Chapter 20
Whiskey sent the last of the replacement supplies to stock the plane with Archer and entered Stormy’s office.
“I signed off on the inventory. Archer’s loading the plane and we’re ready to leave in the morning. I left the paychecks on my desk. Rocker will accompany us. The rest of the team will stay here. I’d like to introduce them to you.”
“I can meet them later,” she said, rising and filing some paperwork in her files.
Whiskey shut the door. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No. You’ve done an incredible job,” Stormy answered.
“The team has lived here for over a month. You’ve avoided them.
They’re part of us. It’s important you feel comfortable with them.
They’ll need to communicate with you from time to time.
Did someone say something to you?” he asked, ready to do battle for her.
Stormy acted as his right-hand woman. Her father, Conrad, thrived at orienting the men and getting their paperwork handled.
The facility operated smoothly, and the men seemed amicable.
“No,” she replied quietly. “They’re…big men. It makes me nervous, and Brownie keeps alerting me.”
“Bear has done extensive background checks on all of them. Tex vouched for four out of the six because one of his SEAL teams worked with them. Once, you pushed me out of my comfort zone. How about I introduce you to the men? You might feel better if you took the time to converse with them.”
“I don’t like when they’re all together. I feel…crowded,” she admitted.
Whiskey approached her and took her hand. “Come, Brownie. We’re taking Stormy to meet her new teammates. If she gets a little nervous, we’ll punch the shite out of ‘em.”
Stormy laughed. “You have me confused with Sparky. I’m not brave.”
“Excuse me? Didn’t you jump in a freezing lake and save a busload of our seniors?”
“You won’t be here. I’ll be alone with them,” she said, sounding scared.
“We’re adopting a new rule here. We’re facing our fears together,” he said.
“I wouldn’t leave you here if I felt they’d harm you in any way.
If you meet them and still feel uncomfortable, you can work from home until I return.
If you must come in for anything, Bear will accompany you,” he informed her.
They entered the kitchen, where three men sat at the table while Rocker set a plate of hamburger fixings down. One of the men went to grab a pickle when Rocker smacked his hand. “We all help. You want to eat, get your asses up and get the plates and silverware.”
“Hi, there.” One of the men said, noticing them. “You must be Stormy. I’ve tried to introduce myself, but your door was closed. I’m Tuck,” he said, shaking her hand. “We heard you like cheeseburgers. Blade’s grilling them as we speak.”
“Hi,” she said softly. “I’m Stormy. But I guess you know that already.”
Another large man approached her and gave her a fist bump. “Duh. Who hasn’t heard about the badass chick who saved a bunch of people from drowning in the lake? The seniors love you. I’m Grinch.”
A man with startling eyes closed the fridge and nodded at her. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Demon.”
“Hi,” she replied as a blonde man sat at the table.
“Hey Stormy. I’m Sawyer. I’ve met your friend, Sparky. She says you have one hell of a library. I’m a huge reader. Maybe we can trade a couple of books? My stuff got lost in transit.”
“We have a library in town. You can get a card,” she suggested. “Do you need me to track it down?”
“Only if you’ll join us for a burger,” Sawyer bargained. “We understand you’re the person who gets things done around here. Whiskey, can you join us?”
“I have some time. My wife will be at Catherine’s for a while longer, and then I need to pick up the kids.” Walking over to the table, he held out a chair for Stormy.
She sat, and Tuck brought her and Whiskey a plate. “What do you like to drink?”
“Tea for me,” Stormy said quietly.
“I’ll take water,” Whiskey said, winking at her.
“All right,” Rocker said. “Blade grilled. I made fries. Tuck made the fixings. The rest of you will be on clean-up duty.”
“Did you get your assignments for when Rocker and I are gone?” Whiskey asked the group.
“Yeah,” Tuck said. “Do we need to sign up for gym time or swim privileges? I want to meet the K-9 trainer, Allie. Do you know where she lives?”
Stormy reached for Brownie’s scruff. “Allie trains the service dogs. My boyfriend, Cole, trains the K-9s,” she explained.
Blade entered with a plate of burgers and set them in the middle of the table. “Hey, I’m Blade. It’s nice to finally meet you. Do you order the clothing for the team?”
“I do,” she said, staring up at him.
“None of mine fit. I called the company twice. They want me to pay for shipping to mail them back, then return them to me. When I explained the size doesn’t match the chart, they told me tough shit,” Blade said. “I heard you’re good at handling these things.”
“If you’ll stop by my office in the morning, I can reach out to them,” she offered, relaxing slightly.
“I appreciate it,” Blade said, sounding relieved.
“Help yourself,” Tuck said, gesturing to the food. “We made plenty. I guess I’ll need to talk to Cole. I’m interested in working with the dogs.”
“He’ll be home soon,” she said, smiling and taking a burger from the plate. “Don’t judge him by Brody. He suffered injuries after a blast and lost his handler. You’ll meet him from time to time. Archer takes him to exercise and to teach our puppies. Other times, he stays with Brownie and me.”
“Is he your service dog?” Tuck asked. “I hope I’m not intruding.”
“He’s my therapy dog. There’s a difference,” Stormy said. “Leo gave me permission to bring him to the facility.”
She grew sad and wiped her eyes.
The men at the table sobered at her reaction to the former leader’s name.
Rocker spoke first. “I’m glad I got to meet a real-life hero. Leo was a great man. I’ve told these guys what an incredible team he created. I can’t wait for them to return and meet the others. You have my condolences. He’ll be missed.”
“Thank you,” Stormy murmured, gazing at the men.
“When they return, most of them have not seen their family in a long time. They lost not only their leader, but a brother and a good friend. Catherine will be planning a funeral for Leo. Don’t be hard on them if they don’t greet you with enthusiasm. We’re still mourning our loss.”
“We know about losing teammates,” Sawyer said. “We’ll do everything we can to ease their transition here and give them time with their families.”
Whiskey watched as Stormy nodded. The men won her approval, and they put her at ease.
The way she stuck up for the team and teared up about Leo made him proud.
Leo made his legacy. Stormy and the team would act as gatekeepers to his memory.
Anyone entering this building must hold the qualities Leo considered important: Loyalty, honor, and sacrifice.