Lucas
"Lucas," Ben's steel-toed boot slams into my shin, sending searing pain shooting through my leg.
"Christ! What the fuck?"
"Dude, what's up with you?" Owen pipes in through the speaker that sits at the center of the table.
"My sentiments exactly, you need to pull your shit together and stop being so damned distracted," Ben adds with a piercing glare that would normally piss me off.
"Fuck off," I attempt to bark back, but it comes off as a half-hearted retort. The hits just keep on coming, and the thought of disappointing her with yet more bad news is daunting.
"So? What do you want us to do?" Owen repeats, unaware of my embittered mood.
Dropping my head, I do my best to breathe through the anger as I remember Kessler's words when he threatened Embree and the girls. It's been a little over a month since the FBI dropped their investigation into Emilia and with the evidence we turned over, Agent Robert Kessler was fired, two federal judges are facing impeachment proceedings, and several others at the FBI, CIA, and DOJ are under investigation.
Given how deep the rot seems to go, I have little faith that those who are pulling the strings behind the scenes will be identified, let alone be held responsible. Kessler was but a small fish in a sea of corruption, and with the amount of noise this investigation has kicked up, it's a certainty that whoever sits at the head of this mess has gone to ground, leaving us in limbo. We're exactly nowhere with no way of knowing if Embree's still in danger.
"We stay the course," I respond, certain it's our only choice.
Even so, I know what these men have sacrificed to protect Embree, the girls, and her ex-husband over the past seven weeks. Looking over at my friend, it's not hard to miss the worry lines on his face. This case has amounted to an all-hands-on-deck situation, which has meant the reallocation of resources from Offset Tactical's paying clients. More importantly, it has made it impossible for the company to take on new jobs, so Ben's concerns aren't just about Emilia's situation, but about keeping his men employed and his business afloat.
"Listen, Ben. We've shored up security to the point we don't need three of us to be here 24/7. The girls are out of school for the rest of the summer and Embree's doing a great job of keeping them busy so they don't notice they're essentially prisoners here." Those words churn like acid in my gut, especially as it was Embree who said them last night in a moment of frustration. It hurts to know that's how she feels, even as I know that keeping them locked away behind the walls of the property is what's safest for them.
"With Pastor David retiring, and coming to stay with us, we got things pretty well covered. It will free up James and Zeb, so they can be redeployed to other assignments."
"Pastor David was Navy, right?" Ben asks, his eyes focused on the screen of his phone.
"Yep."
"Can he still hold his own?"
"Damn straight. You know I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think he could."
"Okay. Until we see how things go, I'll leave James and pull Zeb. Now Owen," he shifts his focus to the speaker at the center of the table. "What do we know about Kessler? He hasn't been seen since he got fired and Hunt hasn't had any luck getting eyes on him. He hasn't been to his home or visited his dad's nursing home nor any of the other places he frequents. It's like he's vanished." Ben adds.
"I'm aware and already working to locate him. For now I'm not too worried about it. Even if he has Emilia in his sights, there's no way he'll get remotely close without us seeing him coming." Owen notes. "If he's stupid enough to try, we can easily take him out of play then."
"You good with that?" Ben directs his question to me.
"I'm comfortable with that, but only as long as we do our due diligence to still try to find him."
I only agree because having been through every inch of this house and the surrounding property, the chances of someone getting in unnoticed are slim to zero. Plus, thanks to the panic room Owen had installed on the 2nd floor, Emilia and the girls can quickly be whisked to safety while Nero and I go on the hunt. Shy of a militia storming through our front gate, anything else we have an answer for.
"How's it going with Mason?" I ask, purposely not mentioning her ex by name. The less I know about the asshole, the lesser the chance I'll end up in prison convicted of murder.
"He's still on mission. They're working together but apart. Mason's orders are to keep his distance, so we stay off the radar of whoever's after Creed. The last thing we need is one of our own getting caught between the crosshairs of whoever's trying to take him out, or god forbid getting picked up by whichever of the federal alphabet soup agencies gets to Creed first."
"If you guys are good, any objections to me dropping off? I have a shit ton of stuff to work through this morning," Owen proposes.
After looking at me for confirmation, Ben affirms. "Yeah, you're good. Thanks, Owen."
When he hangs up, Ben makes no move to get up. Instead, he sits back in his seat, looking over me like he's assessing. By now I know the drill, and though I'm not in the mood for a heart-to-heart, I know staying and confronting his concerns head-on is the only way he'll back off.
"Look, I know I was a little out of it today, but it doesn't mean my head isn't in this. I know what's at stake and I'm more committed than ever to keeping them safe. There's just a lot going on right now."
"Like what? Whatever's getting in the way of you doing your job, it behooves you to tell me what that is right now."
"Let me clarify something for you, Ben. What we're protecting her from, that's the fucking job and the only thing I'm responsible for sharing with you. Anything outside of that, including what goes on between us, is none of your business. So fuck off. I already told you all you need to know."
"Lucas...." He leans forward, his hands clasped together on the table. "I'm talking to you as your boss, not your friend. If something is going on between the two of you that affects the decisions she makes or the advice that she follows, you need to tell me now. You're not the only one who cares about her. If there's even a tiny chink in her trust for you or anyone on this team, it could mean the difference between life and death."
He's right. Her trust in me and the team is paramount. It's why I tell her every move we make, why I share any little bit of intel we get. So she feels informed and trusts I'll always tell her the truth. That way, when I say it's time to move, she'll do it quickly and without question.
"You're right. I'm sorry. But I assure you it's nothing that could impede my job or her safety."
"Stop hedging Lucas. I need to know where your head's at. Tell me the truth, or I'll bring Dominick in to take over as lead."
"It's nothing like that." I defend, my mind spinning as I debate how much I'm willing to share. It's not that I don't want Ben to know what's going on, but that putting a voice to what my gut is telling me, gives it a semblance of truth I'm not yet ready to face. "Things are just a little off. It started right after that horrible dinner with her mother and Harold five days ago. Since then she's been more anxious and stressed than usual, and because of it, she hasn't been feeling well."
"Wait, so she's sick?"
"No, I mean," I shake my head, not entirely sure how to explain it. "She hasn't been feeling well. She thinks it's from stress, which given the circumstances, makes perfect sense. But there's also this sadness about her. And when I ask her how she's feeling, or what's making her so upset..." I breathe out a frustrated sigh, running a hand over my face as I struggle to keep my emotions in check.
"My gut is telling me something is wrong, but when I bring it up she tells me she's okay. She's lying to me, and you know what a shit liar she is." Shaking my head, I attempt to swallow around the lump in my throat. "Whatever it is, she's determined to keep it from me. We even had our first fight last night. It was over something stupid, just her venting her frustration because she can't leave the house, but I could tell it was about so much more than that. There is something major bothering her, but how am I supposed to help if I can't get her to tell me what's going on inside her head?"
"The number one thing I've learned from your sister is that women are complicated. Often, they don't tell us what's wrong because they themselves haven't a clue. They're much more complex, intelligent, and intellectual than we are. Add that to their capacity to understand, interpret, and experience deep emotion, and it's no wonder they sometimes can't tell why they feel out of sorts.
"My advice, be her sounding board. Keep asking, keep showing up, keep reminding her how much you love her. Encourage her to talk it out, or just sit quietly and hold her when talking is the last thing she wants. Women can be difficult, and exhaustingly complicated. But when they finally come apart in your arms and give you that final glimpse of what's in their heart, I'm telling you, there is no better feeling," he smiles. "Keep at her, but be patient. Love her, but be firm. Most of all, make it clear you'll never give up wanting to be there for her because there is nothing in this world more important to you than her."
Want to read ahead? The next 2 Chapters are available FREE if you FOLLOW ME on REAM!!! (Link in my profile)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note:
More trouble is brewing for our fearless group, and I only hope cutting back on the amount of bodies they have to protect Embree and the girls doesn't come back to bite them.
What do you think of this chapter and what you learned? Do you think Lucas and the team are making the right choice?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEW CHAPTERS post at 3:00 PM EST on Tuesdays & Thursdays!!!
For updates on this and future stories, remember to follow me.