Chapter Seven – Monica

“Hey there, Wyatt.” Jay got out of his truck and sauntered over to them.

“Jay. This is Monica.” Wyatt made the introductions.

“Hello.” Monica and Jay assessed each other before relaxing.

“Hi, Monica. Harlan called, he said you might need some help.” Jay had an easy manner about him. He was big, broad-chested, the kind of guy you’d want in your corner.

“We do.” Wyatt raised his eyebrow at her and she sighed.

“We do,” she agreed.

Jay’s face cracked a smile. “Ex-Army?”

“Does it show?” Monica asked.

“Sure does. It’s something about standing at attention all the time. I can tell a soldier a mile away.” Jay glanced at Wyatt, but he didn’t answer. They didn’t know anything about Wyatt, he’d lived here for years and no one knew why he’d come here. Yet Wyatt was all too happy to share her reasons for being in Bear Creek with them.

“Let’s go inside.” Wyatt turned on his heel and headed back toward the house. Jay fell into step with Monica. “The old wolf keeps to himself. He never let on that he had friends.”

“He has his reasons,” Monica said, in a low voice.

“And you don’t know those reasons.” Jay was observant, she liked that in a man.

“We met yesterday and have a more pressing issue,” Monica replied. “Anyway, we all have secrets. Don’t you?”

“I used to, and then I found my mate.” He chuckled. “Although she kept the biggest secret from me.”

“What was that?” Monica asked.

“A baby.” Jay entered the house. “I went undercover and when I finally made it back to them, I’d missed most of my son’s first year.”

“Jay, thanks for coming over so quickly,” Harlan got up to meet him and gave him a hug.

“Beats changing diapers.” Jay hugged Harlan. “I am never going to be like you, Harlan.”

“A multi-billionaire?” Ruby asked caustically.

“I hope my kids defend me as easily when they’re all grown up,” Jay said, hugging Ruby. “Kim sends her love and Archie sends a sloppy kiss.”

“Thanks.” Ruby let him go and dodged the raspberry-like kiss Jay tried to plant on her cheek. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please.” Jay sat down at the table. “Shall we?”

Monica sat down next to Wyatt, keeping some distance between herself and Jay. He was too good at reading people, and she was not ready to bare her soul, but she was going to share most of what she knew. Wyatt was right, this was not a job for anyone alone. She studied the people seated around the table. If this was her new squad, she’d better get to know them. Their strengths and weakness. As she looked at Wyatt, she understood that meeting her mate had given her a new strength, but it had also given her a new weakness, one that must never be exploited.

“Let’s start from the beginning,” Harlan directed the conversation. “Who is Jack’s father?”

Wyatt and Monica exchanged glances. They each knew Trent, but she suspected they each knew a different version of the man. “Do you want to go first?” Wyatt asked. “Since this is more pertinent to the reason we’re here.”

“I suppose.” Monica gathered her thoughts. “I met Trent on an undercover mission. We were to pretend we were husband and wife and infiltrate an occupied town. Our job was to find the location of hostages and relay that information to our commanders. They organized a strike and the prisoners were rescued and we were extracted a few weeks later.”

“Is this classified?” Jay asked.

She nodded. “Yes, I can’t give any further details. But I am certain this has no bearing on what is happening now.”

“You and Trent were extracted. Did you work together again?” Wyatt asked.

“No. I was transferred to a desk job since I’d decided to leave the Army. Trent had six months’ leave and then returned undercover. In those six months, we got to know each other as friends. Being the pretend wife of a man, and sharing the kind of pressure we had, it was a natural progression. Although we were never anything more than platonic friends.” Wyatt let out a breath, relief evident on his face. “Even while pretending to be husband and wife,” she added as if it was their business. But she needed Wyatt to know the real truth.

“Was this before Trent met his mate?” Jay asked. “I’m assuming he has a mate if he has a child.”

“Yes, they met after Trent returned from a later mission. Yolanda. A normal everyday woman. Not a shifter. They have one son, Jack.” Monica kept the details brief. “Yolanda was kidnapped three days ago. Trent contacted me the day after, he asked me to take care of Jack. He also gave me precise directions to Wyatt’s cabin and told me I could trust him.” She stared down at her hands, not wanting to share the next nugget of information. “Trent told me to keep out of it. To that extent, he did not tell me what it was.”

“Did he.” Harlan got up from the table and fetched the coffee pot, refilling everyone’s mugs. “So, you came here with Jack.”

“Yes. I figured I had a couple of choices, either do as Trent said and lay low and keep Jack safe, or perhaps leave Jack with Wyatt before tracking down Trent and helping him.” She accepted the fresh coffee from Harlan. “The first choice wasn’t really an option. I’ve faced death alongside Trent, I’m not willing to sit back and let him face this alone.”

“Agreed,” Wyatt chimed in. “I feel the same way. Trent is in trouble, he’s one of our own as far as I’m concerned and I aim to help him.”

“He must mean a lot to you if he’s coaxed you back down off that mountain,” Jay said. “Or maybe that is your mate’s fault.”

“I came down to help you and that dragon of yours, didn’t I? Does that mean we have a thing going, too?” Wyatt asked with a sly wink.

Jay laughed, despite the seriousness of the conversation. “I owe Wyatt my life,” Jay confessed to Monica.

“He never told me that.” This new knowledge set her at ease. If Jay owed Wyatt his life, then they had a bond of their own.

“It was nothing. No more than anyone else would do,” Wyatt replied modestly. He didn’t like being a hero, didn’t like having the spotlight on himself. Monica was learning a lot about these men. When she set off to find Wyatt, she was worried her training might be rusty. Thankfully it had kicked in like a well-oiled machine. She could read their body language and hear the subtle qualities in their voices which told her more than words ever would.

“So, Trent is a good guy.” Harlan sat back and crossed his ankles under the table. “We have to be sure.”

“Yes, he is.” Wyatt’s deep voice was firm, unwavering.

“I figure you two are well trained. A man might be able to fool one of you, but not both,” Jay added. “I’m convinced.”

“Right, now that we’ve established Trent is an honorable man, what do we do?” Harlan asked. “What other information do you have, Monica?”

“After his leave ended, as I said, Trent went back undercover. I didn’t know the details of any of those missions. Except one.” Monica lifted her head and looked each of the people sitting around the table in the eye. “His deployment was classified. But he trusted me. He’d met Yolanda at that point and was worried what would happen to her if he didn’t come back. For any reason.”

“You know where he went and why. In case you needed to go in after him?” Jay’s eyes narrowed, and she inclined her head subtly. “Do we need to know the details?”

She shook her head. “Not the details. All you need to know is he brought down a local regime led by a man named Amir Tarak. “

“Tarak was arrested?” Harlan asked.

“He was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorist activities.” Monica had gone to an internet cafe on her journey here and searched online databases to find out where Amir was being held. “He’s in a high-security prison but will be moved in two days’ time.”

“And that’s why you think it’s related to the kidnapping of Yolanda?” Wyatt nodded as it all clicked into place.

“Yes, Trent still has high-security clearance, he could get the information they needed and pass it on. Or they may force him to take action himself.” She rubbed her temples, trying to ward off the tension that would bring a headache in its wake. A headache she couldn’t afford, she had to think straight. Three...no four, lives hung in the balance.

“Making Trent break Tarak out would be the ultimate payback. Even if he gets Yolanda back, he will lose his freedom once it’s discovered he broke a convicted terrorist out of prison.” Wyatt stood up abruptly and paced the kitchen. “We have to stop him.”

“Right.” Jay nodded. “Our first priority is to track Trent. We need to know where he is and what he’s planning. His whereabouts will also tip us off as to his intended target.”

“I agree. My information is purely guesswork.”

“It might be guesswork, but your theory is solid.” Wyatt came back to the table and sat down. “Is there any way to find Yolanda?”

“That is going to be difficult. If we can find Trent, there’s a chance we can locate her through information he has. Phone calls, meeting places. Names of those involved. However, we try to locate her before we make contact with Trent. Between us, we have enough contacts to identify the people behind this.”

“You want to involve others?” Wyatt asked.

“No, we can’t,” Monica insisted.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” Harlan said calmly. “Even with a full team of officers working this case, the chances of it all coming together before Tarak gets moved is slim.”

“We need Liam onboard. I also want to ask Jamie if he has contacts in the Army who might help.” Jay glanced up at Monica. “Do you have anyone you trust, someone discreet who might help? Or you, Wyatt?”

“I have an old friend I could contact,” Wyatt said, “he was in the same squad as us back in the day. I think he remained in the Army and worked his way up the chain of command.”

“Are you sure it’s safe to ask direct questions? What if someone pieces it together?” Monica asked. “Wyatt’s too close. We don’t want this to lead back to Bear Creek.”

“You might be right. Let’s keep Wyatt out of this. Depending on who is involved, if Wyatt suddenly appears back on the scene and begins to ask questions, it might lead them here and our plans will be uncovered. It also puts Jack in danger.” Jay looked at his watch. “I should go, Kim is going out at lunchtime.”

“What can I do?” Ruby asked. She’d sat quietly through the whole conversation, listening, but not speaking.

“Nothing,” Harlan said, smoothing his hand over her head. “Not yet.”

“If there’s anything, let me know.” Her expression was set firm. “I want to be a part of this.”

“I thought you were planning your escape?” Jay asked as he headed for the door.

“I can put it off for a few days.” She glanced at Harlan, who sighed heavily.

“Chasing ghosts can wait, but food can’t. Let’s get lunch ready, Fiona will be here soon, and she’ll want to know everything.” He got up and busied himself in the kitchen.

“Shall we go and check on the boys?” Ruby asked Monica as they all went their separate ways.

“Yes.” With all the talk around the table, she’d forgotten about the little boy in the next room. How easily she’d slipped into being his sole caretaker, and just as easily slipped out of it when there was a job to do. “Where are you going to chase your ghosts?”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Not ghosts, dragons.”

“Not the answer I was expecting,” Monica admitted.

“A couple of months ago we found out there’s a possibility more dragons might be alive. There is a spell called ancient slumber. The name gives it away.” She smiled wryly. “I want to start exploring the mountains to see if I can find any other dragons.”

“And that was also not the answer I was expecting.” Monica and Ruby entered the living room where the two boys were playing with toy cars.

“It’s kind of a secret, but since you’ve trusted us, I trust you.” Ruby sat down next to Harlan Jr. and began to make car noises. “If there’s any way out of this for Trent, we will find it.”

“Is Daddy coming home?” Jack asked.

“We’re going to do our best,” Monica answered.

“Mommy, too?” Jack’s eyes filled with tears.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make that happen.” Monica wished she could make a promise to the little boy, but she couldn’t. There were too many variables. But she was confident they had a good chance. She was confident she had put her trust in the right people.

Monica only hoped her trust in Trent was not misplaced.