Uniform
Yvette managed to trade shifts on Sunday with Bravo Team member Tommy ‘Louisa’ Flores, who was in town and scheduled to cover Ops, so that she was off and could spend the day with Mac.
Mac's meeting with Shepherd was scheduled for thirteen hundred hours on Monday. Yvette’s Ops shift began an hour later.
She drove him to the Shepherd Security Building in time for his meeting.
Putting the car in park in the private parking garage on sub-basement level two at twelve forty-five hours, she turned to him. “I’ll escort you to Shepherd’s office and will be in my office during your meeting. I’m sure he’ll contact me when your meeting is over for me to come collect you.”
Mac chuckled. “You make me sound like either a child or a belonging.”
She returned his smile. “You’re neither.” Then she turned serious. “Good luck with your meeting.”
“I’m staying with you, regardless. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and early retirement wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I could be your house husband, so to speak.”
“Husband?” They hadn’t talked about marriage.
“So to speak, common-law husband if you wanted to keep it that way. I think considering me your boyfriend sounds foolish at this point. Don’t you?
Or we could make it legal if you wanted to.
I’ve done a lot of soul-searching over the past few months, Red.
If I can work for Shepherd in some capacity, that would be the ideal. If not, I’m ready to be done.”
She leaned into him and pressed a kiss to his lips. “We’ll talk after your meeting.” She shook her head in the direction of the elevator. “We should go so you’re not late.”
Shepherd’s office door was open when the doors to the elevator dropped them off on the fifth floor. It was five minutes till. Yvette approached his office and glanced in. Shepherd stood at his stand-up desk in the corner of the windowed wall.
“Hi, Shepherd,” she greeted.
Shepherd glanced at his watch. “Good, you’re early. Mac can come in.”
He stood behind Yvette and to the side, so Shepherd had not seen him. He stepped around her and entered. Yvette closed the door behind him.
“Thank you for making time in your schedule for me,” Mac said.
Shepherd pointed to the conference table. He met Mac there, bringing a manila folder with him. “You’re welcome.”
“I received word from my State Department contact that the remainder of the mission after I left with the Koslovs was a success.”
“Yes. And I was told that they have safely been relocated and are now in protection, their asylum request granted.”
“Thank you again for your assistance. Their defection could not have happened without your help,” Mac said.
“What’s next for you?” Shepherd asked.
“That’s why I wanted to talk with you. My Interpol contact has invited me back in the fold, advising the political climate has eased with time since the Ruiz case shook them up.”
“That’s good news,” Shepherd said.
“Yeah, it should be, but I have declined and will be turning my creds back in to them. I’m going to be direct in my ask. Would you have a place for me on your team?”
One corner of Shepherd’s lips tipped up. “It’s a very different pace and command structure here than you’re used to.”
“I realize that. I’d like to think I can adapt to any situation.”
“And if I do not hire you, what’s next for you?”
Mac was disappointed with that reply. “Retirement. I plan to live with Yvette and be a kept man,” he said with a chuckle.
Shepherd shook his head. “No, that won’t work for you. You’re not ready for retirement.”
“I’m done with the freelance game. I’m done putting my future with Yvette on the back-burner, pretending that I don’t love her and don’t want to be with her, that the events in the world are more important, the mission worth sacrificing for. It’s not.”
“So, you’re staying regardless?”
Mac nodded. “I am.”
“Then I'd better put you to work. As I said, retirement won’t suit you, and I’d be a fool to pass on your talents and skills that could help me accomplish my missions.
” He handed the folder to Mac. “The standard employment contract. I can offer you about fifty percent of the time at HQ, but you will be deployed on my missions the remainder of the time.”
Mac flipped open the folder. His name was typed on the contract. He laughed. “Am I that transparent?”
“No, you’re that smart. You didn’t survive playing the game this long by being stupid.
And you had to have realized after Cancun that operating on my team has several perks that operating alone as you have been doing, doesn’t.
My team members who were on site also gave rave reviews of your performance, so I was hoping you’d want to join us as you were a valuable team member on that mission. ”
“Thanks, Shep. I appreciate it.”
“You’ll be assigned to Bravo Team, as all four members of that team have advised me that they’re planning to retire within the next five years.
If you stay on long enough, I’ll probably end up hiring new members to backfill the positions as they retire, and you would ultimately be team leader, if you’re interested. ”
Mac didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes, I’d be interested, and I’m acquainted with all four of those men, good Operators.”
“I was hoping that would be your answer. I have scheduled a meeting for you with Cooper for the rest of your onboarding in about fifteen minutes. Have Yvette show you to his office. He’ll go over the employment terms with you and receive your signed contract.
I figured since she’s working in Ops today that you could get started immediately.
Garcia’s also standing by to get you the necessary digital access, and Doc is in to inject your tracker.
That will all take place today. Cooper will serve as your STO. ”
“STO? You’re going to treat me as a fresh off the street recruit and assign a supervisory and training officer?”
“You’ll go through an accelerated program. You do need to be well-versed in all our protocols.”
“Of course,” Mac agreed.
Shepherd came to his feet and offered his hand. “Text Yvette and have her escort you to Cooper’s office. Welcome aboard.”
“Thank you, Shepherd.” He shook his hand, sealing the deal.
He stepped to the door and closed it on his way out. Standing in the hall, he texted Yvette.
Can you come collect me now?
LOL, yes, my child or my belonging, on my way.
He had only to wait a few minutes before Yvette descended the stairs and came into the hallway. Her gaze momentarily flickered to Shepherd’s closed door before coming back to Mac. “How’d it go?”
Mac’s smile was telling. He held up the folder. “Very well. My employment contract is in here.”
Yvette’s smile surpassed his. “That’s fantastic.”
“You’re supposed to escort me to Cooper’s office for the rest of my onboarding, before you start your shift in Ops. I guess I have to go through some training, and Cooper’s going to be my STO, like some newbie.”
Yvette chuckled. “Everyone has to go through onboarding and have their skills checked off, as well as learn our protocols. Shepherd and Cooper are sticklers for that.”
“Yeah, I’m trying not to be offended by it,” Mac said. “He’s assigning me to Bravo Team, which after the current members start to retire, I’ll be team leader of.”
Yvette grinned a surprised expression. “Really? And you were offended you had to participate in training?”
“So, this will be the last time you’ll have to officially escort me within the building.
In a few minutes, after I sign the employee contract, I’ll have access on my own.
That reminds me, I’m starting right now but am sure I’ll be done before your shift ends.
Can I have your car keys? I’ll come back and pick you up whenever you’re done.
” She’d given him the pin code on her electric lock and the code to disarm the security system at her house before they’d left her house.
“And then tomorrow I guess I’ll have to go buy a car.
” He grinned. “Look at me, getting domestic.”
“Owning a car isn’t domestic,” she countered as she took a step down the hall, heading towards Angel’s desk.
As they passed the conference room, Yvette suddenly entered and pulled him in.
There, she kissed his lips and pressed her body to his.
After a lengthy, enjoyable kiss, she pulled away and said, “That was a congratulations kiss.”
Mac grinned. “Thank you. Will I get similar congratulatory kisses from all my new coworkers? I hope not. I’m honestly afraid of Madison, and if Cooper kisses me, she’ll probably kick my ass.”
She playfully slapped his shoulder. “Come on. I have to take you to Cooper so I can get to Ops for my shift.”
When they reached Angel’s desk, they stopped to chat with her for a moment. “Good morning,” she greeted. Her seventeen-month-old daughter sat in a busy chair beside her desk banging on buttons that made different sounds.
“Hi Angel,” Yvette said. She bent down to the child’s level. “And hello, Jo-Jo. How are you today?”
The baby made some unintelligible cooing sounds in reply and then laughed.
“Hi Angel,” Mac greeted.
“Congratulations, Mac, and welcome to the team,” Angel said with a smile. “Shepherd messaged me to tell me when you left his office.”
“Thank you, Angel. I look forward to the work here.”
“You’ll probably be in the office for training for the next few weeks; if you need anything, just let me know.”
Mac grinned and nodded. Suddenly, the idea of spending several weeks in the office sounded very appealing. That also meant he’d have several weeks with Yvette. “I will, thank you.”
“I ordered deli sandwiches for lunch today. I’ll leave them out for another half hour if either of you is hungry.”
“We ate before coming in, thanks, Angel,” Yvette said.
“I also got those cookies you like, Yvette. You should take one up to Ops with you.”
“Now, that I will do!” Yvette said. She pointed down the hall towards Cooper’s office.