"He'll be okay. He's lucky. When Xander brought him in, he had anal bleeding, his hip had been dislocated, and I think there's a hairline fracture of his arm, but without an x-ray, I can't be sure. I don't have what I need here. I'd like permission to take him back to California. I need better pain meds. He's tiny, so I've been able to use over-the-counter stuff to ease the pain, but I can do better if I have access to stuff."
"I expected this. Will he be okay for the drive?"
"Yeah, Faith will go with me. We'll get a rental and secure him on the bench in the back." Beau sighed. "It's not perfect, but if I try to take him to a hospital here there will be too many questions. I've got him stable and his pain controlled, but he'd do better at the clinic."
"Let me know what you need. I'll arrange a van for you to get back. I want you to take Becca, Lenora, and Andy with you. I'll talk to Geo and give him a choice to go or stay. I'll also send Trenton and Ben back with you. Ben can help with keeping you secure and Trenton I need on our computers. The Denver team is helping, but they have their own stuff to focus on."
"Are you sure Trenton's ready to dig into this?"
"He's been helping here, but I'll ask him. If not, I'll send Matt. Hell, maybe I'll send both of them. I'll get two vehicles to get you back. Let me work out some things and I'll get back to you, but expect to be ready to leave this afternoon." Bryon was calculating everything he needed to do in his mind.
"Thanks, Bry."
"Anytime. Thank you for all you're doing. You're the only one who could deal with these kinds of injuries. Do me a favor and speak to Andy and Geo before you go. Make sure they're okay. They claim to be, but you have a way of getting kids to open up and talk."
"I'll find them now." Beau walked out of the room.
So he didn't forget, he quickly looked up the rental company he'd gotten the cars from and made a call, ordering two large SUVs so everyone could be comfortable on the trip back. It was only around a four-hour drive. They could be back at the team house in time for a late dinner. He hated sending Becca away, but he needed her safe and away from the men who were searching for her. Taking the kids across stateliness would add a charge if they were caught, but he had faith in his team that they would do all they could to stay safe. They'd done more dangerous things than this in the past, but never with kids in tow.
"I'm not leaving." Becca walked into the office, her eyes filled with anger. "You're here, I'm staying here."
He smiled. "Bec, it's not that I don't want you with me, but I need you with the kids."
"Faith is going."
"She is."
"So why do I have to go? Beau and Parson have kids. They'll handle a few more just fine for a few days. Who's going to take care of you guys if I leave?" She walked right up to him, standing over him as he sat in his chair.
He wanted to laugh, but he saw how serious she was. He and the others could take care of themselves for a while. They wouldn't have her great cooking but they wouldn't starve or die. "We'll survive a few days on take-out or frozen food. I need you to go home where it's safe. You know as well as I do that the men you took Lenora from are watching for you. I can't focus when you're in danger. I'm asking you to go home with Beau and help Parson find out if they have friends somewhere in Michigan that want them. If not, help find a safe place for us to place them. Faith is going to be focused on Eric until he heals. The kids trust you. They're going to be scared and worried. You can help ease their minds." He reached out and tugged her onto his lap. "Please don't make an argument out of this. You know I always want you with me, but this time, it's better for all of us if you go." He cupped her face and stared into her eyes. "Please."
She huffed and dropped her forehead against his. "I hate leaving you. This is dangerous."
"It is, but we don't know how involved we're going to get. We might follow you home tomorrow. We don't know yet. Let me meet with everyone and see what the plan is, but for now, pack up and be ready to leave with Beau and Faith. Those kids trust you more than anyone else in the world right now. You need to be there for them. Between you and Faith, I know they'll be fed well and get the best care they can. I need you to call Katie and have her sit down with each child if she has time." He figured having the team psychologist involved right away would be the best way to help these kids. Besides, she'd pass on any information they might share with her to him and that would help them know who they were hunting. "Before you leave, I'll know pretty much what we're going to do." He hoped he wasn't lying. He prayed his team had enough information gathered to decide if this was worth following up on.
"You owe me." She pouted.
"Babe, I owe you so much already. It kills me that we ruined your wedding day. I promise I'm going to make it up to you. That and so much more."
"You didn't ruin our day. I did. I'm the one who rescued Lenora. I knew doing it would change everything. I'm okay with that. I only need to think about what would have happened to her to know I did the right thing."
He kissed her. "You did. And I'm proud of you. Now, what I need from you today is to prepare the kids to leave with you. Send Geo in to talk to me. I'm giving him a choice to stay if he wants, but the younger kids need to go. Order enough food to get me and the others through at least three days. Simple stuff. You know we won't be cooking much. If we're here longer, I'll get more, but I hope to be out of here in a few days."
Becca frowned. "Be safe, okay? I do really want to marry you at some point."
"I promise. You know the team. They won't let any of us take a risk if we're not sure we can handle it. All we're going to do for now is collect information and see who is involved. We haven't made any decisions to act on anything. We might just collect names and head home until we can do everything safely. I'll call you daily and keep in touch. You'll know everything we're doing. I just need to know the kids are safe with you while we take care of stuff here." He brushed the hair back from his face. "I love you so much. I couldn't do what I do without you."
She smiled. "You'd find a way, but I love you too and I'm glad I can help. I don't like leaving you, but I will because I agree the kids need to feel safe. I'll search for Lenora and Andy's past and find someone to take them. Parson can hopefully dig up information on Eric. I'm not sure he's old enough to tell us much about his family or past."
"Geo is on his own. His parents are homeless and addicts. He has no desire to be with them. I promised to help him find a place to live, but whether that's here or somewhere else will be up to him. He's been through a lot. More than I think he'll ever admit. He's able to choose his future." Bryon sighed. "When I get back, we'll plan another wedding."
"I'm not worried. I know it will happen when the time is right. Go save the kids. It's what you were born to do." She kissed him and stood. "I'll go prepare the kids to leave. Let me know what Geo decides."
"I will. If you see him, send him in here." He slapped her bottom and grinned. "Love you."
"Love you too." She smirked as she walked out of the room.
Turning back to his laptop, Bryon focused on the day's agenda, but turned as he heard someone else walking in. He smiled seeing Archer and Carter. "Morning."
