“You know me. I’m all about the sweetness.”
Sarah laughed, which Nate knew had been Kole’s goal.
“Kole, be sure to give Gabe the address where you’ll be staying. Take your work phone and leave your personal cells here. One of us will let you know when it’s safe to return home. Nate, same goes for you.”
“Got it.”
“The rest of you…” Jake looked at the other members of Bravo. “I want you back here at oh seven hundred. Go home and get a good night’s rest. It may be your last for a while.”
The team stood, along with Sarah and Gracie. Matt, Gabe, and Zade all wished Nate and Kole well, vowing to do what it took to make it safe for them to return.
Nate followed Kole, Sarah, and Gracie to the doorway, but Jake’s voice had him pausing.
“Hey, Nate. Hang back a minute. I wanted to go over a couple things with you before you leave.”
To Kole, Nate said, “Wait for me up front.”
After those three left the room, Nate turned to Jake. “What’s up?”
“Shut the door and have a seat.”
With an uneasy feeling in his gut, Nate did as his boss instructed.
“This place you’re taking Gracie to. How secure is it?”
“It’s solid. I’m going to rent a cabin at Lake Livingston. My parents used to take us there every summer.”
Concern passed through Jake’s eyes. “These people are good, Nate. If you went there as a kid, there’s a chance they could figure that out.”
Nate shook his head. “We always met up with another family. A guy my dad grew up with. They lived near there, and Dad’s friend would always make the reservations in his name. He’d get there early, pay for everything, and then Dad would pay him cash for our half. There’s no way they can trace it to me. Plus, the business has changed hands several times over the years.”
Jake considered this a moment. “I’d still use an alias, just in case.”
“Roger that.” Several seconds of awkward silence passed before Nate asked, “Was that all you needed?”
His boss looked at him with an assessing eye. “You got this one?”
What the hell?“Are you asking if I can handle this assignment, Boss?”
“I know you can do your job. I just want to make sure you have your head on straight where Gracie is concerned.”
Forgetting who he was talking to for a moment, Nate shot back with, “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Jake rested his palms on the table in front of him and locked his arms. “It means I have fucking eyes, Carter. Jesus, man. You can practically cut the sexual tension between you two with a goddamn knife. So, before I put her under your protection, where you’ll be sharing a tiny as fuck cabin, I want to hear you say the words. Are you good to watch her? If the answer’s no, I’ll put her with Gabe. And if you tell me that’s what needs to happen, I will respect that decision.”
Christ, this was not something Nate wanted to discuss with his boss. Or anyone else, for that matter.
“Gracie and I aren’t”—he thought about how to word it—“We haven’t,” Nate paused again, clearly not helping his case any. “I’m good, Jake. I’ve got this.”
“Good to know.”
McQueen stood straight, finally putting Nate out of his misery. Almost.
“Look, Nate. I get it. When someone you care about is in danger, you want to be their first line of defense. But, I also know when emotions get involved things can get messy. People tend to make mistakes. And in our line of work, those mistakes can get people killed.”
More than ready to put an end to the uncomfortable-as-fuck conversation, Nate stood and pushed his chair in.
“I’m good, Jake. Really. Now, if that’s all, I’d like to get on the road. I want to get there and get settled before dark so I can do a good perimeter search and set up surveillance outside our cabin.”
