Vortex (SAI Book 1) (23 page)

Joel remained silent as he flashed back to breakfast with the DuMond family out at the horse farm on Valentine’s morning. Mama DuMond had done the same thing for her husband and so had Ronnie. None of them were conscious of it, and he hadn’t really thought much about it at the time. But seeing Vivi prepare his toast made him believe that he wasn’t totally crazy. It was such a small, insignificant gesture, and it probably meant very little, but it gave him a small amount of hope. Lifting a piece, he smiled. “Thanks, honey.” He watched a look of confusion pass over her face, and he knew that under all her fussing lay some real feelings for him. They might be exceptionally small feelings, but he could certainly do his best to make sure that they grew into enormous, overwhelming, can’t-deny-them type of feelings. “I go where you go. So it seems that we’re going to the clinic.”

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

Leaning forward, he kissed her. “Always.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Vivi stood next to the truck and watched Joel check the gear that was stored in bags. “How in the world did you get on a commercial flight with all this?”

“I flew the company plane up. We rarely travel commercially when we’re working.” He pulled out a frag and showed it to her. “We all have a high-security clearance, but that isn’t enough to let us travel with the supplies we need. We have a company helicopter as well. We use that when we have hostage ops or we don’t have access to a runway.”

Leaning over, she tried to look in the bag and decipher what all the gear was. “What exactly do you have in there?”

“This and that. Stuff we like to have handy.” He zipped the bag closed and smiled innocently at her.

“What exactly is
this
and
that
?”

Sighing, he leaned his hip against the back of the SUV. “Medical kit, five thousand in cash, a Glock 19, A Sig Sauer P320 with a thousand rounds of ammo. Also an M24 sniper rifle, a pup tent, sleeping bag, water, and MREs. Some C4, frags, and flash bangs. We came in light for this one because we didn’t know how serious the threat was.”

“So if you wanted to invade a small country before say…lunch, you could do it.”

“With our eyes closed.” He kissed her head and moved her away from the hatch on the back. Closing it, he grinned. “Ready to go to the clinic?”

“Sure, why not.” Climbing into the truck, she buckled herself in and was about to close the door when Joel’s big hand stopped her. He leaned in, made sure she was secure and then kissed her lightly. As he closed the door, she wondered if this was what she had to look forward to if they ended up in a relationship. Watching him climb in the other side, start the car, and quarter the surrounding area before he pulled out told her that what she saw was what she got. When he said he would always protect her, he didn’t just mean that he would make sure the doors were locked at night. It seemed that she was going to be treated to the full SEAL protection plan. Whether she was interested or not. Opening her bag, she noticed a small disk on the inside pocket as she pulled out her lipstick. “Did you put a GPS device in my purse?”

Glancing over, he pulled out of the driveway. “Of course I did.”

“Seems reasonable.”

Laughing, he flipped on his blinkers. “I think we should have a small locator put on your arm. But before we do that, I have to see if it would affect the baby in any way. It’s probably something Trinity can do. The procedure is fairly simple.”

Smiling blandly, she stared out the window and started counting back from one hundred. She doubted very much that it would give her enough time to get herself under control before she answered. Crazy didn’t even begin to describe the things that were coming out of his mouth. It took a certain sort of lunacy to be able to say things like he just did. Glancing down, she watched him grab her hand and smile. Yep, lunacy would be giving him a compliment. Lord have mercy. If she was, in fact, pregnant, then she was tied to him for the rest of her life. Whether it was a good idea or not. Shaking her head, she stared out the window and continued counting.

It might be time to look into genetics again. She had done a brief course when she was in med school, but she didn’t remember too much. If her genes and Joel’s s got mixed up, she prayed her more reasonable ones would beat his crazy ones down. Why in the world was she even thinking about it? The chances of her being pregnant were so small that it wasn’t even worth thinking about.

Before she could follow that particular thought, she heard Joel ask her a question. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

“I was wondering what it took to close down a clinic.”

“I have no idea. I’m going to be relying on Ruby for direction. If you want something done, then she will find a way. There isn’t a better person to run a company or small country than her.” Twisting the end of her belt in her hand, she stared straight ahead. “If she really is moving to Florida, then you should snap her up. She can run your office and probably double your business. She sees things that most people don’t.”

“We’re always short-staffed. I just added two men to the group. One is from the Teams and the other is a retired Ranger. We turn away a lot of business because we simply don’t have the manpower. I’ll offer her a job and see if she’s interested.”

“Why have you been with me for two weeks? You should go home and take care of your business.”

“You are my
business
. I’m exactly where I should be.” Shaking his head, he mumbled to himself.

“What are you saying?”

“I said you’re a damn fool, woman, if you think that I would ever leave your side.”

“I think if there is a damn fool in this car, then it has to be you. I’m the reasonable one, and you’re the crazy one. We could ask five people, and they would agree with me.”

“Maybe it’s best if we agree to disagree,” Joel responded tightly.

“Sure, but we both know the truth.” Her genes better damn well win out in the event a miracle occurred this morning.

***

Joel crossed the bridge and hoped that nothing had changed since he checked the cameras that were located outside the clinic. Everything appeared quiet when they left the house, and he had no reason to believe that anything would erupt in the time it took them to get there. “Are Trinity and Ruby coming down today?”

“Ruby is coming in around one, and Trinity isn’t going to be able to make it. She’s interviewing with a hospital in Metairie.”

“I didn’t ask Dane join us because I’m not expecting any trouble, but once we arrive at the clinic, I’ll call him and have him come down.”

“Okay.”

“Are you mad at me?” Joel took her hand and held it. “I’m wired a certain way, Viv, and that’s never going to change. I’ve spent all my adult life protecting the interests of this country. I don’t know how to alter it, and quite frankly, I don’t have a desire to.”

“I know, Joel.”

“Is that an
I know it’s okay
or an
I know, and I’m going to get rid of you
?”

“I don’t have an answer to that question right now.”

“Fair enough.” After driving off the bridge, Joel navigated the streets and didn’t see anything that concerned him. The activity appeared normal for the time of day, and he prayed it stayed that way. Driving past the clinic, he circled the block slowly. “I just want to see what’s happening in the neighborhood.”

“It seems fairly quiet. What a change from the last time we were here. The sight of having two armed groups on opposing corners facing the clinic isn’t something that I ever need to see again.” Shaking her head, she twisted the ends of her hair. “Seeing you guys leave the clinic in full tactical gear and armed to the teeth wasn’t something that I enjoyed.”

“Were you worried about me?”

Snorting, she responded, “Of course I was. If you got shot, then I was going to have dig the bullet out and stitch you up. I can’t imagine the carrying-on that would have occurred if that happened. I hate to see a grown man cry.”

“You’re funny, Viv. I see that you’re trying to rile me up. You’ve seen me in my full naked glory, as well as had your mouth on most of me. So we both know that I’ve been shot a couple of times, and I never cried. So poke me all you want, but it isn’t going to work.”

“Joel McDade, you hush. That isn’t something that should ever be repeated outside our bedroom doors. My goodness, if you ever want my mouth on you again, then you will act like a gentleman.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she tapped her foot.

Strumming the wheel as he drove, he shrugged. “You were not interested in my gentlemanly side last night, and you were happy to listen to everything I had to say.” Waving his hand in dismissal, he sighed. “It isn’t anything to be embarrassed about. We are two consenting adults who are partaking in adult activities and using adult words. What happens between us should be celebrated.”

“It can be celebrated quietly.”

“What happens between us is freaking amazing, Viv. I’m not going to act like it’s no big deal. I’ve had enough sex in my life to know the difference between good and great. Great sex is like having a bomb explode in your right-mind, leaving you with the shattered remains of your inhibition. Last night, we shattered the walls between us, and I don’t have any regrets. It will throw us off balance for a while, but it’s completely worth it.”

“You just said that what I see is what I get. Well, the same is true for you. I’m not going to suddenly want to chat about what happens in our bedroom in public. I think it’s private, and that’s never going to change.”

“We are in private. I’m not discussing this at Sunday dinner.”

“I know,” she wailed in response. “I mean during the day outside the house.”

“What are we fighting about?”

Vivi rubbed her head. “I guess I’m fussing at you because I’m overwhelmed. I’m facing the closing of the clinic, possible pregnancy, and an apparent threat against my life. Also, what happened last night was incredibly intimate, so maybe I’m fighting to create some distance.”

Pulling into the parking lot of the clinic, he parked and turned off the engine. He unclipped his seat belt and did the same for Vivi. Scooting as close as he could, he took her face gently in his hands and grinned. “Thank you for being honest with me. Maybe I’m pushing this because I want to remind you what happened. The last thing I want is for you to pull away. Let’s try and tackle one thing at a time.” Kissing her quickly, he released her, jumped out of the truck, and jogged around to open her door. “Ready?”

“I guess,” she mumbled. After sliding out of the truck, she took Joel’s hand and silently followed him to the back door. He keyed in the code, the lock released, and they entered the building.

“Stay here, honey. I’m going to check the building. It was clear when we left the house, but I want to double-check.” 

The clinic smelled like bleach and antiseptic, and there was no reason to believe that anything was wrong, but Joel wanted to make sure. He cleared the building quickly and returned to Vivi. She was chewing on her lip and staring at her shoes. “Are you okay?” He grabbed her hand and lifted her face gently.

“The reality of closing this place down just hit me. This was my dream, and now it’s done.”

Encircling her in his arms, he hugged her tightly. “Let’s come up with some new dreams.”

Before Vivi could respond, the back door opened, and Joel slid his gun out of his waistband. Turning, he kept Vivi behind him and waited. Hearing Dane’s loud voice, he relaxed.

“Don’t shoot. I brought Uncle Buck with me. He wants to help Vivi today.” Dane grinned as he and Buck strode down the back hall.

Vivi stepped around Joel and walked toward her favorite uncle. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s Wednesday, and I have my pinochle game with Mr. Stewart, and I also want to help you. Closing a practice down isn’t easy, and I came for moral support.”

Gently hugging him, Vivi let out a small sob. “Thank you, old man. What would I do without your support?”

“Hard to say, because you will always have it.” Patting his niece’s cheek, he snickered. “Let’s make some coffee and figure this thing out.”

“All right, let’s start making a list.” Vivi led him down the hall and into the small kitchen. “I suppose you want a little shot of something in your coffee.”

“Is the pope Catholic?” Buck replied.

***

Joel checked the cameras on his phone to make sure that they were all operational. “It’s quiet out there.”

Dane relaxed into one of the chairs in the waiting room and checked his phone. “I’m going to head back tomorrow. I booked a flight for the afternoon. Kyle has a case that he needs some backup on, and I told him I’d be there.”

“Sounds good, man. I’ll probably send Ben home at the end of the week. That is, if I can tear him away from Ruby.”

“Good luck with that. I can’t see him going home until Ruby is ready to leave.”

Rubbing the back of his head, Joel drew in a long breath. “You’re right.” His phone buzzed, and he saw that his office manager had sent him an email. That was unusual, because she usually called him if something came up. He opened the email and read through it slowly. Then read it again. “Carly just gave me her two weeks’ notice. It seems that her boyfriend just asked her to marry him, and they’re relocating to Tampa.”

“I guess Ruby’s relocation plans just got moved up. This is going to make Ben a happy man,” Dane replied.

“Maybe we should talk to Ruby first and see if it’s something that she is going to be interested in.”

Vivi strode down the hall and stood before the two men. “Who is she, and what’s there to be interested in?”

Joel settled his arm around her shoulder and replied, “I’m going to offer Ruby a job, and we hope she’s interested.”

“I bet she will be. You all are lucky, because she is amazing. She runs a tight ship, but I’m sure that’s something that you all would appreciate.”

Uncle Buck entered the waiting room slowly. “I need to go get Wilson; it’s time for our game.”

Dane stood and helped Buck into a chair. “You rest, and I’ll run over and grab him.”