“First thing is to get everyone paired up,” Roman added, “and hand out whatever info we’ve got to you. Once that’s done I’ll talk to everyone else. All right, people, let’s get to it. Ladies, we’ll see you at the big tent where I’ll introduce you to your partners.”
“I think I’ve lost my appetite.” Beck gathered her trash into one pile. “Leslie hasn’t had the exposure to bad guys we have. I hate to think what will happen if she runs into them.”
Melody piled her own leavings together and stood up. “Agreed. Ladies? Let’s hightail it to the tent and get this thing moving. We may be getting a baptism by fire here.”
“I’m for that,” Victoria agreed. “I don’t want to see anyone harmed but I’m ready for action.”
They dumped their trash into one of the big barrels set out for just that and headed to the big tent where all the meetings and instructions were held. Victoria grabbed Beck’s hand and gave it a squeeze as they walked.
“We’ll get her,” she told Beck in a firm voice. “These guys know what they’re doing. I could see that the first time we met.”
“Yes,” she agreed, “but Leslie doesn’t, and she can easily stumble into danger.”
“Let’s hear what they have to say and go from there. Maybe she’s just out riding the wind.”
By the time they reached the tent, everyone else had gathered there, and Hank was relating the situation. Quietly, Roman moved to stand next to Beck, as if reassuring her with his presence. She was stunned when he slipped her hand into his and gave it a light squeeze. Electricity zagged up and down her arm, and her nipples unexpectedly hardened.
“We’ll get it done,” he told Beck in a low voice. “We’ll find her. I promise you.”
And she believed him. The two of them had made some kind of connection, and she knew he’d be as good as his word.
A tiny shiver raced down her spine as scenes of other things he was good at flashed through her mind, and she deliberately shut them down. Right now, their focus was on Leslie. But had Fate thrown them together and given them another chance after all this time? And did she have the courage to take it?