One Night Stand Ch. 05

"Elena and her family? I think it would be best if they went on another mission trip."

He could see her eyelids were already drooping, but her mind was still sharp. "Your Mama thought the same thing," he said as he kissed the top of her head. "She said she would call them."

"I'll need to get some money to them before we leave."

"Assuming that the agency hasn't already frozen your accounts after my last phone call." Maybe he should have waited to speak with Stephens until after they had spoken. But the truth was that he had only been thinking of one thing -- that he never wanted Chloe to be called that word. But that call might have ramifications he had not considered at the time.

She laughed as she closed her eyes, "Then they are in for a surprise. I didn't work for McBride Industries for over fifteen years without learning a trick or two. Your former employer will discover that my accounts are far smaller than they had thought."

He shook his head, "I think it is better if I don't know anymore, for now, sweetheart."

"Brains as well as brawn. That's why I picked you."

"Yeah, well, as long as you know right now, that this time, I am not walking away. You've had your last one night stand, sweetheart. And you owe me another baby. I missed your whole pregnancy," his throat tightened over each word.

"Owe? I see I have some work to do on your negotiation skills, counselor. But we can talk about that once all this is over."

"Damn straight; we will, counselor. But for now, get some rest." He brushed a kiss across her head and his daughter's as he slipped out of the room. He would begin with a quick reconnaissance while he grabbed his bag out of the rental car.

***

Ryan gave one more quick glance around the street. Thankfully, this place set at the major crossroads in Sebida. That meant it was well lit, at least. He had not seen anything suspicious as he unloaded his suitcase from the car. He had even dared a patrol around the full perimeter. It was to their advantage if the enemy knew his presence, maybe it would buy them some time if they knew it would not be as easy as they thought.

They? That was the biggest problem. It was hard to plan a strategy when you did not know who your enemy was. And he was playing almost blind here. The list of suspects for who was behind McBride was at least half a dozen major cartel players. But what concerned him, even more, was not knowing who he could trust within the agency.

But before he dealt with that, there was another call he needed to make.

A rather sleepy, gruff voice answered on the second ring, "What's up, cousin?"

The fact that Rex got straight to the point reassured him. He did not like doing this - bringing danger to the doorstep of his cousin's new family and Grandfather. But the ranch was one of the best defensible positions he knew, and that was part of it, he knew the land. If worst came to worst, that, as well as Rex and Grandfather's help, would give them a real advantage.

But there was no denying; he was taking this mess back to where it all began almost a year ago. And that put people he cared about in danger.

"I need your help," he cut to the chase as well.

"You have it."

He chuckled, "Don't you think you should hear what I need first?"

"Nope, because if you're asking, I know it is important," Rex replied. "Just give me a minute. I don't want to wake Jaycee."

Ryan played his options over in his head again as he heard his cousin shuffle about the room. He did not like this. Yes, Rex had special skills that could make a difference, if it came to that. And though Grandfather was no longer a young man, his knowledge of the land, his skills with a bow, and his mind for strategy had not dulled with age.

But Rex had a step-daughter, a young girl that though she was gifted, was still recovering from the trauma of losing her father, an event that set this all in motion. Add to that, the fact that Rex's wife Jaycee was pregnant with their child, and it made them vulnerable. Not to mention, he was bringing two more weak points, though he knew that Laura would skin him alive if he said that.

"So, what do you need, Ryan?" Rex's voice broke through his thoughts as the sun began to peek over the horizon.

"A place to lie low. But before you say yes, I need to tell you that it will bring trouble back to your doorstep."

His cousin laughed, "Since when have the two of us together, not spelled trouble?"

"I would not ask if I could think of a better option. I mean with all that Angel has been through and Jaycee pregnant. But..."

Ryan sighed; how did he explain everything that had happened to him in the past twelve hours over the phone. He had shown up to interrogate a woman whose life he had destroyed in the name of national security, a woman with whom he had unprotected sex. Only to discover that she was about to give birth to his child. His bastard. What words covered all that?

"It's complicated. But I need to bring..." He looked for the right words.

With Rex, it had been clear. Jaycee was his mate; they both knew that. But it had never been that straightforward for him. Or had it? He thought back to how something on those pages had driven him to meet this woman outside of work. And certainly, some something had almost driven him to take risks he never had before. That feeling, the one that he had been avoiding all those months -- that, too, came into it all.

Now was not the time to think about that, though. Hopefully, he would have days and weeks of endless peace and quiet on the ranch in which to contemplate it all. Perhaps even seek Grandfather's wisdom?

"I'm bringing my newborn daughter and her mother." Was that simple enough? He would have time later to explain it all to his cousin and best friend.

"I would say congratulations, and I do. But it seems, as you say, things are more complicated than that." Without a pause, Rex added, "Of course, you're welcome here. I'll tell Grandfather. Where are you? When can we expect you?"

Ryan did some quick calculations, "Sometime tomorrow, strike that today. This afternoon or early evening, maybe. If we don't have any trouble. I'm in this small East Texas town called Sebida. So, it's only a few hours' drive. But Chloe was just born, and I don't know how easy it's gonna be to travel with her and Laura."

His cousin sucked in a deep breath, "It must be damned bad if you're traveling with a newborn baby and a woman that just gave birth. Remember, we know Sebida pretty well, it's near where Grandfather's brother Joe lived."

"Yeah, I remember meeting him a couple of times when he brought Jack to the ranch."

"That's what I was about to say. The old man died a few months ago, but Jack retired from the Army and took over the casino his grandfather built. At least, until he can decide what he wants to do with the damned thing."

"But that means he's around there somewhere. And it sounds like you could use someone to ride point for you. I'm gonna text his number to you when we hang up. You know you can trust him as much as us. Hell, it'll almost be like old times. The three of us making trouble for Grandfather."

Ryan considered what Rex said. He hated involving anyone else in this situation. But he knew that Rex's other cousin on his mother's side was almost as well-trained as he was. And Rex was right. Having another gun on this trip might be a good idea.

"Alright, thanks. I'll give Jack a call."

"Okay, and we'll get things ready here. It'll be nice for Angel to be around a baby. Maybe prepare for her job as a big sister." His cousin's voice was steady as he continued, "And cousin, relax. We'll get through this, whatever it is. Just the same as you helped us through the whole mess with Sean Riley."

"Yeah, well, I should tell you, I'm bringing that mess right back with me."

Rex chuckled, "Now, you do have me curious. But you can fill me in when you get here. Call Jack. And get your family on the road. The sooner you are all here, the better."

"Thanks, Rex."

"That's what family is for, Ryan."

Family. It had been a long time since Ryan had thought about family. The Navy and then the agency had been more his family for over a decade. But the truth was - Rex was right. He knew that he could trust his extended family - Rex, Grandfather, and even Jack, though they were not directly related - when he did not know who he could not trust in the agency.

But he still had to deal with them, and the sooner he made that other call to Stephens, the sooner he could wake Laura and Chloe and get his family out of this immediate danger. Yes, Stephens first, then a quick call to Jack.