Ford's Rise - L. Ann Marie Page 0,16
asks as we’re riding out.
“Yeah. Mine follow if I’m leaving a Club. They don’t follow me through a building. I’m usually everywhere so it would grate on my nerves. Alder is used to Tats and the Bravo teams. They’re all that cover him now. Any Protector team covers the rest.”
“Does that strike you as odd?”
Odd? “No. He’s President of the Alpha-Bits. He has teams that know his movements and what he’s capable of. They all spar with him now. They don’t get in his way and keep him covered everywhere. You became VP here because of a threat to Alpha-Bits from the Brother you replaced. Alder needs to be covered everywhere like Cort and Major.”
He nods my way. “I meant any other Protector teams covering the rest. When you talk about his training, I get it. Garren is like that. Brad has three teams that know what he’s trained for. How is Alexia doing? Harper is going down tomorrow for lunch with her.”
That’s so good. “She’ll be happy to see another friend from home. She doesn’t seem to miss her things or the area.”
“Marks said you had her room replicated. She’d be comfortable anywhere as long as everything isn’t new. She’s been moved before. Commander Saber said he went to Quantico and took pictures of her room before she moved. Miguel sent pictures to Alder so she’d be okay. When she moved to Ford’s, they took everything from the dorm room and put it in her new apartment. She didn’t have a problem with it. I think she’s like Télia. She’s quiet so people don’t talk to her much unless it’s about the computer.”
I see that too. “She is quiet. The Alpha-Bits love her. She’s a good trainer for IT. She talks to them about everything.”
“They’re different too. Garren didn’t have a problem with them. The Brothers made him nervous. The Alpha-Bits never did. He’s another that didn’t have a problem with location as long as he had familiar to hold on to. How was Alejandro?”
I smile thinking of my new nephew. “Excited, he learned to drive the gator today.”
“That’s good. Garren and Alexia don’t miss the area, unlike me. I miss the food and kids.”
“You should have kids. Food is just teaching someone how to make it and ordering.”
“Harper doesn’t want to bring kids up in all the crazy we see. Not many women in the unit had kids. We were deployed to stop sick fucks daily.” He doesn’t sound happy with that.
I can understand her point. She’s a doctor, ME, bomb and sniper trained, Alder said. That’s a lot of shit to see daily. “You’re not in the FBI anymore, Brother. Ask her, maybe she’s changed her mind now that you’re not deployed daily. That couldn’t have been easy.”
“It wasn’t. I loved my job.” He doesn’t sound finished.
“But,” I prompt him.
“Every day I hoped it was slow. The shit people do to each other is fuckin’ off. Instead of slowing down, we had more teams added every few years. People are getting meaner and dumber. The Club is like a vacation compared to the FBI. I love this job because I’m not deployed every day.”
I smile. “You’re never deployed here.”
He laughs. “No. I’m talking to Harper tonight. She loves it here.”
He’s quiet the rest of the way. I think about Alexia. I don’t want kids knowing a girl can have the Fragile X gene. I’ll talk to her about it tonight. I hope she’s okay with that. Alder said on the chopper ride that I love her. I’ve never felt like this so maybe I do. I almost had a panic attack because she has a threat. That must be love.
~*~*~
“Is Maverick settled?” Major asks as we sit.
“Yeah. Some small IT issues and Alexia is sending a couple of classes so the trainer sees how she gets information through to the trainees. He’s high strung and jumps around. If he doesn’t settle, Jordan will find Maverick another trainer. He won’t send Stella again so I hope he settles.”
Major shakes his head. “He’s so good on the computer.”
“Good work not always good to train,” Alder tells him. “Boss Alexia good trainer, good work, no good to talk Brothers. Trainer not good with women. Class have women?” He asks me.
I nod. “Maverick has a shit load of women in IT. They come from the military. I didn’t pick up on that. Maybe that’s why he’s jumping around in the room with them.”
Alder nods. “Video class better to him.”
Alexia would be