“That’s true,” Camel said. “It’s about more than money.”
Neo jerked his head at the file. “Why don’t we know where Gentry and his fuckwads are holing up yet?”
“Because they’re fifteen douchebags in a crowd and this isn’t our primary mission?” Viking said, turning it into a question that wasn’t really a question. “They didn’t leave a forwarding address, man.”
Neo’s fists clenched on the table. “We need to find them. Gentry and Steve Dunn at the very least. Find them and sweep them up.”
Viking’s eyes narrowed. “Ghost gave us permission to find out what we could, not to take anyone into custody. The military doesn’t operate against domestic criminals on US soil. You know that, Neo.”
Frustration and anger hammered at him. “I know, but what are we supposed to do? Wait until he does something to my wife and kid? Call the police?”
Camel’s brows climbed his forehead. Neo knew why.
Yeah, he’d called Ana his kid. Well, fuck, she was his. He’d claimed her mother and that meant he claimed her too. Besides, she was freaking adorable—and she seemed to like him. He’d walked into her room to have a peek at her this morning and she’d opened her eyes and smiled up at him. Then she’d opened her arms as if reaching for him. He couldn’t say no. He’d picked her up, checked her diaper, then took her with him to the kitchen. Before he left for work, he carried her in to her mother, who smiled at them both, her face lit from within with so much love for her kid that it nearly blinded him.
He kind of wished she’d look at him that way. Maybe one day.
“We aren’t going to let anyone do anything to them,” Viking growled. “She’s not driving herself to work, right?”
“Right.”
He didn’t want her going in at all, but the salon depended on her and she still needed her own income. She hadn’t said that last part, but he understood it. Kayla was too used to things disintegrating on her and she wasn’t going to let herself be without resources of her own. She wanted to work so she wouldn’t fall on her face. Just like his sister in that regard, so he couldn’t argue with her about it.
Since Chloe had been taken at gunpoint from the salon by her ex, Dirty had helped Avery get a deal on security cameras and silent alarms. The place was wired for trouble and the police were on call. Signs in the windows proclaimed that to be the case, so any criminal who wanted to test the system would have to be either dumber than shit or beyond caring.
Neo had to hope that Dal Gentry was neither of those things. He didn’t think the biker would be with James Dunn pulling the strings. If Dunn had started this process while still in prison, then he had a bigger plan at work. He wasn’t looking for instant gratification.
“I assume Ana isn’t going to the salon with her anymore either,” Viking continued.
“No, she’s not. She’s with Ella again today.”
Chloe was driving them both to Ella’s where they’d drop off Ana, and then she and Kayla were going to the salon. Kayla wasn’t happy about not being able to drive herself, but she understood. She’d sworn she did when they’d discussed it last night, anyway.
“Soon, beautiful,” he’d said. “We’ll get Ana into base daycare and us into base housing.”
He was applying for both as soon as this meeting and morning training were done. He didn’t know how long it would take, but he’d know once they were on the list. Until then, they had to be vigilant.
“Why don’t we lure him out?” Money asked. “Ella or Quinn can spare the cash. Like Blade said before, we can put a tracking device in the bag and Kayla can hand it over—”
Neo growled. “No. Not Kayla. I don’t want her involved.”
“Gentry probably isn’t going to accept it from one of us and you know it,” Money said. “It’s better if it’s her. We’d be there backing her up.”
“Not acceptable. She’s not an operator and I won’t put her in danger. Would you let Ella make a drop like that when the fucker waiting for the money’d threatened her?”
“We haven’t even gotten that far,” Viking interjected before Money could respond. “One thing at a time here.”
Neo twirled the pen he’d been holding and sent it skipping across the table as he leaned back and put his hands behind his head. His fury was tightly contained, but it simmered beneath the surface. And not really at these guys, but at the way some random-ass motherfucker had showed up and wrecked Kayla’s peaceful existence, sending her into a tailspin that ended with marriage and yet another move from one house to a different one in the space of days.
“I’m calling Ian Black,” Neo said, shoving to his feet. “We can’t operate inside US borders, but he can.”
“That’s true,” someone said, and they all jerked toward the door. General Mendez walked out of the shadows and into the room. Everyone scrambled to their feet and snapped to attention. “As you were.”
They relaxed, though Neo didn’t think he’d ever relax fully. Not until he knew Kayla was no longer in danger from those assholes.
“Ghost tells me we’ve got a problem with the Kings of Doom,” Mendez said. He dropped into a chair and propped his booted feet on the table, crossing them at the ankles. “Somebody fill me in on the latest.”
“You look mighty happy,” Chloe said when Kayla opened the door for her that morning.
She’d been up for a couple of hours, since Zach had left, and yes, she was happy.
“I think married life agrees with you,” Chloe added.
Kayla laughed and retreated to the kitchen while Chloe closed the door behind her. “So far, so good,” she called out. “Do you want some coffee?”
Chloe sashayed in behind her, looking gorgeous in a pencil skirt with low-heeled sandals
