Chapter Thirty – Family Business #2
When we finally go to our room, I expect Jo to curl up between us in the nest and sleep, but as we change into shorts, her scent shifts, spiced. So I let her scent and her body take over my mind for a few hours, drowning out everything that happened today.
The next day, our heads are a little clearer, so we start doing what we need to do to protect her.
First, we head to the garrison to report the threat against Jo to our chain of command.
I’m still bothered that I touched the photos.
It would’ve been better if we’d preserved them properly for forensics, but I wasn’t thinking when I pulled them from the mailbox.
From the looks Shane and Jay give at them, they’re just as pissed.
But in the end, it probably doesn’t matter.
Considering how evasive Aranya is, how good he is at being invisible and slipping past justice, I’m sure even if we’d used gloves, forensics wouldn’t have found a damn thing.
So I just shove them into the Bronco’s glove box and we drive out. We take Jo with us, no way we’re leaving her alone at home.
When we get to the garrison, the Harris pack is there, and Jo stays with them and Jay at the entrance, while Shane and I head to the command room to talk to the Solomons.
When we show them the photos, David let out a curse. “I knew the Eneas were right,” he says, “but I didn’t think it would start this fast.”
They take the photos properly, with gloves, and seal them into a clean evidence bag. I note the handling. “Touched without gloves upon discovery, no attempt to preserve prints.”
“If this were about our Maya, we’d be losing our minds,” Josh says as we’re about to leave. “If you need anything while you're on leave, just say the word.”
We thank him, then get moving. From there, we head to the DEA office. While Shane drives, I call Jayme to see if he has time for a meeting. He’s slammed, but manages to squeeze us in during his lunch break.
This time, Shane stays in the car with Jo, and Jay and I go inside the DEA to file a report tying the threat against her to the Frostbite investigation. Afterwards, we meet Jayme at a restaurant near his firm. We barely sit down before Jo leans in.
“I want your help to protect my career,” she tells him, steady and clear.
“I want to make it official that I’m stepping away from my residency for security reasons, not because of incompetence or misconduct.
When this is over, and I try to return, either to Joseph Monson’s or through a new selection process, I don’t want to be labeled a non-traditional applicant or have to justify the gap in my training. ”
Jayme nods slowly, leaning back in his seat. “All right. That’s doable, but we’ve gotta be smart about it.”
He pulls his phone from inside his jacket pocket.
“First thing, we file for a formal Leave of Absence from your residency. You’ll need to give them a reason, so we’ll document it as a security concern tied to an active investigation.
I’ll draft a legal affidavit explaining the situation.
That puts it on record that you didn’t quit, and you weren’t removed. ”
Jo nods.
Jayme continues. “Second, we’ll need a letter confirming the threat, something official that backs the affidavit.
It doesn’t have to identify anyone or expose details, just a simple statement that you are a protected party in an ongoing investigation and that your temporary leave from the residency was recommended by law enforcement. ”
He looks at me. “Can you get that from whoever’s in charge of threat assessment on your end?”
So I’ll put Josh’s offer of a favor to good use.
I nod. “I’ll get it.”
“Good,” Jayme says, tapping a quick note into his phone. “That’ll go a long way toward covering her legally, and smoothing things out with the hospital.”
He puts the phone on the table and looks at Jo again. “Third, we loop in someone from your hospital’s legal or HR department. I’ll ask them to flag your file with a note that you’re eligible for reapplication or reinstatement once the situation stabilizes.
“After that, it's about maintaining documentation. Keep a copy of everything: the leave request, the letters, your training logs. If you do end up applying somewhere else later, I can help frame the gap as a protective measure, not a derailment. It’s not perfect. But if we do it right, you won’t be seen as a dropout. ”
We thank him, then head home.
Later that night, we do the last thing we need to fully prepare Jo for what’s coming: we talk to her family. She sets her laptop on the dining table, and the three of us sit beside her for the video call.
It connects quickly. Her aunt appears on the screen, with a younger nyra beside her.
“Hi, Aunt Solange!” Jo greets, smiling. “Hi, Susie!”
Both nyras light up.
“How are you, Johane?” her aunt asks.
“Um… I actually have a problem I want to discuss with my uncles. Are they home?”
Solange nods and disappears off-screen to get them. The younger one, Susie, leans in toward the camera, eyes bright.
“Jo, guess what?” she says, excited. “I’m getting my driver’s license!”
Jo grins. “That’s wonderful, Susie! Good for you. I told you you could do it.”
“I’m killing it! My fathers didn’t like it at first, but now they’re proud of how good I am. They even gave me a few lessons on their truck!”
She stops talking suddenly as Solange returns with her mates. The camera frames them from behind as they step into view, but even like that, I can see the family resemblance with Jo: the golden-tan skin, the pitch-black eyes .
Solange takes Susie with her as the aegis sit down in front of the screen.
Jo introduces us. “Uncles, these are my mates, Jay, Shane, and Kory.”
The three aegis look at us with assessing expressions. The one on the right nods. “Nice to meet you.”
I clear my throat and speak for our pack. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
And it is. But, fuck, I wish this were under different circumstances. I wish Jo could’ve started this call by telling them we’re Special Ops agents that helped uncover a trafficking ring. We could’ve talked about work, maybe found some common ground, maybe they like basketball too.
It could’ve been a real start. A proper one. The beginning of something with her family. Maybe the call would’ve ended with an invitation to visit them at the end of the year, for the holidays. A chance to see my pack surrounded by a big family.
But that’s a fantasy, and the reality couldn’t be further from it. And I’m not a kid who dreams about family anymore, I’m a grown-ass aegis who fucked it all up, and now I’m here to do damage control.
So I tell them everything about Aranya, about how dangerous he is, how he took my mother all those years ago, how now that same man is threatening Jo.
I tell them we’re facing serious charges and that there’s a real chance we’ll be convicted and locked up.
And because of that, we need them to protect Jo while we’re gone.
When I finish, they exchange a glance before turning back to the screen. The one on the right speaks again.
“We’ll be at the trial,” he says, as the other two nod. “And if you get arrested, we’ll take Jo home ourselves.”
I feel Jo’s hand tighten on my knee.
“We’ll keep her safe, no matter what happens,” the aegis on the left adds.
Then the one in the center locks eyes with me. “You told us the truth; you came clean.” He glances at his brothers, then back at me. “You did right by our niece. All three of you. We see that.”
I swallow hard, and the weight in my chest shifts. It’s still heavy, but no longer crushing.