by Margaret Kay
“Okay, I promise, but I can’t see needing more than this for the two weeks you will be away.”
“And if you go out with Angel or Sienna while I’m gone, use the debit card if you can, rather than your cash. Just about everywhere takes debit, all stores, restaurants, even the movies.”
“Oh, okay,” she agreed, wondering if she’d ever feel comfortable with all of this.
From there, they drove to the Shepherd Security Building. She again watched in fascination the security steps he went through as they passed through the gate and two garage doors into the private parking area in the second sub-basement. He again put his hand to the scan pad and entered his code to call the elevator.
“I’ll need to meet with a few people while we’re here, so I’ll probably leave you with Angel a couple times,” Doc said as he pressed four on the elevator panel.
“If you are off work the next two days, why are we here?” Elizabeth asked.
Doc chuckled to himself. He wouldn’t tell her it was because he basically lived at the office when he wasn’t away on a mission. He knew that would have to change. “We need to get your cell phone from Garcia, and give the marriage license to Lambchop, so he can sign it and file it for us tomorrow when it’s legal. I need to speak with my boss, Shepherd, and I have a second short meeting I have to be in. Besides, I did want to show you around and introduce you to a few people.”
Even though he answered in detail, for some reason, she thought he was being evasive. “Okay, I was just curious.” She flashed him a reassuring smile.
They stopped on four and left their coats and her purse in his office. Then they took the stairs up to five, exiting across from the elevator. Elizabeth remembered this hallway from the day before. She followed Alexander through the hall. They passed by the kitchen where she and Alexander had talked. A few feet farther, they came to Angel’s desk.
Doc knew she would feel out of place. He hoped hanging out with Angel while he was meeting with Shepherd and then with Lassiter, that she would be okay. That was another reason he needed to talk with Garcia, he needed to arrange an introduction to Sienna. This would all be so different for Elizabeth. She would need as much support as he could find for her. He wished he wasn’t leaving for two weeks in just a few days.
“Hi,” Angel greeted them with a smile.
They both returned her greeting.
“Doc, I thought you were taking a few days off.”
“I am. I’m just in for a quick meeting with Shepherd,” Doc said. He wouldn’t mention that Lassiter had contacted him that morning, setting an appointment with him as well. Angel would know that from the calendars, and he didn’t want to explain Lassiter to Elizabeth.
“I hear congratulations are in order. I am so thrilled Sammy will have another little one to play with.” Angel stood and first hugged Elizabeth, much to her surprise, and then Doc.
“Thanks, Angel,” Doc said.
“Yes, thank you,” Elizabeth repeated. She wanted to tell Angel that they had said vows, that this wasn’t a child conceived out of wedlock.
“Jackson and I thought that we’d have everyone from the team over for pizza tomorrow night. That way you can get to know everyone better, Elizabeth. Are you two free?”
Elizabeth’s eyes went to Alexander’s.
“Yes, we are and that would be great,” Doc replied. “I was going to suggest we all got together this weekend. Have you mentioned it to anyone else?”
“No, we wanted to be sure you were free first,” Angel replied. “But I’ll get right on it.” She pointed to the conference room. “Doc, why don’t you drag a chair out for Elizabeth. She can hang out with me while you’re in your meeting. I know you are due in with Shepherd soon.”
Doc glanced at his watch. He was due in Shepherd’s office in three minutes. His eyes met Angel’s. She gave him a smirk of recognition. She of course knew of his appointment with Shepherd. She knew everyone’s calendars.
“Thanks.” He gave Elizabeth’s arm a squeeze and then stepped away. He brought her a chair and then headed down the hallway. He approached Shepherd’s door considering the words he’d use to convince Shepherd if any of his requests were declined. This time, he knocked and waited.
“Come,” Shepherd’s muffled voice said.
Doc opened the door and stepped inside. Shepherd was alone in his office. He’d expected to see Cooper there as well.
Shepherd motioned to the guest chair in front of his desk. He sat behind his big desk in the corner of the floor to ceiling windows as usual. Shepherd had a very comfortable seating area with leather couches that he never used anymore. Doc supposed it was all the same to Shepherd. He sat in his wheelchair all the time anyway, and it was probably too much of a pain in the ass to transfer to a couch or a different chair, though Doc knew that Shepherd did have quite a bit of feeling in his lower back, his butt, and legs. The bullet fragment had only caused partial paralysis.
Doc sat in the chair and waited for Shepherd to glance up from his laptop.
A good thirty seconds later Shepherd looked up at Doc. “Thanks for coming in today to meet.”
“Of course,” Doc said. “Did you and Cooper come to any decisions on my requests regarding Elizabeth?”
Shepherd shuffled through a pile of papers. He handed one over. “This is to add her to the company insurance policies as a dependent. You can do so immediately. We have a clause allowing domestic partners as well as spouses. It will be in effect twenty-four hours after we submit it. Two hundred a pay period will be deducted from your paycheck to cover her. After the baby is born, it jumps to three twenty for the family rate, which will cover as many kids as you have.”
Doc chuckled. “She isn’t even past the first trimester yet. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, by talking about multiple kids, okay?”
The corner of Shepherd’s lips tipped up. “Did you know before yesterday?”
Doc shook his head. “Hadn’t a clue. I didn’t expect to ever see her again.”
“Is she what your problem has been since the mission in Africa?” Shepherd asked.
“Part of it,” Doc replied.
“Jesus, Doc, so you broke protocol, given the fact your other teammates on Alpha all broke this one too, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“It is to me, Shep. You know how I feel about this protocol. I know why it’s there. All I can say to justify it is that there were extenuating circumstances. Elizabeth and I truly thought we were going to be killed. She was sure she would be brutally raped. She wanted to.” Doc stopped himself mid-sentence. “Oh, Christ, Shepherd. I’m sorry.” Talking about any of this with Shepherd was the last thing he planned to do, and he knew it would be the last thing Shepherd would want to hear. That was what Lassiter was on the payroll for.
“It’s okay and I understand. When Angel and I were held, even though I knew the team would be on its way, I made peace with the fact that I’d be shot and killed, chained in that hangar like a dog.”
“I finally got past the fact that I was going to die, just recently.”
“It changes a man,” Shepherd remarked while dragging his hand through his jet-black hair.
“Yeah,” Doc agreed.
“So, sleeping with her and accepting you were going to die were making you a pain in the ass the last few months. Anything else?”
“Did Lassiter tell you?” Doc asked.
Shepherd’s lips tugged into a grin. “You know Lassiter better than that. He didn’t tell me a damned thing.”
“Her age is also a huge issue for me, Shep. Jesus, look at her. Even though she’s twenty-four she looks like a damned teenager. We were at the mall today and I know more than a few of the salesclerk’s thought she was my daughter and not my wife.”
A big smile curved over Shepherd’s face. “And that’s a problem?
“Yes, it is,” Doc insisted. He shook his head. “It’s something I’ll just have to get past. But I’ll talk with Lassiter about that.”
“You’re seeing him this afternoon,” Shepherd said it as a statement.
Doc was sure Shepherd was the one who arranged it. “Yes.”
“I also authorized the agency phone for Elizabeth. It made sense as you will need a secure line to talk with her when you are away on missions. You need to explain to her who we are and what we do, and especially impress upon her the covert nature of our work.”
“She and I already had that conversation this morning. She knows we carry official federal creds, are armed at all times, and that she cannot ever talk with anyone outside of the agency about any aspect of the job. She understands. I don’t think it will be a problem.”
“See Garcia before you leave. He’s loading her phone. She will have a direct line to Ops too. After sleeping on it, I decided it made sense for dependents to have the same security as agency personnel. Explain to her the panic code and that she should contact Ops if she’s ever in trouble.”
“Thank you, Shepherd. Knowing she’s covered, I won’t worry about her while I’m in the field.”
“We needed a protocol for dependents. This just forced it to the top of the to-do pile. I authorize the tracker too. Sienna already has one since she was part of a mission. Did you know Garcia issued her a phone?”
A smirk curved over Doc’s lips. Yeah, everyone on the team knew that, but Shepherd, evidently. “I guess I did. I knew Garcia wouldn’t be talking to her on a nonsecure line.”
“I hadn’t given it any thought. That’s on me, not planning for dependents. Besides Lassiter, no one had any. But things are changing. I suspect Garcia won’t be too far behind you and Jackson. He’s already told me he and Sienna will get married and have kids within the next year.”
This didn’t surprise Doc. With the way Garcia doted on Sammy, it was obvious the man loved the kid and wanted one of his own. And everyone knew Sienna wanted a few. It was only a matter of time. They’d just met six months prior during Garcia’s undercover Op that Sienna crashed. He knew Sienna wanted to wait what she judged as an appropriate amount of time since her first husband was murdered, before she took a second, like anyone associated with Shepherd Security cared.
Doc went back to Angel’s desk when he left Shepherd. He text-messaged Garcia. He was in the workroom next to Ops, just finishing with Elizabeth’s phone. “I’ll bring her back in a bit, if that’s okay. I have one more meeting in about a half-hour.”
Angel nodded. “We’ll leave the chair here. I’m showing her some basic stuff. If Shepherd agrees I was thinking she could be a back-up for me.” She smiled at Elizabeth. “Just until she decides what she wants to do or figures out her schedule.”
“I told Angel you think I should go back to school and get a higher degree. She thinks it’s a great idea,” Elizabeth said. “She even showed me where those nearby extension campuses are that you told me about. We were just looking up admissions requirements.” She pointed at Angel’s monitor.
“A person absolutely needs a bachelor’s degree,” Angel said. “And while going to school, she would probably have the availability to provide some coverage as a receptionist. I know the guys hate it when I’m out and they have to cover this desk.”
Doc chuckled. Wow, Angel was a powerful ally. He’d have to remember that. “I like that idea, but only if it’s something you’re interested in, Elizabeth.”
She nodded. “Yes, I’ll have to think about it, but I like the idea of helping out here.”
Doc smiled. “Garcia is waiting for us to give you your phone and then we will drop our marriage license with Lambchop.”
Elizabeth came to her feet. He led her back through the hallway and to the Elevator. They took it up to the eighth floor and stepped out into the empty hallway. Elizabeth wondered why it seemed so vacant. All the doors they passed were closed. The first open one they came to, was the workroom. Garcia was within.
“Hey, I’m just finishing up with it,” he greeted. Then he smiled and shook his head. “I can’t believe you beat me to it.” He rose and shook Doc’s hand, pulling him in for a shoulder bump. “Congrats man!”
Elizabeth stood back, watching them. Alexander had nice and supportive friends from what she saw so far. She found herself grinning when Garcia turned to her. She was surprised when he engulfed her in a hug.
“And congratulations to you, Elizabeth. Welcome to the family. That’s what we are, you know.”
“Thank you. Yes, that is what Alexander has said. He thinks of all of you as his family.” As the embrace ended, she noticed his pistol, holstered in plain sight on his hip. Alexander’s was in the small of his back today. She knew it would just take time to get used to it.
“I can’t wait for you to meet Sienna,” Garcia said. “She’s an elementary school teacher.” His eyes met Doc’s. “We’re still talking about when we will get married. I think she’s crazy that we need to wait any longer, like anyone cares how long we’ve known each other. I know she wants a baby, hell, maybe I’ll substitute placebos for her birth control pills. Certainly, if she’s pregnant, she’ll marry me sooner.” Garcia laughed. “Can you hook me up with some sugar pills Doc?”
Elizabeth was surprised by his words. He seemed very accepting of the situation she and Alexander were in, as was Angel. She wondered if it would be a nonissue for all his friends. Was pregnancy out of wedlock really so accepted with people?
“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to be blasted with Sienna’s wrath if she ever found out.” Doc laughed.
Garcia showed Elizabeth how to use the phone. “You have unlimited voice, text, and data as part of the plan so don’t worry about any of that.”
Elizabeth had never had a cell phone before. She’d have to go online and Google exactly what all that meant. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
He pointed out the address book. He had it programmed with Alexander’s phone number as well as Angel’s and Madison’s, his own and Sienna’s. There were a lot of names of people she didn’t know. He pointed out the Ops Center phone number. “If you’re ever in trouble, even a flat tire, call Ops. Madison, Jackson, and I man it when we’re not in the field. Ops is available twenty-four-by-seven. Someone is always available to help you with anything you need. We’ll take you next door to Ops and introduce you to Yvette and BT. They’re on today.”
Doc smiled and nodded. He really appreciated Garcia going out of his way to make this easy for Elizabeth and welcome her. He watched Elizabeth slip the phone into the back pocket of her pants. They followed Garcia from the room.
Elizabeth watched in fascination as Garcia did the palmprint scan and entering of the code thing that Alexander had done to have access to the stairwell the previous day and to gain entrance this morning to the elevator in the basement where they’d parked. She wondered why, within this secure building, this room had the added security, until she entered the room behind him and saw what the room was.
Monitors lined the walls. A large one in the center showed an aerial view of what looked like a warehouse next to an expressway. Multiple computers sat on the desk with more buttons and dials than she’d ever seen in person. Two people were within, wearing headsets and staring at different monitors. The man, who had his back to her, had black hair and wide shoulders.
“Roger that, Charlie. I’ve got you on satellite. The perimeter is clear,” he said.
The woman turned and looked their way. She had bright red hair, worn short and spiked up. She was older, in her forties. She smiled and held her index finger up. “Affirmative. I’ll have that for you by fifteen-hundred.” Then she clicked a short burst on the keyboard. She sat her headphones to the desk and turned back to them. “You must be Elizabeth,” she said, closing the distance with her right hand outstretched. “I’m Yvette. It’s nice to meet you.”
Elizabeth returned her smile and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you too,” she replied.
“I’d like to say I’ve heard a lot about you over the past few months, but I haven’t.” She smacked Doc in the stomach, hard. “G
rumpy shorts here, hasn’t really said much to anyone about anything since he got back from Africa. But now that we know he had unfinished business with you, it makes sense why he was such a pain in the ass!”
Doc groaned. “Thanks, Yvette.” That was the last thing he needed Elizabeth to hear.
The other man in the room turned their direction. “Don’t let Yvette scare you off, Elizabeth,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m BT.” He smiled warmly, his lips surrounded by a full mustache and beard.
Elizabeth returned his smile. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you too.”
“I just finished programming her agency issued phone. She’s tied into Ops just as Sienna is.”
Yvette nodded. Her eyes went to Doc’s. “Will she have a tracker for us to monitor as well?”
