Donovan walked out to Steele’s SUV with them. Steele turned back to Donovan, his expression serious.
“Give Sam a heads-up on the weather, okay? It’s supposed to get bad. Don’t know if he’s had an eye to the forecast or not.”
Donovan frowned. “Will do. Y’all be careful too.”
Maren rolled her eyes. “Oh, we’ll be spending the night in the basement, no doubt. After the baby was born, Steele set up a bedroom down there, and if there’s so much as a chance of severe storms, that’s where we sleep.”
Steele grunted. “Can’t be too careful. Not much of a duck-and-run kind of guy.”
“Got a point,” Donovan said. “See y’all in the morning.”
Donovan watched as they drove away and then glanced across the way to where his brothers’ homes were. They were all separated by several acres and Nathan’s was even farther away, nestled on a bluff overlooking the lake. Things were quiet. No current mission. They weren’t even training today.
The new team had trained extensively over the last several months and Sam had given them all time off, a precursor to setting them loose on their own.
Skylar and Edge had moved closer to the compound while Swanny still lived with Joe in Sam’s old cabin a short distance away. Skylar and Edge spent a lot of time at Joe and Swanny’s place. It was good for them to bond. Build camaraderie and form the foundation of a solid team.
Complete immersion. They’d spent every day together for the last few months, but now it was time to give them a break before parceling out missions to the new team and trusting them to get it done.
It was hard for Donovan. He’d admit that. He had complete faith in all the teams, but it didn’t mean he didn’t worry. Nathan and Joe were his youngest brothers. They’d always be his younger brothers, which meant his instinct was to protect them whether they needed it or not.
And the truth was that Nathan, Joe and Swanny had all been through hell. Nathan and Swanny more so, but Joe hadn’t had an easy time of it either. Donovan worried from time to time that they weren’t ready.
But he and Sam and Garrett had agreed. They were solid. It was time.
So the next mission would be drawn by Nathan and Joe, with Steele’s team acting as backup. Now that Steele was getting back into action, things would get back to normal and Donovan would step back and not take as active a part in the missions.
Not that he’d ever just stand back and keep out of action. Sam and Garrett had taken more of a managerial position over the last year. They coordinated, did the planning, called in the teams as needed, but they’d stepped back.
They both had wives—and now both were expecting new additions to the family. Their loyalty belonged first to their wives and then KGI. Of all the Kelly brothers, Donovan and Joe were the most involved, although Nathan had stepped up as the new team came together.
Things were going . . . well. He winced, not wanting to jinx them all, but things were definitely quiet on the home front. Everyone was . . . happy. They’d survived setback after setback and had come out the stronger for it.
Even the team leaders were settling down. Donovan had honestly never thought he’d see the day that Rio and Steele would positively ooze domesticity. And yet both men were married, had daughters and were no longer eating, sleeping and drinking all things KGI.
They had all turned their eyes toward him, swearing that he was next. And it wasn’t that he didn’t want that. Of all his brothers, he’d probably been the least resistant to marriage and family. He just hadn’t met the right woman yet.
When he married, he knew that his wife and children would get a hundred and ten percent of his loyalty. And he hadn’t yet met a woman who made him reorder his priorities.
He studied his cell phone a moment and then shoved it back into his pocket, deciding to head over to Sam’s to give him the heads-up on the weather and Steele’s return.
CHAPTER 10
EVE was waiting anxiously just inside the doorway when Travis walked up to the trailer. As soon as he walked in, his gaze caught Eve’s and worry instantly flooded his eyes.
“What’s wrong, Evie?”
She put a hand to his arm in an attempt to reassure him, but she couldn’t very well do that when she knew they had to run. Again.
“We need to leave,” she said in a low voice.
Alarm blazed across his face. “What happened? Did he find us?”
She shook her head. “No. At least I don’t think so. It’s just that . . .” She blew out her breath and then glanced in Cammie’s direction. “We need to go. We’ve gained the notice of too many people here. Donovan was here today and he plans to bring a doctor over to see Cammie tomorrow. I don’t want to risk it.”
Regret dulled Travis’s eyes. “I liked it here. I had hoped . . .”
“I know,” she whispered. “I’d hoped too. It will be better the next place, Trav.”
It was what she’d said every time they’d picked up and fled, and they both knew it was a lie. It would never be better until Walt was no longer a threat.
Travis pulled out several folded bills and handed them over to Eve. “I hope this will help some.”
Eve took the money and then hugged Travis, pulling his lanky frame into her arms. “Thank you, Trav. You are an amazing guy. Donovan brought groceries when he came today. We’ll pack everything we can carry with us. We can’t afford to just leave it behind.”