then settled back into my chest, once again going to sleep.
His loud snore caught the attention of the three men in the room.
Bruno, Laric, and Lynn.
“I want me one of those, boss,” Laric teased.
Lynn snorted. “You’d break one of those.”
“I most certainly would not,” Laric countered. “Trouper is just as big as I am, and he looks like he’s doing just fine.”
Lynn grunted and went back to looking at Beckham.
“In short, he would fly us around where we needed to go. Whether it’s to a different area to pick someone up—us as a team, or just an individual. He’d be on standby if we needed him for anything. He’s also got a well of knowledge that I’d like to tap into if on the off chance we need insider knowledge of the Air Force.” He paused. “You, on the other hand, I would like to dig. I want you to look into stuff for me. And yes, you can bring your child to work. Honestly, you can just work from home for all I care. As long as you can help contribute to the cause.”
I knew that he had her.
Sex trafficking was very near and dear to her heart. She hadn’t liked the field aspect of it, but if she could research and do the busy work, she would feel like she was helping.
I knew she felt guilty about leaving.
Especially before the last motherfucker was found.
“And,” Lynn said, “I think that I have some good news for you. The man that you were trying to snag in Florida, the man responsible for Cannel Cantrell’s kidnapping, has been found. He’s actually running his operation in East Texas now. He’ll be our first mark.”
Beckham grinned. “I know. I have information on him that I was compiling. I have been following his whereabouts since everything happened.”
Lynn’s eyes went soft.
He knew what happened to her.
Hell, the only people that probably didn’t know were her family.
“Smashing,” Laric drawled as he took a drink of a beer. A beer that he hadn’t had a moment before. “Now, do you want to be known as the ‘enforcer?’ Or what about the ‘treasurer?’ You can’t be vice president. That’s my job. Bruno’s the ‘pres.’ Though, technically, Lynn should be the president. But he doesn’t want to be. He says he has to do other things. He did say that he’d be a part of our club, though. For appearances’ sake, anyway. He’s low man on the totem pole for that, though.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about half the time,” Bruno grumbled as he finished off his beer and went for another one.
“So, who do you want to be?” Laric pushed, looking at me.
“Why do you have to put labels on it at all?” Six asked curiously. “Just be.”
“Do you even ride, State?” Laric asked.
I felt a strong pulse of anguish pierce through my heart at him calling me ‘State.’ I’d never be ‘State’ again.
That part of my life was gone.
“Don’t call me that,” I growled. “It’s Trouper. Or Troup.”
Laric gave me a thumbs up.
“No State. Got it. Now, have you ever ridden before?” he asked.
I grinned then. “I rode all the time. I just have to find another bike.”
“About that…” Beckham shifted in her seat. “I didn’t sell your bike. I, uh, took out a loan and paid it off while you were in there.”
I looked at her.
“Did you do anything that I asked you to do while I was in there?” I grumbled. “I wanted you to take care of yourself. I wanted to take care of you.”
She hadn’t sold my car. She hadn’t sold my bike.
I mean, I knew why she hadn’t. She knew that I’d loved them.
But I’d also wanted to take care of her. That’d been the only way that I could do it.
“How about we have this discussion later,” she suggested.
The baby that I was holding woke up with a flourish, and everyone blinked in surprise.
Everyone but Beckham, though.
“He wakes up starving,” she sighed. “Just like his father.”
A whisper of warmth flooded through me.
“Speaking of dinner, now that we’ve established that she’ll help, what are we having?” Laric asked.
I easily transferred a really awake, getting madder by the second Hiro to Beckham’s arms. As much as I’d love to help, I just didn’t have the right equipment.