Page 10 of Bernadette
“I’m sure you can look up their files, but here it goes, you ready?”
“I am.” Bernie wrote furiously as Morgan read off the names, and Bernie didn’t have to look up their files, she knew each and every one woman named. “Holy shit, how the hell did you get that crew to collaborate with you?”
“Is that a good thing, or a bad?” Bernie heard the trepidation in Morgan’s voice and quickly reassured her.
“Good! Excellent even. To be honest, the only person I would have to look up would be you. I don’t recall you being an EWM.”
“Oh, well, I got out over five years ago, and went to work for uncle Chip. I know you probably don’t know her, but Angel Carson, she works for Hank Patterson, was a former Army Ranger, and she was the one to help me recruit these women. I know I shouldn’t have, but I picked women who didn’t have any families that would be calling and begging them to come home all the time. Or asking about their job.”
“I understand. What exactly would I be doing?”
“The same thing you do now. Coordinate all of us in the right direction to take these assholes down. We’ve been able to narrow it down to at least two suspects, but we know it’s bigger than they are. We need someone that can work with the seven of us ladies, and tell us what direction to go in. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been doing an okay job, especially if you read all the information we’ve been able to get under my leadership, but I know when I’m in over my head. I need help.”
“Thank you for your honesty, Stuart.”
“Please, call me Morgan, or Morg. If you’re going to come work for me, and we’re all out of the service, we don’t need to go by our last names any longer.”
“I agree. I have a couple of questions, then I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Shoot.”
“When would you like me to start? If I take the job?”
“As soon as you can get here. I have to tell you, you’ll be doing a lot of reading your first week here. Before June arrived, there was a stack of papers about sixteen inches thick. Since she was able to get her hands on more information, it is now three stacks of about two feet each. It’s a lot to go through.”
“Okay. Second question. Where would I be able to stay?”
“Here at the compound. Depending on when you arrive, we can do some moving of people around, but once they’re gone, you can have a bedroom of your own. It has its own bath attached to it.”
Bernie looked around her sad, yet extremely small, studio apartment and nodded. “Okay, and again, if I decide to take the job, do you have an address I can report to.”
“I do, do you know when you might be here?”
“I’ll be honest here, Stuart, sorry, Morgan, I’m leaning heavily on coming to work for you. Yes, it’s desk work, but it sounds more interesting than what Patterson offered.” She nodded once, then said firmly. “The hell with it. Count me in. I can leave as soon as I get my discharge papers, which I was promised would be around noon this Friday. I figure I can be there by Saturday.”
“Okay, then come to this address.” Morgan gave it to her, and then giggled. “Don’t be shocked by the crowd. I’m getting married that day, and one more person won’t be an inconvenience. I’ll let our security team know to expect you. Oh, the wedding is at eleven, the reception starts at two. Expect at least seven to eight hundred people for the reception.”
“Holy shit, and the wedding?”
“About fifty.” Morgan laughed. “I’m marrying a man by the name of Wyatt Erwin. His family is known for their famous BBQs and everyone within a hundred or so miles always attend. He doesn’t have one every year, but when he does, it’s huge. We decided to include it as the reception. The last big one was three years ago. We did have one this past Spring when DJ graduated from high school, but it wasn’t as grand as the others have been in the past. Remind me to tell you what happened at that one.” She laughed and because of the way she had worded it, and the sound of her voice, Bernie actually made a note of asking on her pad of paper.
“Okay, not that I’m into girly things, but I’m in a knee brace from calf to thigh, so leggings and a nice shirt will be good enough?”
“Absolutely. Wear what makes you comfortable. I look forward to seeing you this weekend.”
“Thanks, Morgan, I too look forward to seeing you, and the other ladies.” Bernie hung up the phone and flopped back on the couch with a gigantic sigh. “Holy shit,” she said into the quiet after several minutes of silence. Something about the way Morgan Stuart talked had her juices flowing. It had been a long time since she’d felt this way. Even before she had been hurt on her last mission. Maybe working with Boswell Group was what she needed in order to feel alive again. Making a quick decision, she called Hank Patterson back and regretfully declined his offer of a job, explain that she had decided to work for Boswell Group. Though she could hear the disappointment in his voice, she genuinely believed him when he wished her luck, and stated that Boswell was probably a better fit for her than BP would be.
CHAPTER5
In his excitement,Lucas Erwin didn’t get the door to the office open all the way before it came back and hit him in the forehead, causing him to swear up a blue streak. He finally got the door open and saw the women inside looking at him with amusement on their faces.
“Was there something you needed, Lucas?” Morgan asked and leaned back in her chair as she smirked at the younger man.
“Yes, sorry about that, but I need Janice.”
“For?” Janice asked with a frown.
“They’re thirty minutes out,” he said and sighed at her look of confusion. “The Brotherhood Protection Agency. Remember, I called Hank Patterson? He just sent me a text to say he was thirty minutes away." He looked at his watch then looked up in panic. Make that ten minutes now. I have to finish was I was doing before I could come over here to let you know.”
