by R J Gray
"Why not?" Teagan tried to control the anger that was boiling underneath.
"Yeah, why not?" Ro parroted.
"Because you," Luca paused, looking pointedly at both of them, "are too much of a distraction. We," he motioned toward Octavius this time, "love you entirely too much. Being there, even the possibility of being in danger, would be a major mental distraction. We will be able to work better knowing the women we love are safe at home. We will bring Evie straight to you."
"But," Teagan started. She had caught the L word that Luca had just said, shrugging it off as a direct reference about Ro and Octavius.
"The answer is no," Luca answered.
"Controlling, domineering asshole," Teagan muttered under her breath. Ro's sharp intake of breath was Teagan's first sign she had said the wrong thing; Luca's words were her second.
"I don't care how angry you are, Teagan, you don't disrespect your Daddy. We will be discussing this further after the meeting ends."
"For fuck's sake." Jason slammed his fist on the table, drawing everyone's eyes back to him. "Can we stop pussyfooting around and come up with a plan to help Evie?"
"Yes, of course," Ro said, concern evident in her voice.
"Roger that." Octavius nodded in agreement.
"Sorry," Jason apologized, taking in a deep breath. "I'm not happy about an innocent woman being beaten and having my hands tied on helping her immediately." Teagan heard the words but read between the lines. It wasn't just an innocent woman. She was his innocent woman.
"I agree with Teagan. I don't think we should be excluded from helping our sister," Ro said, looking imploringly at Octavius.
"You know they are going to show up even if we forbid it," Octavius said with a sigh.
"Fine. They can come and sit in the surveillance van with Jason," Luca conceded.
"I won't be in the damn van," Jason said. Luca looked at Jason, holding his gaze for a second before speaking again.
"Roger. I'll read Tim in; he can do surveillance. We've got this, Jason. Trust the process," Luca said firmly. "I called up my friend, Ben. You remember Ben and Brad from that mission in Irbil?" Luca paused, waiting for the men to make the connection.
"Yeah, Marine Special Forces, right?" Octavius asked first.
"Yes. I ran into Ben at a convention recently. He's a detective in Washington, about an hour away."
"Oh, we'll have to invite them over for supper some time. I can make tacos, and you guys can catch up," Ro said.
"And?" Jason asked, bringing them back to the conversation again.
"Ben told me about having to hide out in a cabin in the mountains with his now wife. She had witnessed a murder and they needed a safe house. Turns out, he and Brad bought this cabin on a one-way, dead end road up on a mountain as a retreat for fellow service members who needed to get away. He said we could use it anytime, just to let him know. It sounds exactly like what we need for this mission. Ben said it's foolproof, security wise. We can see anyone coming or going long before they make it up to the cabin."
"The plan is to somehow get Evie to the cabin without causing too big of a scene, then?" Ro asked.
"Ideally. If we can sneak her out during an event or something when Montgomery is otherwise occupied and get her to the mountain before he has her trailed, this could work," Luca answered.
"A big event? Like the inauguration ball?" Teagan suggested.
"That could work," Luca said, writing it down on paper. "When is it?"
"Mid-January, I believe," Ro answered.
"That's over a month away!" Jason all but bellowed.
"We have to do this right." Luca's tone was firm but gentle. "If we rush into things, if we do this wrong, we will be putting her into bigger danger. We can't rush in guns a-blazin' and hope to succeed."
"I don't like waiting this long. What if he hurts her again?" Jason pressed.
"He won't." Ro swallowed hard before continuing. "Well, um, not too badly anyway. He needs her for the publicity and events."
"Fuck," Jason responded.
"You can say that again. Believe me, I volunteered to trade places with her and shoot him that night," Teagan said.
"Evie and I vetoed that plan," Ro quickly supplied.
Teagan noticed the looks of shock on both Octavius and Luca's faces.
"You have to stop threatening to shoot people," Octavius scowled.
"I have gone this entire meeting without threatening you, just so you know," Teagan returned fire.
"Small improvements. Perhaps Luca's hand on your butt is helping something," Octavius teased.
"Yet. I haven't threatened to shoot you yet," Teagan responded.
"Jesus, I'm done listening to you all bicker." Jason stood up quickly, knocking his chair to the floor. "Come up with a plan for extricating her and let me know what it is. In the meantime, I'm going to run tighter surveillance and keep an eye on them. I'll be down the hall if you need me, so at least one of us will be trying to keep her safe."
"I've never seen Jason that worked up," Ro said after Jason disappeared from the room.
"Me neither, not even in combat," Octavius agreed.
"I think he loves her," Teagan added.
"Think? Oh, he loves her all right," Luca said, chuckling.
Luca walked Teagan out to her car after the meeting. She had to go to work, and he had a lot of details to figure out about helping Evie. The group had come up with a base plan to start. Luca would contact Ben about reserving the cabin and having it stocked for them on the night of the inauguration. Teagan bet on the fact that he was a self-absorbed narcissist and would be reveling in the attention, so it would be an easy exit. They'd have S.E.A.L.'s security detail tell Montgomery that Evie had to go back to the house, sick with food poisoning. That was the initial plan. They would tweak it as they went.
Before closing Teagan's door, Luca leaned in to kiss her. "We'll have to move our discussion to tonight; the meeting took longer than I planned. I don't take well to being called names, darlin'."
"Would it help if I apologized?"
"Are you asking if it would get you out of the sore butt you have coming?"
"Maybe?"
"No, Teagan Anne. It wouldn't. What's on your schedule for today?"
"Work until five or, if I have a case or paperwork, possibly later. I was going to hit the gym after."
"That works for me. Why don't we have dinner together at seven, and then we can have our discussion?"
"Dinner sounds good," Teagan purposely ignored the second part. "Your place or mine?"
"Where would you like?" Luca asked.
Teagan thought about it quickly. Her place was a bit of a mess and her walls were thin enough, someone walking by might hear them. "Would yours be okay?"
"Of course, darlin'. I'll pick up takeout. See you tonight." Luca leaned across her and buckled her seatbelt before leaning in for a long kiss.
Teagan shifted in her seat. About those panties…
Chapter 13
The morning sped by for Teagan, with back to back calls. The afternoon, however, dragged on. She found herself typing up her reports while her thoughts wandered. She thought about Evie and their plan. It didn't make sense not to allow her and Ro to take part in the rescue. The identical nature of their appearances was a huge asset. The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. Luca obviously didn't trust her skills. It bothered Teagan greatly. How could she possibly be with a man who thought she was weak and incapable just because of her gender? Hell, she was as capable, if not more so, as he was.
While the dynamic Ro and Octavius shared seemed to work for them, she was having her doubts that it would actually work for her and Luca. She wanted a strong partner in life and one who would lean on her, complete her, and she, him. She wanted to fill his weaknesses with her strengths, not be completely dependent on him. She needed a break from him to think things through.
Sister meeting tonight? My house? Teagan furiously typed the words out.
Um, that would be great if you didn't already have plans with Luca, Ro's quick response came.
Change of plans. We need to catch Evie up about this morning's meeting. After all, it was about her. Plus, she should hear about Jason's reaction. Teagan dropped that tasty piece of gossip, knowing Evie would bite.
Jason's reaction? To what? Evie took the bait.
Oh. You don't know? I thought Ro told you about last night. Teagan continued to dangle just enough information in front of her.
No. This is the first I've heard anything, Evie's text came.
Really, Teagan? Teagan could hear Ro's exasperated tone in the text.
Luca caught me at the house. Teagan carefully typed. What time can you get away?
He has a dinner event tonight, I wasn't invited. Does seven work? Evie was just as vague as Teagan, purposely leaving Montgomery's name from the text.
Let me talk to Octavius, but I believe he was covering down on a mission tonight, I'll text you in a bit.
Seven? Works perfectly for me. That done, Teagan had to come up with a plan on what to tell Luca.
"What is with you two and your carbs? Would it hurt you to have a salad just once?" Evie looked with disdain upon the large lasagna and plate of garlic bread on the table.
"I happen to love lasagna," Ro said, piling a huge portion onto each woman's plate.
"You can't have lasagna without garlic bread to soak up the sauce." Teagan followed Ro's lead and plopped two pieces on the plates. "Can you pour the wine, Ev?"
"Yes. But you need to remove half of that food from my plate."
"You mean, double the portion?" Ro held up the spatula and threatened to plop another square of lasagna on the plate she had put in front of Evie on the table.
"No, no. That is plenty!" Evie said, and both the other women chuckled.
"It isn't fancy, just Stouffer's. It's a comfort food to me, though," Teagan said, taking her seat at the head of her small dining room table between her sisters.
"Did I see cannoli on the counter?" Ro asked, her mouth full of hot, bubbly pasta.
"You did. I stopped by the bakery. My favorite is the chocolate dipped, with crushed pistachios."
"Yum. Life is too short; let's skip dinner and go straight to dessert," Ro said.
"Ha! You would. Nah, I skipped lunch, and after having a donut for breakfast, I need something a bit heartier," Teagan answered.
"A donut for breakfast? Cannoli?" Evie sounded wistfully disgusted. It confused Teagan.
"I don't know what to make of you," Teagan said. "You sound jealous and yet grossed out at the same time."
"I like sweets just as much as anyone. But everything I own is tailored to fit me exactly. I can't afford to indulge, as much as I might want to," Evie answered.
"Speaking of enjoying things, did you enjoy your time with Luca last night?" Ro asked, turning the conversation to Teagan. Teagan shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
"Yes, how did last night go?" Evie's lips twitched with obvious amusement at her sister's discomfort. "I called Ro after you texted us and she filled me in a little. Our escape plan failed, but it sounds like Operation Bad Asses Mating was a bit of a success?""
"Operation what?" Teagan asked over the sounds of Ro's choking laughter.
"When you and Luca first started talking, I may have made a couple jokes about observing the mating calls of two bad asses," Ro confessed, dodging the piece of garlic bread that flew across the table at her head. "It's not my fault it stuck."
"Honestly?" Teagan frowned.
"Uh oh," Evie said, pushing her lasagna around on her plate. Teagan wondered if any would make it into the girl's mouth.
"Why do I feel like I'm not going to like this conversation? Is everything okay?" Ro turned toward Teagan, concerned.
"I'm not exactly sure how this can work out between us is all."
"What does that mean?" Evie asked.
"It means that he doesn't want me to be the strong woman I am. He wants a mindless, subservient floor mat."
"You know that isn't true," Ro said, defending her longtime friend.
"No? Then why did he quickly shoot down our offer to help?" Teagan shot back.
"He explained that; we'd be a distraction," Ro offered.
"Yeah, implying he would have to rescue us because we aren't capable of taking care of ourselves," Teagan spat.
"That's not what he said!" Ro sounded flabbergasted.
"It's what I heard."
"Then you need to clean your ears out, because that wasn't at all what I heard. I heard a man concerned about not being able to do his best work because he would be distracted."
"And God forbid I show up anyway. I'd end up face down over his knee for daring to disobey him."
"That's what you agreed to. You knew what kind of man he was before you agreed to any of this." Ro threw her hands in the air.
"Okay, you two, stop for a second," Evie interjected. "What is really going on, Tea?"
"I don't know if I can put it into words. I'm just not sure Luca is what I want or, more specifically, if the relationship dynamic he wants is what I want."
"What do you want, then? It sounds like maybe there are some growing pains getting used to the dynamic?" Ro asked.
"I just want to be happy, I guess," Teagan said.
"No one can make you happy or unhappy, Tea. That is entirely up to you. You choose how you're going to react to a situation." Ro put her arm around Teagan's shoulders and squeezed gently before dropping them back into her lap. "You are the only one standing between you and the happy life you deserve. Choose happiness, Tea. Allow yourself to be happy," Ro said.
"Mother Ro. Listen to how wise you sound," Evie said sarcastically.
"Jean rubbed off on me a bit, so sue me. Do you have any better advice?" Ro challenged.
"You can't shove a size nine foot into a size six shoe without there being some pain," Evie quipped, taking a sip of her wine.
"You and your clothing analogies," Ro said, smiling.
"I'm not Cinderella's stepsister, trying to shove my foot into someone else's shoes to win a man. The analogy doesn't work." Teagan tried not to roll her eyes.
"No, you aren't," Evie agreed. You already have the man, and he wants you exactly as you are, Teagan. But if the way things are now isn't a good fit, you need to talk to him and exchange the wrong size shoe for the right one, so you can be comfortable. The shoe may still pinch in places at times, but eventually, you'll break it in and it'll be a perfect fit."
"I'm used to being an accomplished, independent woman. I've never needed a man. I've never needed help from anyone. I don't like Luca's implication that I need help."
"It isn't about needing help, it is about accepting having a partner and delegating responsibilities. In our cases, it is allowing our partners to lead so that we don't have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders all the time." Ro took Teagan's hand in hers. "You need to get accustomed to people having your back and helping you. We aren't going anywhere, and I know Luca isn't, either. Pushing us away is only going to cause heartache for everyone."
"I think, commitment scares me. You never know what is going to happen. When someone is going to leave. I like to leave before they get a chance to leave me. Maybe, that's why I'm here and not at his house tonight. I ran away from the situation." Teagan tugged on a strand of her hair as she spoke.
"Somebody's got to nail that girl's fins to the floor," Ro said.
"What?" Teagan asked.
"You know, like Ariel in The Little Mermaid." Evie's breezy laughter quieted quickly at the blank look on her sister's face. "Wait. You've never seen Little Mermaid? What is wrong with you?" she questioned.
"No. I didn't see many movies when I was a kid," Teagan said.
"God, you make me so sad sometimes," Evie responded.
"Thanks. I love you, too." Teagan rolled her eyes.
"Running is a waste of your time, anyway. Luca is going to chase you down. He's not going to sit b
ack and allow his girl to leave; he'll fight for you even if he has to fight you," Ro said.
"I ran because I was scared. Luca and I got serious fast. We have fun, sure. But our relationship is intense. He wants us to keep moving forward."
"What's wrong with moving forward?" Evie asked.
"Isn't that the goal for all relationships, to keep moving forward together?" Ro added.
"I guess that is the natural progression. Sometimes, I just feel stuck, like my feet are entrapped in cement and I'm stuck in the same spot. It was comfortable at first, and then my legs started to cramp and I couldn't move, and I had to learn to live, standing there. Life goes on around me and I live, but I don't move. In being stuck, I don't have to move backward into the pain of the past."
"But you aren't moving forward into the joy of your future, either," Ro gently responded.
"The joy of the future includes the pain of having my butt beat," Teagan muttered.
"I have a solution to that," Evie said, finally giving in and taking a small nibble of her garlic bread.
"What's that?" Teagan asked.
"Don't do things that earn you a spanking," Evie said, dodging the flying garlic bread.
"Teagan! That is the second piece of perfectly good garlic bread you've wasted," Ro lectured, a smile lighting up her face. "Those poor little carbs will never find their way into my belly."
"Enough about me. Let's talk about the guys' plan to help Evie and make it better." Teagan rubbed her palms together and laughed conspiratorially.
Chapter 14
For the next hour, the girls talked about the plan to help Evie escape Montgomery. It had taken some convincing on the part of Teagan and Ro, but finally, Evie gave in.
"We are in agreement then, morning of the inaugural ball, we'll each go to the spa. Evie is going to make our appointments and let them know exactly the cut and color for our hair and give detailed instructions for the makeup. We will get the dresses together the Saturday before. Guess that about covers it, and we're good to go," Teagan repeated the plan back to the women
