Page 48 of Waiting for Him
Boomer nodded his thanks and looked at Kat crying, her mouth opening and closing without any sound. Pulling her out of her seat and into his arms, he hugged her tightly. “It’s all right, baby. He’s right . . . we’ll get my folks out of this.”
“H-how? You have to take me with you, and—and the money too. T-trade me for your parents.”
“No! Fucking! Way!” He grabbed her shoulders and gave her two short shakes until he had her full attention. His angry eyes flared at her. “No fucking way am I doing that, Kitten. Not happening. This is what we do. We rescue people. These assholes have messed with the wrong team. And there’s no fucking way I’m trading you for my parents, much less bringing you with us. You’re staying right here in the compound.”
“You can’t leave me here! What if . . . what if they see I’m not there and kill your parents, Benny? I can’t let that happen! You have to take me with you! We’ll give them the money! Please!”
She was becoming hysterical, and there was no time for it. He shook her shoulders again, talking over her rambling, putting his best Dominant tone into his voice. “No, Kat. No! Listen to me, dammit! You’re not going anywhere near these fuckers. You’re staying right here, and unless you don’t want to sit for the next year, you’ll do exactly what I say. Your safety is my number one priority, and I can’t do my job if I’m worrying about you and my folks. Now, we don’t have time to argue, so are you going to obey me, or am I going to have to tie you to a fucking chair?”
Carter jogged past them, heading for the stairs with his gear. “Time’s a-wasting, dude.”
“Kat? Answer me!”
She was shaking and sobbing, but somehow his words penetrated her scrambled brain. “Um, o-okay.”
“Good girl.” Snatching her hand, he led her toward the stairs. Now that her safety was ensured, his mind was free to worry about his folks.
* * *
Kat watched as the command van sped out of the compound, followed by two black SUVs. Beside her, Jake put his arm around her shoulders. “Everything is going to be fine, Kat. Come on. Let’s go inside. It’ll be an hour or so before they get there, and we’ll hear everything when they do.”
She’d been adamant about listening in on the rescue along with Jake. It’d been decided he would stay behind to watch Kat, along with Murray, the compound’s daytime guard, and one of Chase Dixon’s men. The other two contract agents had gone with the rest of the Trident team and Carter. Since the patch still covered Jake’s dominant eye, the black-ops spy was taking his place as team sniper. Jake wasn’t pleased about missing the rescue, but he knew he might be a hindrance, and Kat needed protection.
Thankfully, Kristen, Angie, and Jenn were on their way to a book promotion at a Barnes & Noble store in Spring Hill, about an hour north of Tampa. Since Angie had designed the book cover for Leather & Lace, Kristen’s publisher had thought it would be an excellent idea for her to appear with the author. They’d invited Jenn to be their paid gofer for the day, and she’d switched shifts at the pub so she could join them. The three women had left an hour before Boomer had gotten the call from his mother, so they had no idea what was going down. Ian and Devon preferred it that way—no point worrying them if it wasn’t necessary. Hopefully, the excitement would all be over before they returned later in the afternoon.
Beau trotted after Kat as she followed Jake into the offices. The team had opted to leave the trained canine behind as extra security for Kat. The only other person in the compound, besides the two guards, was Trident’s secretary, Colleen, who looked up as the other two approached her desk. “Don’t worry, Kat. These guys know their stuff, and they’re the best.”
“I know.” She gave the younger woman a small smile. “I just won’t be able to relax until I hear from Benny that everyone’s okay.”
“Can I get you something? Tea, maybe?”
Kat shook her head. “No, thanks. My stomach’s a mess, and that’ll make it worse.”
“Why don’t you lie down for a bit upstairs?” Jake asked her. “You’re pale, and I don’t want you getting sick on me.” She was about to object, but he held up his hand, stopping her. “I promise I’ll come get you when they get there. There’s nothing any of us can do until then. Please, Kat? Don’t make me get my bullwhip.”
While Kat gaped at him, Colleen snorted, which earned her a stern look from the Dom. She just grinned at him, knowing he’d been teasing the other woman. “He’s just messing with you, Kat. Just threaten to mother him until his patch is removed, and he’ll run in the other direction. Women scare him.”
“Keep it up, little one, and I’ll be on the phone to your Dom. Reggie will be more than happy to tan your hide tonight.”
The secretary giggled. They both knew she loved to get spanked by her Master. “Yes, Sir.”
Turning back to Kat, Jake pointed to the stairs. “All kidding aside, please lie down for a bit, Kat. Take Beau with you. I'll come get you as soon as I hear them nearing the house.”
She grumbled but headed for the staircase, her eyelids heavy from the stress. “Bossy Doms. Hier, Beau.”
As the canine followed Kat, Jake turned to Colleen. “Did you get a hold of Tiny yet? I want him here as an extra precaution.”
“I spoke to him, and he said he’d be here as soon as possible, but it’ll be about two hours. He had to take his mom for an MRI of her knee to see if she needs surgery. He’ll be on his way after he drops her off.”
The phone rang, but she continued speaking as she reached for it. “And don’t forget I’m leaving in about a half hour. I have to take the firearms training course Ian scheduled me for, but I can cancel if you need me to.” Not waiting for an answer, she brought the phone to her ear. “Hello, Trident Security. How can I help you?”
Happy it would leave him with one less person at the compound to worry about, Jake gave her a quick wave indicating she should go to her course and then headed for the war-room. He’d promised Brody he wouldn’t touch anything except the camera feeds and communications equipment. The geek was very anal about who was allowed in his technological lair. There was also a spare company laptop that Brody had set up for him, refusing to give him access to the mainframe computer, or as Egghead called it, his baby.
Gripping the desk chair, Jake made sure it was under him before sitting. His perception was off because of the eye patch, but he’d gotten used to it after the first two days. Still, he didn’t always get it on the first try when he tried to grab things.
Waking the laptop from sleep mode, he checked the time. About fifty more minutes before they got there. Nothing to do but wait . . .
Chapter Twenty-One
