Chapter 4
Chase Winters sat down at the team table of Serenity Securities. The team gathered with breakfast plates and cups of coffee. He nodded to each of them as they sat and made small talk while they waited for their leader, Leo.
“Man, I miss Tess. When do she and Taco plan to return?” Shadow said as he peppered his eggs.
“They’re coming home next Saturday. Taco called Kassie and asked about taking Tess on a hang glider above the ocean. It seemed like they were having a blast in Spain,” Chase volunteered.
“They deserve it,” Ragu said as he sat beside Shadow. “It’s good to see Tess doing better.”
“They’re not the only ones doing great,” Saint said as he punched Ragu in the shoulder. “You and Annabelle seem pretty tight.”
“Yeah. I miss her. I’m glad she returns home next week. Those courses she’s taking to become a Nurse Practitioner have worn her out. I’m hoping to give her a relaxing weekend,” Ragu grinned.
“Dude. You’re not fooling anyone. She’ll return to school, probably more tired than when she left,” Shadow quipped.
“Hey, don’t let him give you crap,” Ryder said, entering the kitchen. “Avie seemed tired last night when we played cards.”
“Yeah. She’s picking up stuff from the kids in daycare,” Shadow said while he bit into this toast.
“What brings you over, Doc?” Knight asked, glancing in his direction.
“One of my patients came to me with a problem, and I hoped we might put our heads together. Has anyone seen Bear?” he asked.
The team groaned. “He’s coming in an hour late these days. Julie has severe morning sickness, and he’s taking Tommy to his first day of school,” Knight explained as he punched Ryder in the arm, making him scoot down a chair.
Doc shrugged. “What’s the problem? We’ve all done this for our wives.”
“Bear’s preparing for Julie’s delivery. Kassie gave him a bunch of books. If we thought Leo was bad,” Shadow said, shaking his head.
“You know he’s worried about her,” Doc chastised.
“We know. He’s given us statistics on breastfeeding versus bottle feeding, cloth diapers versus disposable, and curved bottles versus straight ones,” Patch grunted.
“Give him a break. He’s worried about becoming a dad,” Doc came to his defense.
“Hey,” Patch held up his hands. “If we can put up with Leo, we’ll do it with Bear.
I’m happy for the guy. He’s a little obsessed with facts and numbers rather than the real thing.
Maybe you can arrange for him and Julie to babysit the miniature kid factory at your house? He needs a real-world application.”
“Bear can babysit Marcus. He’s got his days and nights mixed up. Since he started crawling, you can’t leave him alone for a second. Let’s not forget the teething,” Knight groaned.
“Come on,” Patch punched him in the arm. “When I got up at 0400, I heard you outside crying your eyes out. Don’t blame it on the kid.”
“Dude, I hope you have a dozen kids all at the same time. You better believe it was me crying. I finally got Marcus to sleep when you opened your mouth yelling, ‘Yo, Marcus. It’s your Uncle Patch. Tell your old man you need a diaper change. I can smell you from over here.’ Man, I can’t keep up with one.
I’m surprised Doc still has his sanity.”
“We have loads of help. Maddie and Joe arrive for breakfast and keep the kids occupied while we dress. Victoria and Ivan pop in at some point or join us for the evening. Emma and José helped over the summer. But with school back in session and José and Lucas leaving for basic next week, I may be pulling my hair out,” he surmised.
“How’s Kassie doing with them leaving?” Saint asked, standing to refresh his coffee.
Doc sighed. “One minute she’s making his favorite meal and the next she bursts into tears. Since Lucas signed up, she’s felt a bit better, knowing they’ll have each other’s six.”
Shadow grunted. “How’s Nick doing? It’s gotta be tough for him watching his brother go.”
“Ivan’s teaching him to fight after school. Victoria has started working out again slowly and Kassie keeps her company. Then, Victoria and Nick have an unhealthy addiction to murder stories. Lucas asked Ivan if they might take a camping trip this weekend. They enjoyed doing it in Ireland.”
“All right, let’s get to it,” Leo said grumpily as he poured a cup of coffee, grabbed a plate, and helped himself to breakfast before sitting.
“What crawled inside your panties this morning, Boss?” Patch asked as they observed their leader shoveling food into his mouth with a glare.
“My supply room now has two hundred and fifty boxes of paper clips, ninety-two packages of staplers, and a potty chair. Who the hell ordered a potty chair for the company? If one of you can’t aim your gun correctly, go home and throw some cereal in the toilet and practice,” Leo said, staring at the men.
Whiskey cleared his throat. “Uh, boss. You asked me to pick something up for the community baby shower. I purchased it with a high chair and a pallet of diapers.”
“A pallet? Good grief, did you stock the whole town?” Leo glanced at Whiskey.
“You sent me a note. I got it on my clipboard, it said to order a pallet of Snuggies,” Whiskey said, furrowing his brows.
Leo swiped his hand over his face. “I meant snuggies as in the poncho liners.”
“You wrote it on the request for the baby shower items,” Whiskey explained.
“I need a supply person,” he mumbled. “First, I need two acetaminophens. Second, I want to let you know Whiskey sent out the offers to Cole Martin and Liam Miller. Cole will be our resident canine specialist and Liam will join team asshole after his stay at the hospital. Both have accepted the positions and will arrive over the next few weeks. They’ll bunk here at the facility. ”
The men nodded in agreement. Both new hires made a lasting impression on the team.
“Third, we have a menace in our midst. Whoever sabotaged Kassie’s food delivery truck and cancelled her nurses has struck again.
Someone cut the power cord on the new fridge at the community center.
Bryanna’s delivery truck sported four slashed tires, and two of the nurses on staff reported their cars had been vandalized. Kassie has asked us to check into it.”
“Doc, you’ve got a hospital to run. Did you have something for us?” Leo said, gazing in his direction.
“Yeah. I have a request from a patient of mine, and I wanted you to hear it. Since we don’t allow anyone in without permission, he’s waiting in the parking lot,” Doc announced.
“Why didn’t you lead with that? If you think it’s worth hearing, you’ve got a reason. Bring him in,” Leo ordered.
Doc rose, and Knight waved him down. “I’m headed out to my truck to retrieve my wallet. I’ll let him in.”
“Thanks,” Doc said, returning to his chair. “He’s got a Seahawks jersey on.”
A few minutes later, Knight escorted the man into the kitchen. The men nodded in greeting as Chase indicated for him to take the seat beside him.
“Everyone, let me introduce Sledge. He’s currently a resident of the Winters Foundation, and he came to me with a request. Due to HIPAA laws, I can’t discuss any medical information, but it might be worth your time.”
Leo leaned forward on his elbows, his attention now focused on Sledge. “You have the floor.”
Sledge nodded at the men. “My unit and I were headed home when our Humvee was ambushed. A member of our team, Scarlett, was a hell of a soldier and saved our asses more times than I can count. She’s in trouble and needs our help.
Another member of our team, Rocker, went to see her after her brother contacted him.
Scarlett suffered injuries in the blast, and she’s blind.
The woman reads all the time, and she recalls the slightest details on a dime.
She can glance at a map and has what they call… eidetic memory.”
“I’m not sure what we can do for her,” Leo said as he pushed his plate away.
“Scarlett loved serving her country. In fact, she excelled at it. The Air Force let her go, and she’s depressed.
Rocker says she’s not eating or leaving her room.
Her parents don’t want to push her, and she’s refused to see any more specialists,” Sledge gushed.
“I’ve stayed here three months, and the men talk.
They say you run a security firm and have teams. Sometimes you take patients from the hospital.
If we can figure out a way to get her here, Scarlett will make a great addition. ”
Leo scratched the overgrowth along his chin in thought. “I need a new clerk. Whiskey has his hands full with the new contracts and diapering the entire town. Of course, she has to meet with our team and go through an interview.”
“No. She’s not designed for paperwork or ordering supplies. Scarlett can run ops, order air support, or figure out the best routes,” he insisted.
Leo shook his head. “I’m not sure how she can do it if she’s blind. We have some high tech here, but it’s not set up for someone with her needs.”
“I’m asking you to meet with her. Please give her a thirty-minute interview and ask her about any country. I’ll guarantee she knows where every military base is located, and in any scenario you give her, she’ll find a way out.”
“Sounds like a challenge to me,” Shadow murmured.
“I don’t have any positions open, but if she decides to come here, I’ll give her an interview,” Leo placated the man.
Doc glanced at a grinning Sledge. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. You won’t be disappointed.”
“Then we’ll leave you to the rest of your business,” Doc said, rising and putting his coffee cup in the dishwasher. “We’ll see all of you on Sunday for dinner.”
Patch elbow checked Knight. “Come on, I’m kicking your ass in the sparing ring. Then, we’ll get the new guys’ lockers ready.”
Doc walked Sledge out of the building and into his truck. “So you got them to agree. How will you get her to come?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll come up with something,” Sledge said under his breath.