good money on another bundle making an appearance soon.

“Okay, it’s settled. We’ll get everyone together one last time before the weather turns colder. I think we can talk Lara into hosting. I’ll bribe her with catering the event from my restaurant.”

“Yeah, well you’re going to have to bribe her with a year’s supply of the lobster mac and cheese because she told me Luke wanted out of the “hosting” duties. He claims he’s tired of his friends using their guest bedroom as a place to hook up.”

Reese’s face turned beet red. “No comment.”

“You? Did you and Connor…um, have a little encounter at Luke’s place?”

Reese didn’t answer. She grabbed the check and made a beeline for the cashier.

Sophie and Zoe laughed. Then Sophie leaned in and said, “I heard it was one of the rookies, but it makes sense if it was her and Connor. Their chemistry was through the roof as I recall. Well, it still is. Anyway, I’ll call you after I talk to Lara, okay?” She looked back at Reese still at the front of the café. “Between you and me, and you have to swear I never said a word, but Connor is going to propose to Reese.”

Amber bit her tongue to keep from shouting. “It’s about damn time.”

“Right? But from what Grant got out of him, he had some issues about his parents' failed marriage to resolve. I’m just happy he’s ready. I know Reese has put on a brave face, but she’s been wanting this for a while. And I know she wants to start a family.”

So many changes. She was happy for Reese. Connor was the perfect man for her, and he was beyond lucky to have Reese. It just seemed like she was the only one, well and Evie, having a hard time finding someone who was the exact right fit. But, perhaps before she got serious about finding the right one, she’d go after the one was right for her now.

8

Royce drove to The Club to meet up with Grant and TS. He was just about done with his captain. The man was solid, but he was also not open to trying new tactics. And he didn’t take suggestions. As far as the guy was concerned, north Idaho wasn’t experiencing enough “big city crime” to justify the added expense of the enhanced training Royce believed SWAT needed.

So he would put out feelers. And the first one had been to the owners of the Outlaws. A lot of the time it was who you knew when looking for a new job or change in career. Shift change had been at seven. He’d gone home, taken a shower, and slept like a dead man for three and a half hours. He’d functioned on less.

“Thanks for meeting me. I hadn’t expected such a quick response, so that tells me two things.” He sat back and waited. TS and Grant may be his friends, but right now was all about business.

TS spoke first. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s the first?”

Royce grinned. “That’s easy. You two don’t spend forever in the boardroom debating what’s good for the organization. You’re always moving forward. No rest for the wicked.”

Grant returned Royce’s grin. “That’s fair. And the second?”

“You’ve already started your search for a new head of security. Now, I’m not looking to fill that role, but I’d like to find out what your plans are and see if the experience I have is a good fit.”

TS didn’t so much as blink. He sent Grant a quick glance before returning his attention to Royce. “I knew you were more than just a pretty face. You nailed it on both counts. And we would be fools not to consider you for a position within the Outlaw organization. We’ve been searching for someone who has both management and tech skills to become Head of Security, but that doesn’t mean whoever this person turns out to be won’t take our recommendation on personnel.”

Grant’s nod was a bigger relief than Royce had anticipated. He knew he was taking a big chance stepping away from what he thought would be a life-long career. But people changed, priorities changed, and he wanted a new challenge. Amber’s face popped into his mind unexpectedly. Yeah, she would be a challenge as well. He also knew that she’d come to mean too much to him to treat her as one of his many conquests. Maybe if he started taking his future more seriously, he could become the type of guy who could give more than just a night to someone like her.

“What do you think, Royce?”

The moment came back into focus, and Royce looked at Grant and TS watching him, waiting for a response. Man, he had it bad.

“Look, we know you were probably looking for a definitive yes today, but we’re pretty sure the candidate we just met with, his name is Zak London, is our guy. Once we make the final decision, we’ll bring you in and go from there. How’s that sound?”

Royce was one lucky son of a gun because he’d totally been out it daydreaming about Amber. He took a deep breath, lifted his water glass and offered the men a salute, “Sounds good. Thank you for the chance. I want to earn a position on merit and not as a favor. I look forward to meeting with whoever it is you hire.”

“Don’t thank us yet because you’re right. We don’t hand out jobs to people we like or share a beer with. You’ll earn it on your expertise. Now, we want to hear about that asshole you took down and saved Amber.”

Royce laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “How about we have a couple beers, and then I’ll?—"

“Well now, what’s going on here? Looks like high-level stuff.”

“Hey, Reese. Would you like to join us for a beer as your brother tells us how it feels being a hero?” TS stood and pulled out the fourth chair.

“I’d love to, but I’ll have to wait until later. We’re short a server today. But I’ll be happy to bring you three beers on the house.” Reese then leaned closer and whispered into Royce’s ear, “How about you see me after your done and then explain what the hell is going on between you and Amber?”

His sister patted him on the shoulder without giving away to TS and Grant how pissed off with Royce she was and walked toward the bar. He knew this day would come. He should have planned better.

---