Page 58 of Harboring Shantae

This was exactly why he didn't want to tell her and he could kick Giggles for opening up his mouth.

"I assure you, so is Falcon. I wouldn't wish my worst enemy to go against a pissed-off Falcon. He protects those he cares about with ruthless abandon and you happen to be one of those people he cares about. Falcon will be fine."

Everyone in the room nodded their head in agreement.

"Now please try to at least pretend you're enjoying the food I got. Falcon will check in soon enough."

It would be another hour before his team leader finally called, and the news wasn't good.

"Senator Adams made the announcement, but Zion never showed. It's safe to say Shantae's father is not happy and the rumor mill here is running rampant. We'll be leaving immediately and flying straight back tonight."

Panther didn't like Falcon's tone. There was something his team leader wasn't saying, but he would have to wait until Falcon was back before he could question him.

Chapter 27

SomethingwasoffwithCamron and his team. She tried asking him last night when they finally went home after Falcon's call, but all Camron kept telling her was everything was fine. It definitely wasn't. The tension throughout the barn was high.

Shantae hadn't seen or heard from Trista since they got back. That only made her worry more. Several times she thought about going to find Camron or anyone from his team and demanding answers, but she had all three boys today. Matthew, Andrew, and Luey were doing their best to drive her crazy in the best way possible.

They managed to tear apart everything they touched. Just when she thought she got one mess cleaned up, another two appeared. They were keeping her so busy that she barely had time to breathe, let alone think about sneaking away and asking Missy to cover for her so she could demand some answers.

"Mrs. S. We go outside!"

It wasn't a question. Andrew was insisting they go outside and get out from these same four walls. She understood his needs. She, too, was beginning to feel boxed in.

"You know what, buddy? I think that's a fabulous idea. How about we gather the balls and head out back so we can have some fun?"

There was an outdoor play area that Wes had built. It was away from the training area that the men used, but still well within the perimeter. She was assured that it would be safe, but had yet to utilize it.

Ray promised to keep her informed if Zion took any commercial or private flights, so he wasn't a threat. Her father would never get his hands dirty. Besides, he was too busy cleaning up the mess she and Zion left him with. A broken engagement would cause him a headache for a while at least.

"Yay, outside!"

Three little sets of fists pumped the air in excitement. It was adorable the way the boys, so close in age, got along.

"Who wants to help me get everything together?"

"Me."

"Me."

Luey also raised his hand, but didn't speak. The little boy was shy and never said more than a few words. But he was slowly coming around. It was just that the other two rambunctious boys overshadowed him more times than not.

"Okay." She squatted down to the boys' level. "You"—she pointed at Matthew—"grab the basketballs. You"—she turned to Andrew—"grab the Frisbees. And, Luey, you grab the kickball."

The boys scurried to gather what she asked. Within ten minutes, they had everything they needed and were headed outside. No one stopped them, and the barn was suspiciously quiet. As far as she knew, both Charlie and Bravo Team were in the building today, so it should be a lot louder.

"Outside, outside!"

All thoughts of the teams disappeared the more the boys chanted. If she wanted to keep her sanity, then she needed to get them outside sooner rather than later.

"We're going. We're going," she laughed.

They stepped outside into the sunshine. It was still early enough in the day that it wasn't overly hot and this part of the yard was shaded for the most part. They could stay outside for an hour or so before she would be forced to upset them by telling them it was time to go in.

"Mrs. S, we play ball."

They were surprisingly good. They managed to get more balls in the basket than they missed. And when they were tired of that particular sport, they moved on to playing Frisbee and finally kickball.