NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team

by Chelsea Handcock

  “Yeah, I was afraid of that. I was able to talk to Kayden about her, but I never even thought to speak with Milo or the other guys.”

  “It’s not your fault, Rye, she needs to be able to handle human interactions on her own. I believe we have coddled her, letting her go off to that mountain of hers; she’s never had to deal with what happened. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame her, but she’s going to self-destruct if she doesn’t start to deal with some of it and soon. Until she does, she’s a danger to herself and anyone she’s with.”

  “I agree, it’s just, how does a person move on from the things she was put through? We’ve all had something bad happen to us, but Mia, she had it worse than anyone, and you know that’s saying something.”

  “I know. Let's run these tests, at least we can solve some problems quickly. Maybe since Zoey went with Kayden, she’s ready to start living and dealing; that’s what I’m going to hope for.”

  “Yeah, being with her brother might help.”

  “Kayden is her brother?”

  Mia couldn’t believe how much that information relaxed her. Kayden had been the guy she felt the connection to, but when he took off after Zoey, without even paying any attention to Mi, it had hurt. Not that she would ever tell anyone that, but now that she knew he was Zoey’s brother, it made sense. She didn’t think anything would come from her feelings, but she wasn’t going to deny them either. There was something about Kayden Walker that tripped her trigger, she didn’t know if she liked it or not.

  “Yeah, didn’t I tell you? We got the results back right before I went out on the mission to Franklin’s house. I thought you were the one that ran the tests?”

  “Nope, I had to let Lily do it, although I did check the results. I didn’t know that Kayden was her brother.” Mia tried to play it off, but Ryleigh sensed relief from her best friend. Maybe Kayden Walker was her Jacks. She hoped so, but didn’t want to push Mia too hard. Whatever was meant to happen, would.

  “The first test should be done in about a half hour. Why don’t you go grab some food? I want to start the other tests regarding Emma’s health. No point in both of us sitting around.”

  “Okay, but promise to come and find me as soon as you know. I believe Emma is a part of the breeding program, and that baby is the result of a successful pregnancy. If the tests come back positive, then we really need to figure out what’s going on. The baby is already showing signs of being stronger than a normal human baby. I don’t like all these coincidences.”

  “You and me both sister. Go take care of yourself, get some food, and relax for a minute. After the tests are done, it’s your turn to go under the microscope.”

  “Yeah, thanks for that,” Ryleigh said drolly.

  “Whatever, a few little needle pokes are nothing. Just think, in about sixteen weeks, you’re going to be going through what Emma did. Needles are nothing,” Mia laughed.

  “Thanks for that, you bitch!” Ryleigh laughed. She knew Mia meant well and was only trying to bring her focus to what was really important, her baby, but Ryleigh had way too much going on in her mind.

  Chapter 23

  Jacks was so caught up in reading the reports he had been given, he didn’t even look up from the table when he heard someone enter the room.

  “It’s about time asshole,” Jacks grunted.

  “Well, hey, I guess I’ve been called worse, but I don’t think I’ve ever been called an asshole before,” Mia quipped.

  Jack’s was embarrassed by his inattentiveness. It was his job as Alpha to know everything and be on guard at all times. That he didn’t even bother to look up to see who had walked into the room made him realize he had been way to preoccupied with recent events.

  “Shit, sorry, Mia, I thought you were Dalton. Do you know whether he has left Emma or the baby yet?” Jack asked, attempting to divert Mia’s attention to business. Jacks didn’t want Mia to think badly of him; she was his wife’s best friend.

  “No, he hasn’t, and I think it will take an act of God to move the man. I was just in the room; mama and baby are doing well, both are sleeping, and he’s watching over them. I offered to stay, so he could get some rest or something to eat, but he said no. Ryleigh is meeting me here after she checks on a program she’s running on Franklin's data,” Mia said, taking a seat at the table after getting something to drink.

  Jacks watched Mia as she made herself a cup of coffee from the table on the side of the conference room. The woman was an enigma. Ryleigh had explained some of Mia’s past to him, but the woman didn’t act as though she was frightened or skittish to be around a bunch of Alpha males like he expected. He didn’t know how to take the doctor. She had a dominant professional attitude and stood up for herself in a way that Jacks could respect. Not many people would’ve been bold enough to move him out of the way or stop him in his tracks the way she had in the exam room. She fit with his group of men, not taking any crap. She wasn’t like the woman she’d seemed to be when he first met her at the wedding or back with Bravo and Echo Teams, she’d been standoffish and quiet then. Since coming to the lodge, he’d seen a side of Mia he hadn’t noticed before. She had a dry sense of humor and quick wit. She also seemed to thrive under pressure. He hadn’t had much contact with her on the mission, but during the sit-rep back at base, he noticed that she was very detail oriented. He was surprised, Mia was a lot like Dalton. She sat back and observed, only making her observations known when she felt comfortable. Her attention to detail was astronomical. Maybe it was the doctor in her or what had happened to her before she and Ryleigh met up, he wasn’t sure. The woman had definitely impressed him, and he was happy his woman had such a friend.

  Ryleigh and Sebastian “Bas” Frost came into the room, Bas was walking Ryleigh under his arm. She had a small smile on her face, but it looked as though she were leaning on Bas for support. In Jacks mind, Ryleigh shouldn’t be getting support from anyone but him, that was his job. When he started to stand, Ryleigh stopped him, coming right to him and climbing onto his lap, laying her head on his shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world to do.

  “Hey, baby, how are you doing?” He asked, rubbing her back gently. He needed to take the time to talk with his mate and figure out what was going on with her; he hoped that time came sooner rather than later.

  “I’m fine, Jacks. I know you worry, but the baby and I are fine. Mia is going to give me an exam as soon as we get Emma and the baby settled. No more worrying okay,” Ryleigh said, petting his chest. Jacks looked to Mia and noticed that she also seemed worried about Ryleigh’s condition, but wasn’t saying anything; her brow was furrowed as if she was trying to figure out what was going on with his woman. Good luck! Try as he might, he hadn’t been able to figure it out either.

  “Sorry, baby, it comes with the job,” Jacks quipped, rubbing her back.

  “Aw, that’s so sweet, you guys make me want to puke,” Bas said, pretending to vomit before taking his seat. Jacks wanted to laugh at his brother. Bas wasn’t usually so animated.

  “Shut up, Bas. So, are we ready to get this show on the road? Bas did you get the information I needed?” Ryleigh moved to get up from his lap when he started the meeting, but Jacks wasn’t having any of it. He liked her right where she was. The others could deal with it.

  “Roger that, Boss man.”

  “Good, Mia are you ready to report as well?”

  “Yep.”

  “Gotcha,” Jacks replied. He called Cash on his phone, “Sitrep in five, main conference room. Tell Ethan and Dalton attendance is mandatory. If Dalton gives you any crap, tell him we’ll have the exam room on sight and sound. If that doesn’t get his ass in gear, tell him it’s a direct order, and if I have to go down there, he won’t be going back into the room until I deem it necessary.” Yeah, Jacks knew he was being an ass, but he knew how stubborn Dalton could be. If push came to shove, Cash would get the man to the conference room with or without bloodshed. Jacks hoped he wouldn’t have to go to that extreme
.

  “Roger, Alpha,” Cash said.

  Five minutes later Cash, Ethan, and a very disgruntled Dalton walked into the conference room. Jacks wasn’t happy with Dalton’s attitude. If Ryleigh hadn’t been sitting in his lap, he would’ve given him a rude awakening. He didn’t care what was going on with the man at the moment. Jacks needed to protect their family, and if Dalton caused any problems, Jacks would straighten him out. He was the goddamned Alpha of the team, and if Dalton chose to treat him with disrespect, he would happily show him the error or his ways. His bear was itching for a fight. Once everyone was present and accounted for Jacks started the meeting.

  “Okay, we’re all here, who wants to go first?” S

  Sebastian stood up from his seat, going over to the computer at the back of the table, and turned on the projector, so everyone could see the information he’d collected.

  “After going over the personal items in Emma’s purse and wallet, I can tell you that her story checks out. We ran her driver’s license and her full name is Emma Jane Connors. Up until six months ago, she lived in Detroit Michigan. She’s 26 years old and was a ward of the state until her eighteenth birthday. Mother and father are unknown. She was left at a fire station shortly after her birth.”

  Dalton hated what he was hearing; Emma had been alone all her life. Clenching his hands on the armrest of his chair, he had to restrain himself physically from leaving the room. He didn’t want to hear anything more about Emma. He wanted to know her, but he also wanted her to be the one to tell him, not Bas and his fucking report.

  “No juvenile or adult record. She’s had two speeding tickets. The highest level of education is high school. Before starting work at Davis Defense, she worked several waitressing jobs. I was able to come up with a list of her social workers from when she was in the system and with some help from a friend, I was able to determine which social worker called her about the job with Davis. That woman’s name was Nancy Day. Interestingly enough, she’s had several very large deposits to her banking account recently from a shell company that tracks back to Davis Defense.” Bas pulled the social worker's bank statements up on the screen and several of the guys whistled. The amounts were huge, well over $50,000 apiece.

  “I used traffic cams and logged SAT images to locate footage of Emma coming and going from her apartment to Davis Defense; the woman had no social life.”

  Dalton didn’t want to hear any of this, it was an invasion of Emma’s privacy. He knew if it was anyone else, he wouldn’t have given a shit, but it was Emma and she was his, damn it. He knew his team could trust her. Were they all blind? She couldn’t hurt a flea. She was open and honest with them, telling what she’d been through and trying her best to warn Ryleigh; that showed character. These fuckers just didn’t want to see it.

  Bas was still talking, hitting the button on the damn remote, showing everyone pieces of Emma’s life. Dalton tried his best to remain objective. He knew that he was drawing blood from the way he was gripping his hands. His nails were cutting into his palms, but he didn’t give a shit at the moment, the pain was helping him focus.

  “My friend and I have been able to track her activities, and I have to tell you, there’s nothing that points to Emma being a mole or plant of any kind. Her apartment was tiny and in a crappy area. The place was and still is a shit hole, and she’d been living there for five years; before that she lived with several other foster kids. Before getting her job at Davis, she was barely able to buy food or pay for electricity. She didn’t even have a cell phone registered to her name until she started there. No out of the ordinary deposits had been made to any of her accounts, meaning her checking account because she doesn’t have any other accounts.

  Damn it! Dalton knew his team was good, but watching the images of Emma’s life come to life on the screen in front of him bothered him. He hated that she lived in such a crappy apartment. Hated that she barely had anything. She should’ve been given the world and instead, she lived in poverty. He couldn’t help but think what Emma would see if she was sitting in his position and Bas was giving her a report on him. Their lives were so different; he didn’t care, but would she?

  “No credit cards either,” Bas’s voice droned on. “The calls made from her landline were minimal and generally to or from her employers. No computer that we could find, but she did access at the library where she paid bills, which was dangerous in my opinion. Her credit rating is average for a person without revolving accounts. Had she not been beaten to hell and just given birth in our base, I wouldn’t give this woman a second look. It’s my professional opinion that Emma was targeted in the same manner as Ryleigh and the other women taken by Davis Defense and Pandora.

  Dalton marginally relaxed; it seemed that his brother also felt that Emma wasn’t a threat to their team or to Ryleigh. Bas was a level-headed guy, always looking at the facts, maybe he could help convince Jacks to let Dalton help her and let her and the baby stay right where they were. Where Dalton could keep an eye on them and protect them. He needed to protect them, damn it!

  Ryleigh whispered something to Jacks, the miffed look on her face apparent to everyone in the room.

  “Thanks, Bas,” Jacks continued. “Just out of curiosity, who is this friend you keep talking about? Are you ever going to introduce us? I would like to thank them personally for not only this information, but also for past investigations they’ve contributed to,” Jacks said with all sincerity. The team recognized his intent; things couldn’t continue on as they had before, transparency was a necessity now.

  “Maybe someday, Alpha,” Bas countered. “I’ll tell you this much, she’s reliable and trustworthy. I wouldn’t allow her access to any of our information if she weren't. I don’t appreciate my loyalty and professionalism being questioned when you never have so much as hinted at any unease before,” Bas said, glaring at Ryleigh.

  Dalton noticed that Jacks’ request infuriated Bas, his jaw was clenched and his hands were twisted in a white-knuckled fist; his bear was close. Bas didn’t appreciate his professionalism being called into question or the nature of his association with his hacker. Bas kept to himself, much like the other guys on the team. Based on his reaction to Jacks questioning, it seemed he was keeping a bigger secret. Dalton didn’t want an unknown to cause any additional problems for Emma and the baby. Shaking his head, he had the sudden realization that he was acting just like his Alpha, placing Emma and the child above everything and everyone else. He should be ashamed, but he wasn’t.

  “I know, Bas, that your hacker friend has helped us many times, and we have never had any backlash from it.” Jacks look turned icy. “We need it to stay that way! Get my meaning?”

  Ryleigh stiffened. Jacks had been bitching up a storm about Emma being an unknown, but was willing to let some random hacker in on what was going on; the whole situation bugged her. They needed to keep Emma and the baby under wraps, and that didn’t seem like the best way to do that. Hackers didn’t have the best reputations. Why couldn’t Bas have Wyatt, their own vetted computer genius, do the work?

  “Wait a minute, you’re telling me you gave confidential information to an unknown source, but you won’t trust a pregnant, beat up a woman? How exactly does that work Jacks?” Normally she would’ve waited until she could discuss things with Jacks in privacy of their room; shoot it was probably the hormones making her act out.

  “Baby, Bas has been working with this hacker his entire life, he trusts them and they have proven themselves to us over the years. I questioned it at first, but the Intel has always been reliable, and we’ve never had a leak from anything they’ve done,” Jacks tried to placate her. Jacks wasn’t going to let anyone know, but now that he was mated, the instinct to protect were riding him hard. He knew he was acting like a total douche, putting Ryleigh and his child above everyone else, he couldn’t help it. If something were to happen to them, he wouldn’t survive, he would go rogue, killing and maiming everything in sight. He cherished their bond. But theirs was
the first in over a hundred years, so he couldn’t seek out any advice from anyone. How was he supposed to handle his urges as a mate and remain the Alpha? He knew he needed to get his shit together. he’d others who also needed his leadership and care. Right now, he didn’t know how he would do both, damn it.

  “Actually, Jacks,” Ryleigh said, still ticked, pushed things even further, “what about Eli? You trusted him for a long time and then he showed his true colors. I don’t feel comfortable sharing vital information with an unknown! We have to protect Emma and the baby even more now!” Ryleigh snarked.

  “I completely agree with her!” Dalton chimed in.

  Damn it! Ryleigh thought, it had to be hormones or sleep deprivation; she never thought she would throw Eli the traitor back in Jacks' face, but she couldn’t stop herself.

  “We’ll protect Emma and the baby, it just doesn’t have to be here, under our roof.” Jacks growled. He needed to regain control of the situation. He didn’t understand his team anymore. What was the big fucking deal? They would, without question, help the woman and her baby, only not at their base. They had safe houses everywhere; they also had the whole of NAC at their disposal to help guard them. His mate was his pushing buttons, but damn, it he was the Alpha, not her. His job was to protect everyone, and he would do it how he saw fit, no matter what anyone else thought. Ryleigh wouldn’t look at him; he tried to adjust her to get her attention, but she stiffened.

  “Ryleigh, I understand why you would question my informant, but I trust this person with my life, she would never betray NAC or The Holly Group.” Bas said.