“Thanks anyway. I’m sure we’ll be in touch.”
I hung up the phone feeling defeated. After a few more calls that feeling worsened. None of the other teams could spare even one person. Before I knew it the hour had passed, and I had to report for briefing.
“Any luck?” Silas asked when I walked into the room.
I just scowled and shook my head as I took my seat.
He nodded, put the folder he had out back into his briefcase and pulled out another one.
I glared at him.
He gave me a smirk. “Hey, be happy I was betting on you.”
“I still have the afternoon to find someone. That was the deal,” I reminded him.
He huffed and pulled out the first folder too.
“Okay team, we have a new mission and leave at eighteen hundred hours.” The others groaned, but he just ignored them and kept going. “We also have a lead on the location of Tarron’s hacker. I can’t afford to be down two on this one, but if he can find a partner outside of this room, then we’re going to move you to ‘tech and sec’ Taylor. He has until this afternoon. Let’s go over both plans just in case and then you can have the afternoon off to sort your affairs. Wheels are up at eighteen hundred, so I expect you all to be on that plane and ready by then.”
“Yes, sir,” we all barked out.
He started going over the details. I half listened. Mostly my head was spinning on who else I could drag with me to appease Silas. This was a cybergeek, I wasn’t exactly fearing for my life.
I had to find someone. As soon as he adjourned, I jumped up and took off out of the room. I stopped at the operators’ station.
“Hey, has anyone seen Archie?”
“I think he’s in the datacenter,” someone said.
“None of you want to road trip to Idaho with me this week, do you?”
I figured it was worth a shot but they all just looked at me like I was insane. One of them laughed. I think they thought I was joking. I wasn’t.
I let myself into the datacenter and walked around until I spotted Archie.
“I already heard, and the answer is no,” he said as I walked up to him.
“Come on, at least hear me out. What if you heard wrong?”
“Silas told you that in order to go after our hacker friend you have to partner up with someone because he’s taking your team out on a mission that leaves tonight.”
I sighed. “Yup. That about sums it up.”
“Do you have any idea of what I do around this place? I can’t leave for the week. I never leave.”
“What if it were just a few days?”
“You’re driving. It’ll be a week. Why do you think everyone has turned you down?”
“So we’ll fly.”
“Bravo and Delta are using the jets at the moment and I highly doubt you’ll convince O’Connell to fit the bill for a third plane just so you can go off on a personal vendetta.”
“This is personal to me. It should be to you too. You’ve seen him. This guy is good. Really good. But we’re better, Archie. We can take him.”
He looked at me and for half a second, I thought he was actually considering it.
“No,” he said cutting me off when I made an attempt to protest.
Even more frustrated and getting downright mad, I stomped back upstairs just as my team was leaving.
“No luck?” Baine asked.
I shook my head.
“Tough break. You know I’d go with you if I could. Silas made it clear where our priorities are supposed to be. He’s a bit obsessed with this mission so I’m shocked he even let you try.”
I just nodded and then hung back so they could leave without any further conversation. I was pissed.
My plan worked and when I walked out to the elevator, they were all long gone. I got in and pressed the button for my floor. Some of us still lived in the Lodge, though with more of the team finding their mates and moving into houses in San Marco, I was looking for a house to buy in town too.
My phone rang and I looked down to see Nonna’s picture. Even as irritated as I was, I couldn’t help but smile. I answered the phone.
“Hey Nonna.”
“Are you busy? I’m not interrupting anything important, am I?”
“No, it’s fine,” I said trying to keep the disappointment from seething through my voice.
“Well okay then. I just wanted to remind you about dinner tonight. Five sharp. Don’t be late.”
I groaned. In my haste to convince someone to go with me on this job, I had forgotten all about dinner at Nonna’s.
“Caleb?”
I sighed. “I’m heading out to the field tonight.”
“Again?” she asked sounding disappointed.
“Yeah. Wheels up at six. I’m going to have to take a raincheck on dinner.”
“Well, I’m about to start lunch, are you free for lunch instead?”
I thought about it for a minute. I had no idea how long we’d be out in the field. I hadn’t exactly listened to the briefing even though I knew we wouldn’t get the bulk of the data until we were on the plane. It could be a few days or even a week or more before I could see her again.
“Yeah, sure, Nonna. I’m on my way.”
When the elevator doors opened on my floor, I punched the button for ground level and rode it back down without even getting off.
It wasn’t a long drive to Nonna’s. My head was in a million other places as I left the Lodge and headed to her house.
The familiar smells when I walked through her front door without even knocking relieved some of the stress I’d been harboring.
“Caleb? Is that you?”
“Yes, Nonna.”
“Well, come on back. I’m taking the soup off now. You’re just in time.”
We sat at the table in a peaceful silence, as she dished big bowls of hearty soup. If I’d come for a planned dinner, then I was certain there would have been a small party in attendance including at least one eligible she-wolf. She was always predictable when it came to her planned dinners no matter how much she tried to tell me she just wanted to spend time with her favorite grandson, there were almost always ulterior motives.
These impromptu meals were what I preferred. She didn’t have time to make arrangements and in truth I actually enjoyed spending time with her—most of the time.
“I can tell you’re having a bad day. Are you worried about this mission?” she asked.
“No, it’s not that. I had a huge lead on this cyber hacker that’s been terrorizing our systems. Silas said I could skip the team mission and go check out this lead but only if I have a partner with me. The thing is he even opened it up for me to bring just about anyone with the exception of our unit, but just my luck, everyone else is busy this week. I literally can’t find one single person capable of riding along and making a phone call in the case of an emergency.”
“That’s it? That’s your only requirement? No guns or super sleuth or that computer stuff you do?”
“No, he just doesn’t want me to go alone. That’s it.”
“And you can’t find anyone willing to do that?”
“No. Trust me, I’ve tried.”
“Well, if those are the only requirements, then what time do we hit the road?”