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“Yeah, I know. I have you programmed in my phone,” she replied with a light laugh.
I already knew that, but it seemed the woman had the ability to throw me a bit off kilter from time to time. “Right. Yes. I forgot.”
“Is everything okay? Because Rhys and I are kind of in the middle of something right now.”
“You’re in the middle of something?” I asked.
“Yes. But I can’t tell you about it, because it’s a surprise.”
I could only imagine what she was up to with him. It was probably better if I waited until I was there to get the surprise. I needed to be focused on my job, and if sheshared, not only would it delay me getting to where I needed to be, but it was also likely to make me emotional. I didn’t need that kind of distraction right now.
“Okay. Well, I won’t keep you then, but I was curious if you’d be able to hang a bit longer today. I just got word that there’s a case some of the guys are working on, and they could use an extra set of hands. There’s a baby that’s been kidnapped, so I was kind of hoping you’d be?—”
“Oh my God, Banks. You don’t need to ask me that. Just go. Do what you have to do to rescue that baby,” she ordered.
Despite the horror Lamise very clearly felt, I couldn’t stop my lips from twitching. She was such a good woman. So good, she wouldn’t even let me finish explaining what I needed. She just knew, and she didn’t hesitate.
Needing to ignore that along with about a half dozen other things I couldn’t bring myself to process when it came to Lamise, I pushed it to the back of my mind and said, “Thanks, Lamise. I really appreciate you being flexible.”
“Don’t mention it. Rhys and I will be fine.”
“Okay. I’m not sure how long I’ll be, but it’s possible it’ll be after dinner. Feel free to help yourself to anything that’s there,” I offered.
“I’m a big girl, Banks. I’ll be alright. You be safe.”
“Always. I’ll see you when I get back then. Hopefully, it’s not too late,” I said, wanting her to know that I didn’t want to take advantage of her.
“And if it is, it’s okay. I promise. Now, go do what you’ve got to do, and don’t worry about us.”
It seemed all of my attempts to reassure her were completely unnecessary, so I decided to let it go. Instead, I saidgoodbye and made my way to Blaze’s office. By the time I walked in, there was just enough time for Paxton and Damon to bring me up to speed on everything before Blaze announced he’d nailed down the location of where we’d find the baby.
The three of us didn’t hesitate and were out the door in seconds. Though I hated there was a baby in danger, I had to be honest. It felt good to be back to working in the capacity that I had been before Violet’s death. I’d come back to work quite a few weeks ago, but since I started back, I hadn’t had anything this intense to deal with. I liked knowing that I could be back to doing my job without having to worry about Rhys, either.
Obviously, I would always worry about him the way any parent would worry about their child, but this was different. I knew Lamise was with him, and she’d never let anything happen to him.
Rhys and I were both lucky to have her around. She really had been such a blessing in our lives.
Hours after I’d had that phone call with Lamise to make sure she was okay with staying late, I was finally back in Damon’s truck as we returned to Harper Security. Pax had left in his own vehicle to head home.
Tonight had been a success, and the little boy had been returned safely to his parents.
“How’d it feel?” Damon asked.
“Pardon?”
“This has really been the first big rescue you’ve been on since you’ve been back to work,” he started. “I was just curious if you’re feeling alright.”
Nodding, even though Damon’s focus was on the road ahead of him, I confirmed, “I’m good. It’s been good to be back, and tonight being a success helps, too.”
“That’s good, man. I’m glad for you. It kind of sucks, though.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. “What does?”
“Well, I assume Lamise is still at your place with Rhys, isn’t she?”
“Yeah. Why does that suck?”
He let out a laugh. “I’m not saying it sucks for you. It’s great that you’ve found someone you trust to be with him. I’m just saying it sucks for her. It’s Valentine’s Day, so if she had any plans, she probably had to cancel them.”
