The men who attacked the ranch and tried to kill the Team were from a drug cartel in Mexico. The same group of men who were tied to the deaths of Arden’s parents. Although they were not the exact same men, they belonged to the same gang. As far as the guys knew, they had never been involved with the cartel. Most of their missions had been overseas.
However, Arden’s parents were involved also in the smuggling of weapons to the areas the men had previously had a mission. It was like a big revolving door, and one they were ready to stop.
“I hate this,” Arden said from the table where the group was sitting. “We are supposed to be going to the islands and getting settled together.”
West smiled and looked at Arden. “Honey, I told you. We are just making a stop in Texas and then we will follow. Alex’s family has got everything set up and ready. Once Jessie and the others get to the islands, we will be able to figure this out without having a target on our backs.”
Jolie and Sable snorted. “Just like a man,” Sable said. “However, the only good thing is that Destiny and her men will look after the place with the hands. That way they will be safe. I hate that we brought this fight to Healing. It is such a nice little town.”
Gage and David looked at one another and smiled. “Like the town cared. The mayor and the others will be keeping a look out for strangers. They have it all ready to notify us. We have sworn in some of the townsfolk for now to help with patrols in case there is a problem. The town Council voted to try to keep you all here to protect you. But they understand your decision,” David said with a touch of humor in his voice.
Alex laughed. “We sure picked a great place to move to.”
The men shook their heads, once this was all said and done they would be back to settle, this was one of the only places they would be able to find peace and live like they wanted. Heck, even Alex’s family was talking about relocating soon. The town needed a bit more excitement according to them.
“The family is going to hold up on the south island, and we can take the large one. It has enough room for all of us, a few bungalows, plus the large main house,” Slone said, pointing to the map they had out.
“The Commander doesn’t want to know where we are taking them, he said the fewer people who knew the better. They also have alerted West’s TEAM and given them permission to help. A few of them are from Texas so they are home on leave for cover. The others are leaving on a deployment, but will have a layover in Houston. They won’t make the connecting flight, though no one will report that,” Gage said and pointed to the other board.
“Thane, you and West can call any of these guys. Mason, Alex, Slone, and Gage will be getting the families to the islands. I have a few things to finish up, and I will follow. The ranch is taken care of, the construction is going on as planned under the watchful eyes of the Mayor,” David said and then nodded.
“When are we leaving?” Sable asked.
“Tomorrow morning,” West said grimly and they began to plan.
Jessie looked at his friend again and grinned. “Grant, it is good to see you.”
They had kept in touch with phone calls. However, the last time they had seen each other was when Grant's mother had passed away from breast cancer last year. He remembered his friend telling him he had moved, and promised to call and arrange to visit.
Jessie felt like shit, time had gotten away and then he had been so focused on his own problems he had lost track of time. Grant and he had been best friends since they were five until they separated the last summer after graduation. They remained in touch throughout college and basic, even meeting on occasion and going out. They shared everything, and Jessie just realized how much he missed Grant.
“Jessie, what the hell is going on?” Grant laughed and shook his head. “I find this woman on the side of the road pregnant and alone, and then lo and behold you show up and are the father? How exactly does that fucking work?”
Jessie was silent as he thought about his response. They continued along the corridor trying to find the cafeteria the nurse directed them to. Grant pointed and directed them into a large courtyard where there was a coffee cart and a snack cart. Once they were settled at a table, Jessie finally looked at his friend.
“So,” Jessie started and Grant held up his hand.
“Hey, you don’t owe me any explanations. I was just curious. I know what happened to you and your team. Hell, I would have had to been dead not to know. I was worried. I called the base to see if I could find out anything and they wouldn’t talk. I figured you would contact me when you were ready,” Grant said softly.
“I am sorry. I was in a bad place, hell still in a bad place. I have all this shit coming down on me and I am not equipped, man. You know,” Jessie admitted. It was nice to be able to talk to someone again, someone who knew what the hell he was talking about.
When they were younger neither had to say much to each other, they knew each other that well. When one of them wanted to talk the other listened without judgment. That was the way it was. They would offer support and advice but only if the other asked for it.
Grant waited, Jessie knew he would never ask what was going on; it was up to Jessie to tell him. Drake was standing guard on the room so Jessie knew he had time to talk to his friend. How much should he tell him though?
Chapter Four
Brin waited impatiently. They should be back by now. She still couldn’t believe Jessie was here. She took a deep breath, she knew she had a lot to explain for, but she had tried to find him. Surely, he wouldn’t be too pissed once she explained.
She looked at the small bundle laying in the clear crib next to her. Damn it, she had done all of this wrong. Brin heard the footsteps in the corridor and waited to see if it was Jessie. When he finally poked his head into the room and smiled, she felt infinitely better.
“Hey?” Jessie said and walked into the room alone.
“Hey,” Brin whispered and looked at him. He still made her heart flutter. Since her brother sent the picture of him, she thought he was handsome. But when she met him, it was instant attraction.
“So?” Jessie said and walked into the room farther.
“I am so sorry, I was going to tell you. I tried, but then Mark and the others died. I called the hospital to see how you were but nothing. They wouldn’t tell me a thing. I even went up there, missed you by a few days. They said you were discharged. No one would tell me where you were,” Brin said and looked up at Jessie, hoping that he would understand.
The tall handsome SEAL looked uncomfortable. He shuffled his feet and then looked at her. “It is my fault, and mine alone. I am so sorry I left without telling you anything. And after, well after it was still my fault. I should have called,” Jessie said.
“Well we are a pair. Jessie, I really wasn’t thinking. You know, I figured I had all the time in the world,” Brin moaned. “I was planning to tell you when you got back. Shit, and my brother, I knew he was going to be pissed, but it's not like I planned it though.”
Jessie nodded. He knew Brin wouldn't have done this to trap him. This was just a big fucking mess they needed to sort out together. He looked at her and felt the same pull he had that night. Even having been drunk could not have dulled the attraction they had. Seeing her again just reminded him of what a fool he had been for not giving her his number. But their Commander had called them back for a mission. The one that took her brother's life.
He walked to the bed, sat down on the edge, and took her hand. When he felt the energy that flowed between them, he smiled and looked at her. “No more beating ourselves up, okay. It is a fucked up situation, but I think we can figure this out together, don’t you.”
“I would like that,” Brin whispered and felt the heat from their hands. Finally, she wasn’t alone. For the last nine months, she had struggled to make sense of this whole thing. And for nine months nothing had seemed to fit, that is until Jessie walked into the room. Wait, no that wasn’t true. When she saw Grant, she felt safe. Her
emotions were all over the map, and she was putting them down to pregnancy hormones. What else could it be?
“Where do we go from here?” Brin asked cautiously.
Jessie paused. This was going to really suck, he thought as he looked at Brin and his child. “We have a bit of a situation, Brin. I hate that you are going to get involved in this but you are. Just recently, we had a few problems, problems that have bled over into our families. All of them.”
Brin frowned and looked up at Jessie. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone is looking for family members of the TEAM, for some type of revenge, that is all we can think of. After we left the hospital…” Jessie began and sat down in the chair next to the bed and began to tell her the story of what had been happening the last few months.
After an hour, Jessie finished. Brin had not said a word, just sat and listened, occasionally nodding. The baby had remained silent for the whole thing until he was almost finished.
“So, Alex’s family gave us the use of their islands for the families to be protected,” Jessie said and rose when his son let out his first wail.
Brin held out her arms and when Jessie handed her their child, he felt a lump in his throat again. Especially when she shrugged a shoulder out of the gown she was wearing and looked up at him shyly.
“Uh…he is hungry, the nurse showed me earlier the best way to breast feed, if you are uncomfortable could you give us a few minutes?” she asked.
“No, I am not uncomfortable,” Jessie said and sat down watching intently as Brin blushed but then moved a little, gently grasping her breast and holding it to the baby’s mouth, offering him her nipple. Jessie shouldn't have thought of that as being very cool, but as he watched, he wanted to pump his fist in the air as he witnessed his child suckling on her breast. For a brief moment, he flashed to an image of himself doing the same thing to her, he almost groaned aloud remembering the taste of her sweet skin.
He cleared his throat and then continued, “A...Alex is going to arrange transport from here to the islands.”
Brin looked up at him and frowned. “Alex, the one who is involved with Sable and he shares her with Slone? I am still trying to figure that whole thing out. I mean, isn’t it awkward or something. I can’t imagine having two men fighting over me.”
Jessie frowned. “No they don’t fight over her. None of the ménage relationships I have seen does that. They work together to keep each other safe and happy. As far as I can tell, they all like that type of relationship better because for the men, they know their best friend will keep her safe and happy when they are not around. For the women, they have enough love in their hearts for both men. If you see them, you will know what I mean. Alex and Slone, David and Gage, and Mason and West, they just make it work. There is nothing between the men, at least I don’t think. I have thought about it, it would have to be someone I trust, 'cause I don’t swing that way you know.”
Brin seemed to think about it. “Wouldn’t you get jealous?”
“I don’t know. I can’t say for everyone, but I would assume it would be an agreement between them. But no, I don’t think I would, after seeing how happy my friends are,” Jessie admitted. “But we are off track.”
“Right, you were talking about shipping us off to an island. What about you? I mean, don’t you want to get to know our little guy here? Who by the way needs a name.” Brin laughed.
“Hey, I am not shipping you off. I am coming out there as well as soon as I can. Of course, I want to have this guy in my life. I also think we need to talk about us as well. I would like to be a part of your life too,” Jessie said. He knew he was reaching here. They had spent one night together, but when he was with her, he felt like he was at peace, something he had not felt in the last few months. It was as if they were meant to be together, he just couldn’t explain it.
“Oh…uh…how dangerous is this?” Brin asked. “They don’t know who I am, at least I don’t think so, so maybe I can just stay put until this is over?”
“Yeah, how dangerous is this?” Grant said from the doorway, frowning. Jessie looked at his friend and shook his head.
“Hey, man, what are you doing here?” Jessie said.
“Sorry, listening in a little. You were talking and I didn’t want to interrupt and yeah, kinda an eavesdropper. So why don’t you tell me what is going on,” Grant said.
When Grant heard his friend explaining to Brin what was going on, he felt a burning sense of need to burst into the room and demand to know what was going on. It was strange, his feelings of possessiveness. He was even worried about Jessie, now that he found his friend again, he didn’t want to lose him. When they talked downstairs, Jessie had not told him everything. He hit the highlights, but Grant knew there was more to the story, and his friend would tell him in due time. However, this changed everything. Brin and the baby were in danger, which did not sit well with him.
Drake stared at him with a curious look. “You in or you out, there is no halfway here,” the strange man said.
Without thinking, he pushed open the door and walked in. As he watched the two people he burst in on look at one another, Grant felt a little like an outsider, maybe he needed to get a clue and leave now. He opened up his mouth to apologize and leave the two in peace when Jessie stood and walked over to where he was standing.
His friend stared at him intently, as if gauging something. Then he nodded slowly and held out a hand. “Grant,” Jessie said and then he saw Drake leaning against the wall, his teammate shrugged and nodded.
“It seemed like maybe he had a stake in this?” Drake said and Jessie nodded.
Damn, in the space of two days he had three people who he was now responsible for, besides his mother. How in the hell had things got so complicated? He felt like he was off balance a little.
Jessie rolled his eyes and shut the door, but not before saying to his teammate, “No more people listening in.”
“Gotcha, boss,” Drake answered looking at him smugly. “Though the people in this town seem like they can handle themselves. Bob the banker was just in visiting someone and even he had a sidearm. Wanted to know if we were going to be problems. Seemed to think Thane, Mason, and West were amateurs.”
Jessie laughed and shook his head. “Whatever.”
When he turned, Grant was standing next to the bed looking at Brin and his son. For a moment he stared, Grant was talking softly to Brin while smiling down at the baby. Thankfully, she had finished breast-feeding, however Jessie didn’t think he would mind one way or another if Grant had seen Brin feeding their child. It seemed right.
“Now, what is this about danger?” Grant said and looked at Jessie as he walked to the side of the bed.
“Listen, there are things going on that you don’t know about. I need to get Brin and the baby to someplace safe, and soon,” Jessie said to his friend.
Grant frowned, for some reason that made him unsettled. Thinking that Brin, Jessie, and the babe were going to disappear yet again. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it was something. “I don’t think that is a good idea. I mean she just gave birth for God sakes. Why don’t you leave her and the babe here? I can look after them and keep them safe. I mean we do live in Smith and Wesson Township, I'm pretty sure there are enough people to help. Jabo and Sassy have taken a likening to Brin, they will help.”
Jessie nodded. “If that was possible I would, but the people we are dealing with are not people I would wish on any community.”
Brin listened as they went back and forth and finally she got a little pissed. “Hey, this is my life we are talking about. I'm pretty sure I should be involved in the decisions here. You guys are talking like it is a forgone conclusion I will go where you want me to.”
Jessie and Grant looked down at her with stunned expressions, like she had dared to talk and she felt her temper rise. When Jessie finally spoke, she knew it was going to be a battle.
“Brin,” he started with a soft voice. “I just need you and the ba
by to be safe.”
“I think I am perfectly capable of doing that. I am a big girl you know. Learned how to take care of myself a long time ago, thank you very much. I was just going to tell you about the baby. I don’t want or need anything from you,” she said stubbornly, even though she wanted more than her next breath for him to say he wanted to be a part of her and the baby’s lives. Damn her hormones, they seemed to be running rampant.
“I know you are, sweetheart,” Jessie said and took her hand and held it close. “But seriously, this is bigger than you and I. These people are trying to kill the people we love in order to prove a point.”
“What point?” Grant asked, feeling a cold chill run down his spine, for Brin and the babe, as well as Jessie.
“We don’t know,” Jessie admitted. “Which is why we are going to move the families to somewhere secure and safe.”
Grant looked at Brin and frowned. “Who will be watching them?”
“Alex, one of my teammate's family is in security business. We are moving them to an island they own,” Jessie said and began to explain the situation in detail.
Brin and the baby drifted off to sleep while they were talking and both of the men stared down at her when they were finished speaking.
“Is that all of it?” Grant asked.
“Yeah,” Jessie said softly and touched his child’s head.
“So, ménage relationships?” Grant asked curiously.
“That is what you got out of it?” Jessie chuckled.
“Well, the rest I am sure is fine.” Grant laughed.
“Three of my teammates have taken to the lifestyle. I have to admit, it is something I have actually thought about,” Jessie said.
Grant nodded, “Well you know about my family, my uncle had a ménage relationship, and now my cousins.”
Jessie smiled, “Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that.” Jessie remembered when they were children and his family came to visit. He had plenty of questions for them. He chuckled as he remembered asking his mom about ménages, she had been drinking ice tea at the time and spit it all over the place. One thing he did remember was that she was very accepting of it. Told him that he should respect people for who they are—not what went on behind the bedroom door. Looking back, he knew that was why he didn’t have such a hard time accepting Alex, and his family. They were great people.