Page 25 of Operation: Return
Pete looked between the two of them, his face turning frightened. “Mom, do I have to go? You haven’t even ridden with me yet.”
Cole gave Pete an appraising look. “I told you that you could stay as long as your mom said you could. You’re going to have a good time.” Cole’s firm tone surprised her. She hadn’t expected him to sound so fatherly.
“Okay.” Pete sat on the chair in front of the desk and swung his feet under it.
Erica picked up the phone and hit the voicemail button, intent on only listening to the new messages. Once she heard the raspy breathing, she’d stop listening again. A voice came over the line that sounded professional and clipped, similar to Cole, giving her the immediate impression he was with law enforcement or the military.
“Good Morning. The time is 0500 hours on Tuesday, June sixth. My name is Dominic Anderson of The Guardians Security Agency. Cole Bradly is a former associate of ours and I’ve been made aware that he, or you, may be in need of our special services. You can reach me . . .”
She paused the recording. The whole message seemed strange. How would they know where Cole was, and that he needed help? Was this Providence, or was there someone feeding information to the outside from inside the ranch?
“Is something wrong?” Cole appeared at her side and laid a hand on her shoulder. The contact sent sparks tumbling in fissures down through her to her heart making her tug away. She couldn’t let him distract her like that.
“That call was for you,” she mumbled holding the phone toward him.
“Me?” Cole looked confused. “Anyone I know personally would call my phone.”
“Ever heard of Dominic Anderson?”
Cole’s mouth quirked slightly. “Yeah, I know him. He went security. Secret forces. Paramilitary.”
That explained the way he spoke. “Yeah, he sounded all-business. If you have his number, he wanted to see if you needed his help. He thought you might.” She hung the phone back up, wishing she didn’t have to deal with calls at all.
Cole didn’t answer right away, twisting the worry in the pit of her stomach. She found herself hoping he brought in more help. How could it hurt to have more men to make sure nothing happened, especially to Pete?
He gave nothing away of whatever plan he had. “I’ll talk to Edwyn. Thanks for letting me know.”
* * *
Cole had barely reachedthe barn with Pete when he heard a car racing toward the house and screech to a stop. He couldn’t take any chances with who it might be. What if Viceroy’s men had made it past the gate? He picked up Pete then raced toward Trace’s cabin. He managed a quick glance over his shoulder to identify the car and came to an abrupt stop as Gabby got out of her car wiping her eyes.
Junior sped from the barn toward her. Cole had to make a decision whether to go and see what was happening with Pete, or let Junior handle what could be a personal situation alone. The only thing holding him rooted to the spot was the fact that Gabby wasn’t easily ruffled. She was a thinker, not emotional.
He made the decision to leave them alone and turned back on his way when Junior waved him over.
“What’s going on? Is she okay?” Pete asked in his ear and wrapped his arms around Cole’s neck. At six, the boy was good at handling a lot, but he was still a kid and this was an uneasy situation.
“Let’s go find out and make sure she’s alright.”
The closer he got, the more he could hear Gabby’s sobs and what she was saying chilled him.
“. . . almost captured. . . Good thing I had my taser.”
Junior held her close, rubbing her back and meeting Cole’s eyes with a silent request to follow. “Let’s go inside and tell Edwyn. Where did it happen?”
“I should go with my mom,” Pete whispered.
“You’re right. You’ll get a ride in later. I promise.” He’d only just left Erica a few minutes before but seeing her again relaxed him. She could take the best care of Pete while Cole helped Junior handle whatever had happened with Gabby.
He popped back into her office, startling her. “I’m really sorry. Gabby just came back. She’s supposed to be at work right now. Something happened and I need to be there.”
Erica rushed to her feet and took Pete from his arms, brushing her hands against his arms. Now was not the time to think about how good her touch felt. He set aside his own feelings and headed for Edwyn’s office.
Junior sat with Gabby clutched to his side on Connor’s sofa along the side of the office. Brendon had already come in and Cole closed the door behind him. He tugged out his phone and sent a text to Trace that he would be a few minutes late and to please stay in his cabin until Cole came to get him. He couldn’t assume anyone was safe after the little he’d heard Gabby say.
“Tell them what you told me,” Junior murmured, rubbing her shoulder.
Gabby took a deep breath that seemed to calm her a little. “I had just arrived at my office. My office manager wasn’t there yet, which was odd. Usually, the sign on the door is flipped to open by the time I get there. I got out of my car and out of habit, pulled my taser out of my pocket.”