9
At the first buzz of his phone vibrating, John *Tex* Keegan hit pause on his game and reached for it.
How the heck did they find trouble at a wedding?
They need adultier supervision.
Letting them go to a Nemesis wedding was a mistake.
“What happened?” He switched computers as he listened to Wolf’s explanation. “Name?”
“Nawrocki, Janek,” Wolf said. “Get with Trev at Nemesis HQ. He’s already running a search,” Wolf suggested. “Rose has run long enough.”
“Anything you put online, he’ll find,” a woman’s voice in the background said. “Please don’t do this. You all don’t need to be involved.”
“Baby, we are already involved.” He thought that sounded like one of the Hunt brothers, but as they both sounded quite similar, he wasn’t sure which of the two it was. “Let us help. Tex is even better than Trav. Between them, your ex-asshole is toast, and you’ll be free.”
“It’s too dangerous…”
Men preying on women was a trigger for him. He hated them with a vengeance. “Put me on speaker,” he growled to Wolf.
“Done.”
“Ma’am.” Tex softened the rage out of his voice. “Rose, right? Your name is Rose?”
“Yes.”
“Rose.” The Texas of his birth rumbled through in his voice. “Rose, the men you have in front of you are the ones the US Government calls to save all the badasses they trust to do everything else.” He hoped he would get through to her, but his guts told him she would bolt at the first opportunity. The thoughts of any woman running scared on her own ate at his soul. He drummed his fingers on the desk, sending a medallion skimming away from them. Inspiration struck as he picked it up. “If I have them give you something, will you carry it with you?”
“Why, what is it?”
Good, she sounded wary. That meant she wouldn’t take stupid risks… he hoped.
“It’s a tracker,” Tex admitted. “All my friends’ women are tracked by me. They’ve been in your shoes.” Despite hearing her breathing loudly as if on the verge of panic, he pushed on with the explanation. “Wearing it means I can find you if the worst happens. Call it a backup, at least.”
“Do it,” one of the Hunt brothers said. “For me, for yourself. Even if you don’t want me to know or be involved, let Tex track and help you…”
“Janek will find out... he’ll use it.”
“Rose, it’s tracked with a device I built. Nobody has the frequencies,” Tex jumped in to reassure her. “Not even the guys have it. I’m the only person with access.” If he could protect every woman on the planet, he’d do it. Unfortunately, some would consider it stalking. But the women his friends loved trusted him—that’s it— “Wolf, bring her to Ice and Fee if it’s safe to do so. Let them tell her about the trackers.” If anyone could convince Rose of the benefits, it was Ice and the other wives. Every one of them knew the merits. The trackers had saved each and every one of them at some point or other.
“That’s the plan,” Wolf said. “If Rose will listen and allow it.”
“Who is Ice?”
“My wife?—”
She cut Wolf off. “I already told you I’m not putting your family in danger.”
“Then come home with me,” Hunt coaxed softly. “I live by myself. There will be nobody else there but you and me. You’ll be safe. I swear it on my SEAL pin.”
“That’s a promise you can take to the bank.” Tex liked that idea. He didn’t want to put Caroline or the other women in danger either. “I’ll hold him to it and will personally come out there and kick his ass if he steps out of line.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Keegan.”
He snorted at the annoyance in Hunt’s tone. He could like it or not; Tex didn’t care because the woman was always going to be his priority, period. “Anytime, Hunt. Rose?”
“Yes?”
