I frowned hard at Lynn.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I questioned.
“That means that this is the woman that’s been doing her level best to get you out of there,” Lynn said. “She’s also using a very skilled woman that I know through a mutual friend. I tried to recruit her as a tech guru and said she didn’t have time for me. Beckham, do you want a job as well?”
My brows rose at Lynn’s words, and I looked over at Beckham who didn’t look appalled at the idea of a job.
“I guess it depends on what kinds of jobs you have, whether there’s health insurance involved, and whether or not I can bring my kid to work,” Beckham countered. “Plus, I need to be behind the scenes. I’m not doing any field work anymore. Ever.”
The relief those words poured through me was nothing short of extreme. That feeling of relief didn’t stay long when I saw the haunted look in my wife’s eyes.
I pulled Beckham into my arms and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “You’re good, baby.”
“I’m scared, Trouper,” she whispered right back. “But I can’t live underneath a rock.”
“No adventure education?” Six asked, leaning against Lynn’s chest and crossing her feet out in front of her. “Being a park ranger sounds pretty cool.”
Beckham grimaced. “That was a great way to keep my parents off my back while I was in Montana,” she replied. “But it’s not something that I really want to do in the long run.” Beckham paused. “How do you know that’s what I went to school for?”
Six pointed at Lynn. “He’s got a guy. The guy can run fairly decent background checks. He’s also got that lady that he mentioned that gives him the nitty gritty on people. It took us three weeks longer to get info on y’all than it did the other three guys. You are both very careful with the information you share. Y’all are some of those people that he dug deep for. Lynn probably knows everything. I just asked about you. That’s why I know about the park ranger thing. The idea of another woman being in the mix sounds amazing.”
Beckham warmed up a small amount toward the woman, and I ran my hand up and down the length of her back.
I didn’t care what the group knew about me. I owed them a great debt for getting me out of that hellhole and back into my wife’s arms.
“You know why I got him out?” Lynn asked, his eyes going from me to Beckham.
She shook her head. “Yes and no. I know that you got him out because you want him to work for you. I don’t know what kind of work you want him to do. We didn’t get that far.”
“I’m sure that this is something very near and dear to both of your hearts now,” he looked meaningfully at Beckham. “But at this point, I’m tired of all the sex trafficking running through what amounts to my back yard. The old mayor of Kilgore was corrupt, used his position in the city government to get things that he normally wouldn’t be able to get accomplished, accomplished. He’s banded with a few other mayors, city officials, and other important individuals to form a cohesive group that helps these disgusting thugs run their trafficking business through my area. I didn’t like it then, and I sure the fuck don’t like it now.” He paused. “My first step was getting myself elected and becoming a respectable mayor. My next step is to clean up the surrounding area… and then spreading farther out, cleaning up more and more until I feel that I’ve made a difference.”
“And what role would my husband play in this?” she asked quietly.
The baby started to whimper, and I used the break of silence to break him free from his car seat.
He came with a sleepy grunt, and 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.”