Page 34 of Soldier, Tailor, Spy

Besides the White House.

He’d joked with Asher about a satellite being pointed on the location 24/7 to monitor them, like a big brother. Asher hadn’t laughed. Instead, he cocked a brow, snickered, then walked away. The asshole. With Rae and Knox taking up residency in the small community, his boss would do whatever he had to do to keep them all safe. Even if it came down to doing something possibly illegal and for sure off the books.

Ginger had, of course, argued when he prepped them for the move. She also hadn’t been overjoyed when he also told her he’d be staying with them. His little Gingersnap was stubborn as fuck, but she wasn’t stupid. Eventually saw the move for what it was—the best course of action. For the past three weeks, since they arrived at the house, he’d experienced something he deprived them of, living as a family.

Not that he was complaining. He wasn’t. He was savoring the seconds. Soaking it up and taking each moment as it came. After all the stuff he put her and Fawn through, he seriously doubted she’d ever give him a second chance. Not that he deserved it. He didn’t. But deep down, there was a small flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, she would, even after everything Oscar had put her through.

Bonus, he’d healed up since being shot. Naturally, he still dealt with the occasional stiffness, but he was working through it. Asher had made sure of it. Jake had started physical therapy the second Rae had cleared him. So, it meant a lot of running back and forth between the Cove and Base. Thankfully, they weren’t that far apart. Being who he was, he put up a fight. Couldn’t give in too easily to their demands. Asher shut that shit down quickly by threatening him to go through R.O.O. T’s version of boot camp. All recruits were required to do it. Jake had the pleasure of doing it when he first signed on. It hadn’t been horrible, but he was older, and it would also mean being away from his family.

Neither was something he’d risk.

Especially after Ginger’s life had blown up. Thanks to her bastard ex, they’d been getting along better. They even had civil conversations.Fuck, they’d even reverted to some flirting twice. Each time, his dick got rock hard, too. To the point, when he returned to his room, his ass was in the shower, jacking off to images of Ginger on her knees before him, sucking him off. It wasn’t enough, though. He wanted in her warm, wet pussy... Bad. Even with all the masturbating he was doing, he still had a serious case of blue balls.

They’d also gotten into a routine, something he didn’t realize he’d missed so much until he had it again. Every morning he got up early, made breakfast for them, while Ginger fed Declan. The little guy was a demanding kid, wanting to eat the moment his eyes popped open. And he didn’t have any issues letting everyone in the house know it. Then Jake would clean up and head off to Base, do his therapy, get caught up with the guys, the missions, and learn the unfamiliar faces names. There were a lot of them. But he always returned home mid-afternoon to help Ginger with whatever she needed him to do.

It wasn’t all fun and games, though.

Asher had given him an assignment to track down and find an unknown assailant who had targeted Noah. The guy had shown up at Noah’s home. The new 2IC had been less than pleased. Together with Drew, they’d figured it out. Asher then sent a team to handle it while Jake sat on the sidelines. He’d only been cleared for light duty–-aka desk duty—which sucked balls. He wouldn’t make waves. Jake knew well that if they were going to see a difference in his attitude; it had to come from him. So, he was putting in his time, showing the team members he could work with them, and that he had changed.

Somewhat.

Asher would eventually clear him to return to full duty. Jake would never admit it out loud, but he missed the job. Missed the guys and the friendships he’d built and then destroyed because he had a big ass mouth. So, he grew a pair and apologized to Rae first, then Noah and Mateo. Rae had accepted his apology, but he wasn’t stupid. She was keeping her eye on him, waiting for him to blow his second chance.

So were Noah and Mateo.

Jake knew he deserved every bit of doubt they threw his way. Time would tell, though. It would show them he was serious and that an old dog could learn and change. He brought his attention back to breakfast. Flipping pancakes while Fawn set the table. Her earlier ear infection had healed, leaving no damage behind.Thank fuck.

Ginger and Fawn were seeing Dr. Joiner a few times a week. Fawn was recovering quicker than Ginger. He knew it had to do with the resilience of kids. His Gingersnap, though, she was struggling. She tried to hide it, but not always. Jake knew her well enough. He could see the shadow in her eyes, and the worry lines around her mouth when she thought he wasn’t paying attention.

News flash.

If she was in the room, anywhere in the room, he knew it. His gaze automatically sought her out.

As it was, several times now, he’d caught her glaring at Declan. The resentment... Fuck the disappointment in her expression worried him. She had done nothing hurtful toward the boy, and he knew, soul-deep, she wouldn’t physically harm him. It wasn’t her way. But mentally? Yeah, he could see her, at certain times, pulling away from the boy. He didn’t feel it was intentional. He doubted she’d been aware of what she was doing. His Ginger was a strong woman, yet sturdy people could break. He hoped and prayed she’d snapped on him, and not the kids.

Behind her back, he’d gone to Dr. Joiner and made him aware of what he saw. He didn’t consider what he’d done a lack of confidence on his part toward her. His intentions were pure. He wanted her happy and healthy, and he wanted the same for both kids. Dr. Joiner had thanked him, assured him he wouldn’t bring it up to her unless she brought the subject up first. He took it upon himself to be vigilant while in the home. Prepared to step in and speak up,ifit came to that. He didn’t think it would. Nonetheless, it wouldn’t be the boy’s fault. He shouldn’t have to pay for his biological father’s misdeeds.

Though the boy shared Oscar’s DNA, when Jake looked at him, Jake only saw Ginger. It was enough for him to claim the boy as his own and love him as if they shared DNA instead. He’d distributed his attention between both kids. Assuring them both, they were safe, loved and protected, no matter what.

It was a promise he was determined to keep.

Lifting his head from watching the pancakes, he heard Ginger on the steps, heading for the kitchen. Soft and dainty. Not like him. He sounded like a herd of buffalo coming down the damn thing. Jake turned, tapping the floor to get Fawn’s attention. He knew her habits, sometimes better than his own. She hadn’t put her hearing aids in yet. It was okay. The break gave them time to practice their ASL.

She paused, setting the glasses on the table, and looked at him. A little frown formed between her brows. Christ. She was beautiful, just like her mom. And not for the first time, he was grateful for his extensive gun collection for when the boys started knocking at the door. He wasn’t above taking one or two of his guns out to clean and inspect when the boys started dating Fawn. He suspected he’d do the same for Declan or any other children they might have.Jumping to conclusions, are we?No, he was a rational person with realistic expectations. He just enjoyed throwing what ifs into the mix?

“Mom and Declan are coming down,”he signed.

She nodded, since her hands were occupied with silverware and one plastic sippy cup. “Okay.”

He was in the middle of removing the last batch of pancakes from the griddle when someone knocked on the front door. Jake placed the plate onto the counter and put his finger to his lips before he made his way toward the front door—hoping to get there before Ginger. He may be on downtime because of his injury, but he was a full member of R.O.O.T. and old habits die hard, miserable deaths.

Like protecting what he considered his.

This morning, unfortunately, Ginger was quicker than he was. She had the door open before Jake got to it. Her soft gasp drew his gaze to the small man standing on their porch. “Mr. Yamamoto.”

Fuck,this couldn’t be good. Correction, this wasn’t good at all. Seeing him just might be the striker paper for the match of Ginger’s simmering temper. It could get ugly. After everything that went down over the last few days with the R.O.O.T. teams, the timing fucking sucked. It smacked of nothing being coincidental.

The older man had been persistent in trying to get a hold of Ginger. Calling her cell until she blocked him. The old man had called Jake too. He’d been sitting in front of Ginger when it happened. He made damn sure not to answer or call Mr. Yamamoto back. That Mr. Yamamoto had called him and told Jake that the old man had no clue he used to work at R.O.O.T. or that he’d taken his old position back. The message had been short and to the point. Her old boss was worried about Ginger and the kids. He wanted to know if Jake knew where they were or their status. Jake heard the worry and fear in his voice, even though it was a recording. Truth be told, even aware of how dirty Mr. Yamamoto was, he couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy. It appeared the genuine affection Ginger spoke about regarding the old man hadn’t been faked.

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