Page 13 of Leave It On The Field (Grand Slam 3)
He backhands my arm. “You’re worried about Sophie’s security when you have three former special forces operators at your disposal. And Sophie knows them, so she won’t feel weird about them following her around.”
“Son of a bitch. That didn’t even cross my mind. Do you think they would help out?”
“You’re treating them to World Series tickets.” Joe starts to sweep the suite to make sure no one’s hiding in the closets. It’s happened twice before. “I’m sure they would like to pay you back in some way.”
“No, I don’t want them to pay me back. They’re our friends now and they’re really cool. It’s been so long since I’ve felt like I could chill with a group of people without them wanting something from me. They don’t have to pay me back for anything.”
“I understand that,” Joe says, starting the second round of his sweep to make sure the doors and windows are locked. “But I worked with a lot of special forces guys when I was in the Marines. Believe me, these guys would have done that job into their nineties if their bodies would have held up. I’m guessing having a chance to use those skills again would be a treat for them.”
“I think Butch and Mason are still active in some way.” I plop down on one of the couches in the sitting area. “They’re both retired from the Navy, but they have something going on with Raine and Mason’s wife, Millie. They’re really vague about it. I think Alex knows what they do, but he blows me off when I ask.”
Joe looks around like someone else is in the room and then whispers, “I think Raine is CIA. We’re probably better off not knowing exactly what they do. And it doesn’t matter for our purposes over the next few weeks. If these guys are around, we need to use them. And if they’re your friends now, they won’t want anything to happen to Sophie. It’s the perfect solution.”
I consider it for a second, and then nod. “I think it is. I wouldn’t worry if Sophie had one of those guys next to her when I’m not around. Let’s talk to them.”
“Call Sophie and see what she thinks. I’ll bring them up here for a meeting.” Joe smiles for the first time in days. “And remember to lock the balcony door every time you use it. We’re only on the seventh floor. People can and will try to scale the building to get to you. You remember that guy in Houston who climbed thirteen floors to get Cole’s autograph?”
“People are crazy, man. I wouldn’t walk across the room to get Cole’s autograph.” I open the terrace doors and gesture to the police who are still circling the hotel. “I doubt anyone’s going to get past that.”
“They can and they will. Lock the door every time.” He points at my phone as he leaves. “Call Sophie.”
I wait for him to leave, then call her. She answers on the first ring. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I say, laughing. “I’m guessing by the tone of your voice that my parents got in.”
“They got here about an hour ago,” she says, making her voice more cheerful. “We’re sitting by the pool having a glass of wine. Say hi to your son.”
“Hi, honey!” Mom yells. Dad grumbles something in the background.
“Did Mom give you the disappointed face when you poured yourself a glass of wine?”
“Yup.”
“Well it’s better to let her know immediately that you’re not pregnant. At least she won’t drop hints the entire trip like she did last time. I’m sure that’s the first thing she’ll talk to your mom about when your parents get in—if she hasn’t already texted her.”
“Yup.”
“Soph, go inside so you can say more than one word to me at a time.”
“I’ll be back in a second. Jack, I’ll bring out the rest of the Limburger,” she says. I hear the patio doors close. “Okay, I’m inside.”
“I’m sorry you have to deal with our families alone. I’m beginning to think being at the hotel might be better than being there.”
“It’s fine,” she says. “You know I love your parents. It’s just going to be a lot with everyone here at one time. How’s the hotel?”
“Crazy. It’s a shit show, but I’m in my room now. It’s quiet. I just want you to be here with me.”
“I want to be there too,” she coos. “I already miss you.”
I stretch out on the couch and look at the ceiling. It’s painted a metallic gold color. I feel like I’m staring at the sun. “I miss you too. I can’t wait to see you tonight. And you might want to pack an overnight bag.”
“What? I thought I couldn’t stay there.”
“Joe had a good idea. He thought Butch, Mason, and Nash could be your security during the series. And if that’s the case, you’ll need to stay here, so they can keep an eye on you.”
“Oh, babe, I want to stay down there, but we don’t want to ask our friends to work while they’re here.”
“It wouldn’t really be work. I mean their kind of work anyway. This would be easy for them. I know they’ll want to help us out. Joe’s bringing them up to my room to talk about it. In fact, I hear them in the hallway right now. Will you start packing, just in case? I’ll call you after they leave.”
“Okay,” she says, hesitating, “but don’t make them feel like they have to do this. I’ll be fine.”
“I promise I won’t. I’ll call you back in a few.”
