Page 18 of Rescuing Rebecca
Always and forever.
Jay
He tossed the pen aside and breathed deep, filling his lungs. The slow exhale that followed released him, and he folded the letter into thirds, stuffed it into the envelope he had handy, and sealed it with a lick of his tongue.
Gross. He scrunched his nose as the taste of glue invaded—but nothing a bowl of Captain Crunch couldn’t fix. Envelope in hand to give to Adam, he pushed to his feet. With some effort, the dog did the same, and tail wagging, Jeff led the way to the exit before pausing on the threshold to look back.
Jay did too.
He’d spent the last five months in this room. Most of it sitting behind his bank of computer screens, looking for Becca while trying to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. He’d questioned every discovery, analyzed every clue, challenged every premise, considered every motive.
Had he done the right things? Made the right choices?
For all their sakes, he fucking hoped so. Because Takoda Keenan was still out there, and friend or foe, the JTT’s sniper needed to be found and brought home. ASAP.
“You okay, Jay?”
He turned at the sound of Summer’s voice. A petite woman with blue eyes, blond curly hair, and a baby in her arms, she projected the epitome of sweetness. She also happened to be the perfect example of “don’t judge a book by its cover.”
A crack shot with a pistol in her hand, she could shoot the nuts off a squirrel at a hundred yards. Hell, thanks to the cult she’d escaped from before she’d turned sixteen, she could out-shoot him any day of the week, and twice on Sundays.
Had she ever pointed a gun at a human target? Doubtful. Could she pull the trigger if she had to? To save her little girl, or Jamie, or anyone she considered to be her family, Jay didn’t think she’d hesitate.
She was a fighter through and through, and he respected the hell out of her for it.
“Yeah, I’m good.” He shoved his letter into the pocket of his sweatpants and reached for the tiny bundle of joy in her arms. “Just need some cuddle time with our Little Miss JTT.” Adam had given the baby the nickname before she’d even come to them, and it had stuck.
Born under the most tragic of circumstances, they considered Halia a miracle. A bright spot in an otherwise dark chapter of their lives. Yeah, she’d charmed the hell out of her sappy as fuck uncles, and within minutes she’d had them all wrapped around her finger.
Summer handed her over without a worry, and the trust she bestowed on Jay twisted his insides. He’d never have a baby of his own. Never know the unconditional love and unbreakable bond between parent and child.
He’d come to accept it over the years, but now with Halia here, the loss felt more acute. God, she was beautiful. A fragile, perfect, awe-inspiring little thing. He smoothed his palm over the wisp of hair that always stood up from the crown of her head.
He could watch her sleep for hours, count the rise and fall of her chest with every breath she took and never be bored. Innocent. Untainted. Full of potential. She was the future. The reason the JTT needed to stop the Imperium Council from weaponizing Dominion.
Halia and the billions of other children around the world.
He lifted her to his lips and pressed a feather-light kiss to her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered and her lips puckered, but she didn’t wake when Summer snorted. “Our spoiled little lady here is going to miss having her uncles vying for her attention over the next few days.” She tweaked the baby’s foot encased in the soft pink sleeper.
Jay grinned and fell into step beside her as they followed Jeff down the hallway. “We’ll pick up some new stuffies while we’re gone.”
“Don’t you dare!” Summer shook her head, and her pink-tipped curls bounced. “Her room’s already a zoo. There’s no space left for any more stuffed animals.”
“Then we’ll grab some books.”
“We still haven’t read all of the books she has.”
“What about a couple of new sleepers?”
“Are you nuts? I can’t fit what she already owns into her dresser. All she needs is for her dad and crazy uncles to rescue Rebecca and come home in one piece. Nothing else matters, Jay.”
His steps faltered, and he came to a stop. “Are you worried about Jamie?” Sure, when it came to his injured knee, he’d come a long way in a short amount of time, but would he ever be one hundred percent recovered? No.
Did it matter? No.
Leg in a brace or not, he was a deadly assaulter. And if the worst happened and they needed a medic, there wasn’t anyone better in the field than Jamie.
“I’m worried about all of you, and if anything happens—” Her voice wobbled, and she bit her lip.
