Speaking of Marion Burnes, we’d sent units to her house to pick her up and the neighbors had informed us that she was on vacation. Read: she was in the wind.
We were tracking any and all accounts attached to either of their names, but so far there had been radio silence on that front aside from a twenty-thousand dollar cash withdrawal from Jeremy King’s bank account. The bastard was using cash for everything now.
“I know,” the agent on the other end of the line said. “I’ve put a BOLO out on his vehicle, on his ID, and have put his picture out everywhere. We just need to wait and smoke him out...how’s Lizzie doing?”
Lizzie had shown up with the rest of the security team to help, stubbornly telling me to fuck off when I’d mentioned that she should go back to the office and that we were friends and friends helped friends. Before the last few weeks, I would have told you that I didn’t have any friends, but now, looking back on the past few years, every memory that I had of work included the two women who’d basically taken me under their wing and kept me sane as I worked my ass off.
“She’s good. She’s been busy ordering the security team around.”
Emerson chuckled on the other end of the line at the antics of her girlfriend. “Good. I’m glad she’s keeping busy. While I’m out here trying to find this bastard, please make sure you look out for her. I worry about her when she goes out into the field.”
Emerson was trusting me with a big part of her heart, and the enormity of the task wasn’t lost on me. “I will. You just focus on taking care of you, your team, and finding this asshole.” Emerson was working with a team of four other FBI agents to track down Jeremy King/Jamie Jordan. They were some of the best, so I had faith that they’d find him before long.
We hung up shortly after that, and I unpacked my bag, putting my clothes away before heading down into the kitchen. I followed the sound of voices and the smell of something absolutely delicious cooking.
Tibby was standing at the stove and pointing a red sauce covered spoon at Matteo, who was holding his hands up in surrender as the omega scolded him about something. Aria and Theo were sitting at the dining room table having a serious discussion, and the three FBI agents who made up our security team were watching Tibby scold Matteo with matching grins on their faces. They all had various vegetables in front of them and they were slowly chopping the vegetables like they had never done it before.
“Hey,” I cut Tibby off mid-scold with a kiss.“What’s for dinner?”
Tibby blinked at me dazedly, as if forgetting that she was standing in front of a stove cooking something.
“Pizza,” She finally managed to say before blinking and looking at Matteo. “What was I yelling at you about again?”
This was Matteo’s chance to get out of the rest of his scolding, unfortunately for all of us, the alpha relished a good scolding. “I told you that I wanted pineapple on my half of the pizza.”
There was a groan behind me as Tibby continued her rant. “And I was saying that that is absolutely sacreligious. You don’t putfruiton a pizza. It’ssupposedto be savory....”
I turned away from their conversation and faced the two FBI agents who were gaping at me like they’d never seen me before. “What?” I asked.
Lizzie, who sat at the end of the counter and was chopping onions snickered. “They are just surprised that Jacob Collins has a setting other than ‘super serious FBI agent.’ They all think you’re a robot.”
I snorted, “I’m hardly a robot. Would a robot say that pineapple belongs on pizza?” I raised my voice, making sure that the omega behind me heard me loud and clear and, judging by her outraged gasp, I’d succeeded.
“Everyone who thinks that pineapple belongs on pizza needs to leave my kitchen right now or risk welted knuckles from my wooden spoon.”
That was Matteo’s and my cue to leave. I pressed one last kiss onto the protesting omega’s lips and dodged the sauce-covered spoon as we left the kitchen and headed into the dining room where Aria and Theo were still having their discussion.
“I get where you’re coming from, Aria, but I need to do these things on my own time.” Theo was saying as we sat down.
“Do what on your own time?” Matteo flipped the dining table chair around so that he could straddle it backwards and rest his chin on the back of the chair.
Aria rolled her eyes, “Theo is convinced that he needs to take his time and do things his own way when it comes to courting Tibby.”
“Ooh, yikes,” Matteo grimaced. “Definitely can’t do that. We’ll be old and gray by the time you finally knot her.”
“Hey now, it’s not that bad.” Theo frowned at him, “...Is it?”
Aria’s amber eyes found me and I could see the sparkle of amusement already in their depths. “Cobb, what do you think?”
Theo’s eyes begged me to stick up for him and his flirting prowess but, realistically, I couldn’t. “Sorry Theo, you left a note in my locker that had several scribbled out words and asked me to go to a bar where you proceeded to spill an entire stein of beer on yourself. You would have done a better job if you’d just written ‘do you like me?’ with a yes or no checkbox for me to fill out.”
Laughter burst out of Matteo as Theo muttered: “you are absolutely no help, Guppy.” Under his breath.
“Look, I know that I am as emotionally stunted as you sometimes, but I at least know the way into a woman’s heart.” I had been raised by two amazing women after all.
Theo looked absolutely miserable now. “So, if I’m so bad at this...what the hell do you all suggest that I do?”
I thought about it for a minute, thinking of all of the things that made Tibby who she was, and what would have the most impact on her.
