Patrick would be flying us to Colorado. He had been in the Air Force during his time in the military, so anytime we needed to fly somewhere, he was the one who took that position. He and Chase had served together on the same team. Chase would copilot while the rest of the team would get ready. We were a well-oiled machine.
It didn’t take us long before we were up in the air and on our way. I pulled my phone out and shot Rebekah a text. I hated that I’d had to leave so abruptly, but sadly, that happened in my line of work. If she decided to pursue this thing with me, it was best that she learn it now.
Beau: Good morning, sweet girl. I’m sorry that I had to leave so abruptly, but duty called. I’m not sure how long I will be gone.
Beau: Use this time to think about our conversation. We can talk about it when I get home. Be good and stick close to Seth.
I turned my phone off and let out a breath, leaning my head against the headrest. It didn’t take long before Josh nudged my elbow. “Need to talk about it?” he asked.
“I told Rebekah about my past tonight. Explained that I wanted to explore things with her. Then I got the call. I don’t like leaving and not knowing how she is going to be tomorrow.”
Josh knew about my past and how heavy that conversation was. He would understand my turmoil about leaving Rebekah on unsettled terms.
“I get it, man, but give her a little credit. She’s stronger than you would think. Plus, Seth is there; you know that he wouldn’t let anything happen. If something feels off, he would immediately let you know. Pipsqueak is in good hands while we are gone.”
“What the fuck did you just call her?”
The fucker let out a laugh. “Pipsqueak. It’s because she’s tiny but feisty.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course he would have given her that nickname. She wasn’t tiny compared to most women, but to all of the guys on the team, she was short. I bit back my jealousy.Josh was harmless, and he was the perfect man to befriend Rebekah. He would lay down his life for her, just as if she were his Little. All of my men would, and for that I was grateful.
I closed my eyes again, deciding to try and grab a few hours’ rest before we hit the ground running. It would be a long few days, depending on how long it took us to locate the missing child.
Once we gotto where Jackson Scott and the family were waiting, we set to work. While we were in flight, Seth had managed to tap into the cameras around the property and found the van that had been stalking the house for several weeks undetected.
When we had that information, it didn’t take long for Seth to track it through the city on traffic cams. After finally locating the van, we found where the kidnapper was holding Sierra. Securing the property and rescuing the child went smoothly. Now it was time to take her home.
Being careful to keep my movements small, I reached out to help the sweet girl curled up in a ball on the hard concrete floor. I knew I looked scary with all my gear on, so I tried my best to reassure her that I was one of the good guys.
“Hi, sweetheart, my name is Beau. I know I might look scary right now, but I’m going to help take you back to your mommy and daddy, okay?”
After walking out to the car and slipping into the backseat, still holding Sierra tight against my chest, I radioed Patrick, who had stayed behind with the family, to say that we had her and were on our way back. Cases that ended like this made all the sleepless nights worth it.
Thirty minutes later, I stood with the local police captain and finalized the last bit of paperwork. I was itching to finish this up so we could get back in the air. It had been four days since I left Rebekah, and I hadn’t had any contact with her.
It wasn’t out of the norm to go radio silent while on a case, but this was the one time I wanted to break all the rules I had set for myself. Seth had been giving me small updates, but even he knew better than to focus on anything besides the case.
“Is there anything else we can help you with?” I asked, holding my hand out to shake with the captain.
“No, I think we are good here. If we have any further questions, I can always reach out to your office,” he replied, looking at the business card in his hand.
I whistled for the guys to load up the vehicles and head out. After shooting a text to Seth to have him let the hangar know we were on our way, I sat back and let the tension leave my body. It was hard to work on these cases, and I left small pieces of myself behind every time, but it was worth it.
It didn’t take us long to make it to the airstrip and load up the plane while Patrick and Chase did their last walk around. With a sigh, I dropped into the seat and finally pulled out my phone to look at the texts I had received from Rebekah while I was gone.
Rebekah: Good morning! I hate that you had to leave after our talk, but I understand it’s part of the job.
Rebekah: I’ll think about everything you said, and we can talk about it when you come home.
That was the next morning after I left. I continued reading.
Rebekah: Seth made me promise that I wouldn’t walk to and from work while you were gone. Did you put him up to that?
Rebekah: Ugh! He’s driving me insane with his hovering.
Rebekah: Can’t you tell him to stop or something?!
I chuckled again as I reread those messages. They came in on the third day we were gone. I loved that she still wanted to reach out, even though she knew that I wouldn’t respond. Getting these messages had kept me going when I was feeling lonely. Even though she was fussing about Seth, which just made me laugh more.
