After the Storm (KGI #8)(107)

Could a cheerleader be a Rambo-ette? Because if so, Skylar deserved that moniker. Although she might be insulted to know Donovan was comparing her to a cheerleader. It wasn’t an insult, but some women took it as such. Cheerleaders were actually damn good athletes. They had to be to perform the feats they pulled off.

“So what are we going to do about Breckenridge?” Sam asked, bringing the topic back to what was most important. The safety of Donovan’s family.

“He was damn careful about doing anything that could be perceived as a trade. Eve for the kids,” Ethan said. “I swear he knows we were trying to set him up. He didn’t buy the concerned-citizen bit, but on the other hand, a legitimate father in distress would not have been so calm about agreeing that Eve needed help before the children were allowed back home. What the hell kind of parent agrees to that? If he’d been for real, he would have had the police so far up our ass we would have had the imprint of their badges for a week.”

“Exactly,” Donovan confirmed. “He does not want police involvement. But neither did he do or say anything to incriminate himself. He thanked us for our concern and then agreed that getting Eve the help she needed was the first priority. That’s bullshit. As a father his first concern should have been making damn sure his children were okay. He should have demanded to see them. And then agreed to do whatever the f**k we wanted so he could get them back. Instead he leaves with this ‘I’ll be in touch’ bullshit? Like he needs time to think about it?”

“More likely he needs time to figure out a plan to get both Eve and the children. Punish Eve. Get the children back under his thumb. Eve too, for that matter,” Garrett muttered.

“The hell that’s happening,” Donovan growled.

“So what’s the plan?” Skylar asked.

Donovan looked at Nathan and Joe and then to their teammates, Swanny, Edge and Skylar. “I want him under surveillance twenty-four-seven. I don’t want him to take a piss without us knowing about it. Phone calls monitored, taps, tracking devices. The works. And I want it done yesterday. Find the son of a bitch and make sure we’re so far up his ass he can taste what I had for breakfast.”

“I think we should meet over at Mom’s,” Sam said.

“What the hell for?” Ethan demanded.

“Because the compound is safe. Ma and Dad still live outside. I want to make damn sure they know the situation and that they’re protected. Until they move inside the compound, they’re going to be a target for anyone wanting to strike out against us. We can meet over there and plot our next move. Not even someone as arrogant as Walt would try to make a move on a house full of cops and KGI. But you can bet your ass he’s already trying to uncover our weaknesses. And Ma and Dad are big-ass weaknesses because we’d do anything it took to prevent harm from coming to them. So yeah, we’re meeting there; make sure there’s plenty of protection. Nathan and Joe’s team can get set up on Breckenridge.”

“I agree with Sam,” Donovan said. “I’ll go get Eve, Cammie and Travis, although, Sam, you think Soph would mind if Cammie stayed with her? Travis is old enough and he deserves to know what’s going on and what we’re up against. Cammie, however, is too young to understand and I don’t want her frightened. We need to explain everything to Eve—and Travis. I promised Eve I’d tell her what was decided yesterday, but she wasn’t feeling well. She’s starting to fray at the seams. The stress and fear are getting to her, and that pisses me off.”

Sam frowned as if just remembering that the wives were on the compound alone. High security or not, he wouldn’t have liked the idea, and judging by the looks on Donovan’s brothers’ faces, they’d come to that same realization.

“I’ll call Steele, Cole and P.J. Ask them to go out and stay with the wives inside the compound,” Sam said. “If Dolphin, Baker and Renshaw are close, they can come as well, but I know Cole and P.J. can be there in half an hour tops.”

“Good call,” Garrett said in a grim voice. “I don’t like leaving them alone, but I don’t want them mixed up in this clusterf*ck. Bad enough Mom and Dad will have to be in the middle of it all.”

“As soon as we get them moved into the compound, we can all breathe easier,” Ethan remarked.

The others nodded their agreement.

“You may as well let Rusty tag along,” Nathan said in amusement. “She has a personal stake in this and she’ll find a way in whether we let her or not. She’s not going to stay put with the wives under lock and key.”

Donovan chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll let her come too. She likes Eve and Travis. And they like her. Today is going to be stressful enough. Rusty can provide a distraction for them if nothing else.”

Joe snorted. “As if you’ll have a choice.”

“Let’s get moving,” Nathan said in his command voice.

Donovan was proud of the long way Nathan had come. He’d matured faster than he should have had to. When he was still in the army, in a lot of ways he and Joe had both been cocky kids. But then Nathan had been captured and listed as MIA, while Joe had taken a bullet that had shattered his leg.

It had been at the end of their tour, just before they were going to hang it up and go to work with their brothers at KGI. There had been times when Donovan had wondered if they’d ever get Nathan back. Truly back.