“Sebastian Abel?” Greer asked, thinking of the arrogant thorn in her side. Sebastian funded their program, but he always treated her as if she didn’t know what she was doing. He constantly lectured her about taking too many risks. She shouldn’t run into danger like that. She shouldn’t be getting shot at. Blah, blah, blah. Then the arrogant ass had gone and kissed her. She was being stitched up after a completely inconsequential stab wound from her last mission, and Sebastian had been ranting at her when he suddenly stopped and kissed her hard before just storming off. Damn him. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking of the arrogant, best-kisser-ever jerk since then. “What was he doing at DARPA?” It felt like a punch to the gut at knowing Sebastian was taken. Just because he annoyed her didn’t mean it didn’t hit close to home. He was always so serious, so in charge . . . he seemed indestructible.
“Sebastian worked for the past year to help fix the satellite programming to get it to work. He was on his way there with the final bit of code to complete the project when someone kidnapped him. At least, I hope he’s just kidnapped. We have video of Erwin Hoggard being dragged out of DARPA thirty seconds before the research facility where the satellite was being worked on exploded. I need your team to find them right now, go in, and rescue them,” President Stratton ordered.
Greer was already nodding when Humphrey Orville, the president’s chief of staff, came running in while shoving his round wire-rimmed glasses up his nose. “Hoggard is dead. They found his body in a hangar at a private airfield outside of town.” Humphrey turned and looked with surprise at the screen filled with people. “Oh, hello all. Mrs. Davies, the pie you sent this week was your best yet.”
“Thank you, dear. Birch hasn’t said a word about his.”
“Sorry, ma’am. It was so good Tate and I finished it in one sitting.”
Greer’s lips tilted up in a smile at the men fawning over her grandmother’s apple pie even during a crisis. Neither would risk not getting one the next month. “So, we need to locate Sebastian and rescue him. Let’s go,” Greer said, getting everyone back on track.
Dylan cleared his throat. “We’ll help find him, then Greer and I can go rescue him. I think a small rescue would have a better chance here. I would think they would expect the entire US Army to rescue an asset like Sebastian. Slip in with one or two people and be out before they even know it is the way to go.”
Greer looked at Dylan with a raised eyebrow. What was her cousin talking about? Not that she minded. It had been her job to go in and rescue people in hostage situations, but she always had a team and after leaving hostage rescue, every mission Greer had gone on Abby always went too.
“No,” President Stratton said. “I want the whole team. You three go in and get him out.”
“You got it, sir,” Abby said with surety. It would be done.
“No,” Dylan whispered back to his wife with just as much certainty. “I’ll go with Greer and that’s it,” Dylan said to the president.
Greer cringed when she saw Abby’s jaw tighten.
“My best friend is missing!” President Stratton yelled, drawing everyone’s attention.
Dylan turned and stood at attention with his back straight and his hands clasped behind his back. “Sir, I request you put my wife on immediate desk duty.”
“Aw, shit, son,” Ahmed whispered. “You’ve been a good son-in-law until now. Know I’ll be slightly sad when I help my daughter bury your body in the woods.”
“What the hell is going on?” the president slammed his hands on his desk in irritation.
“Don’t do it,” Abby warned Dylan. “It’s fine, sir.”
“My wife is pregnant. She needs to be relieved of active duty immediately,” Dylan told the president. And that’s what he did. Dylan told the president. He wasn’t asking.
Greer sucked in a breath with surprise at the same time Ahmed’s roar mixed with Dylan’s mother’s joyous cry.
3
Everything seemed to happen at once. Dylan’s mother, Tammy, shoved Greer out the way at the same time Ahmed began to stalk toward Dylan, calmly standing across the room from him. Tammy was the complete opposite of Dylan. She was a tiny sprite of a woman with short blonde hair and full of sweetness. She stood barely five feet tall, but that didn’t stop her from launching herself through the air and onto Ahmed’s back.
“Oh, sweeties,” Tammy said through happy tears as she slid her forearm across Ahmed’s throat, trying to get him into a headlock. “I am so happy for you both!”
“Tammy,” Ahmed warned as he easily charged forward with her on his back. “I’m going to kill your son.”
“Dad! Don’t you dare!” Abby yelled, putting her hands on her hips and giving Ahmed a glare he’d be proud of.
Greer watched as Dylan stood his ground, but reinforcement was on the way. It wasn’t the uncles. No, Greer’s own father, Cole, and all his brothers-in-law were nodding their heads as if agreeing with Ahmed that it was perfectly natural to kill Dylan. Only Dylan’s dad, Uncle Pierce, looked thrilled. Stupid men. Did they really believe their daughters were all virgins and would remain so forever? Apparently so, judging by their reactions.
“Ahmed.” Bridget’s warning cut through the room like a knife even as Greer’s mother and all her aunts leapt between Dylan and Ahmed to form a protective wall.
“Enough of this nonsense!” Greer’s mother, Paige, yelled, surprising everyone in the room.
“We want grandbabies and we want them now,” Bridget added. “Do not mess this up for me, Ahmed, or so help me I’ll make you pay for it.”
Aunt Tammy had both of Ahmed’s ears in her hands as if they were reins and she tried to stay on his back. She was almost tossed over Ahmed’s shoulder at his sudden stop.
“That’s right,” Aunt Gemma said with a nod of her head. “We want lots of them and we’re sick and tired of this no-sex-with-our-daughters nonsense.”
“But,” Uncle Cy began to say but Gemma cut him off.
“Just don’t, Cyland. Go ahead and believe in the stork if you want. But I want more grandchildren. You hear me, Matt, Carter, and Willa?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the three in-laws said immediately.
“But,” Uncle Miles started to say, but Aunt Morgan cut him off.
“No, Miles. No buts. No harassment, no choking, no threatened castration. Nothing but unlimited offers to babysit.”
“It’s been decided,” Aunt Katelyn said next.
“What has?” her husband, Marshall, asked.
“Your wives are putting our collective feet down. You are to do nothing to prevent us from getting grandchildren or you’ll have to deal with us,” Aunt Annie said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the men.
Greer looked to where the uncles had Ahmed’s back. They didn’t look too worried and Greer shook her head. Bless their hearts. They were about to learn just how serious their wives were.
“Congratulations, Abby. You’re off active duty,” President Stratton said, cutting into the family fight. “And so are you, Dylan. I won’t put this baby’s father’s life in danger. Family changes everything.”