Page 46 of Ace of Spades
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Nate eyed the two men from K2 Special Services. They were big and intimidating. The dudes were going to scare the hell out of the girls. After introducing Jamie Turner and Ryan O’Connor, Rothmire had left for a meeting, leaving Nate alone with them while they waited for Taylor and Rosie to arrive.
“Did my boss tell you that you’ll be babysitting six girls, ages two to nine?”
“Yeah. Scariest assignment ever,” the green-eyed one said.
“You’re O’Connor?” Nate asked the man sporting a grin.
“Yeah, but the team calls me Doc.” He pointed a thumb at his friend. “We call him Saint, and trust me when I say the moniker suits.”
“Just try not to scare the hell out of the girls, okay?”
The one called Saint cracked a smile. “We’re teddy bears at heart.”
“You should know that these girls come from homes where they were either neglected or abused. They’re afraid of men.”
Both men frowned. “Don’t like hearing that,” Doc said. “No one will hurt them under our care, I promise you.”
“If I didn’t know that, those girls wouldn’t be going anywhere with you. Rosie, their foster mother, is a tiny little thing, but don’t let that fool you. She’s as fierce as a mother lion when it comes to her babies.”
“Good for her. Your boss explained the situation,” Doc said. “We’ll take good care of Rosie and her babies, but I gotta tell you, we’d rather be here helping you catch your bad guy.”
“Truth,” agreed Saint. He walked to the glass door leading out to Nate’s balcony. “Nice view you got here.”
“Thanks.” His doorbell chimed. “That will be Taylor and Rosie.” He let the women in, following behind them as they walked to the living room. Taylor had barely nodded when he’d greeted her, and he hated how she’d avoided looking at him. Somehow, he had to find a way to repair their friendship. He missed her.
“Where’s Annie?”
“With Rand. He’s moving the car seat to the van and getting her buckled in,” Taylor said.
He was going to miss the little girl. “Taylor, Rosie, this is Jamie Turner and Ryan O’Connor.”
“I’m Jamie, but my friends call me Saint,” the blue-eyed one said. He shook hands with Rosie first, then Taylor.
“And I’m Ryan. My friends call me Doc.”
“Are you a doctor?” Rosie asked, staring at the men with a gleam of appreciation in her eyes.
“No, but I am a medic. You and your girls will be in good hands.”
Nate scowled, not liking the matching gleam of appreciation in Taylor’s eyes. Both men wore wedding rings, but he still had the urge to growlMine!“Let’s get this show on the road.” At the odd look Taylor darted at him, he headed for the door before he made a fool of himself.
In the underground garage, he helped Rosie into the van they’d rented. “Are our suitcases in here?” Rosie asked, peering around.
“Rand loaded them in the back.”
“Nae!” Annie reached for him.
“Hey, sweet girl. You be good for Rosie, okay?”
Taylor opened the opposite door, leaning in and giving Annie a hug. Nate slipped away while Annie’s attention was diverted. He faced the two K2 men. “Rothmire said he gave you both mine and Taylor’s numbers. You call one of us if anything—”
“We will,” Saint said. “Here’re our cell numbers.” He handed Nate a card. “Hopefully you’ll be calling us in a few days, telling us to bring the girls home.”
That was the plan. He nodded, then headed for his car. The van pulled out first, and a few minutes later, the car with Rand and Taylor left, Nate following behind them.
His job was to watch for anyone following the car Rand and Taylor were in. It wouldn’t be unusual for Taylor to visit the school, and by now if their man was watching her, he had to be aware that she had someone with her wherever she went. What he wouldn’t expect was a van parked behind the school, waiting to whisk Rosie and the girls away.
