Page 4 of Trapped
“Are you serious? What the hell?”
I shrugged, hiding my emotions behind my coffee cup.
“That’s the real reason I came home. I can’t get a new apartment without a job, and I can’t afford Gran’s nurse anymore.”
She squeezed my hand. “Let me know what I can do to help.”
“Is your company hiring?” My nervous laugh negated my attempt to sound unfazed.
Chapter 2
Nathan
New guy gets the coffee was the Sheppard & Sons Investigations version of hazing. As a former Navy SEAL and black ops civilian operator, I was no stranger to the hazing tradition that came with joining a brotherhood. I just hadn’t expected it at a small-town private investigation company. Given the number of military guys and gals in the company, maybe I should’ve.
“We brew Grannie’s here, right?”
“We do.” Meg Sheppard, the receptionist and Jack’s wife, answered with a smile. “But it’s tradition.”
I nodded as I pulled up Grannie’s location on my phone. “So, I buy a box? Of the same coffee we brew here?” I shook my head. A little friendly hazing was fine, but this seemed silly.You’d think they’d have me buy beer or lunch or something.
“Oh no,” AJ Janerek, a PI and Jack’s best friend, answered, “You need to get individual coffees for everyone who’s in the office today.”
“Copy that.” I counted off in my head. “So, nine, including me. Unless I missed someone?”
“Ten, and a decaf mocha,” Meg said, needing decaf because her first child was due in December. “Please?” she added with a big smile.
I smiled back. Meg was easy to like. “Of course.” I recounted in my head. “Who’d I miss?”
“Eric and Hunter will be here before you get back.” Eric and Hunter were Weatherford cops who worked part-time at SSI. Eric had received a promotion, so this was his last week. Hunter started a month before I had, but we hadn’t met yet.
“Right. All black?”
“Yeah, we can doctor them up here,” Jack said. I couldn’t help but notice his grin was identical to his father’s.
When I first interviewed with the team, I had to hold back my laugh when I realized my new bosses would be John, Jamie, and Jack Sheppard. And if that wasn’t bad enough, their youngest brother’s name was Jay. Towards the end of my second interview, I asked what was up with their names.
I remember John laughing. “Mary and I thought it’d be fun. It didn’t take us long to regret it.”
“Dude, I can’t tell you how many times my teachers called me Jamie or Jack before giving up and calling me Sheppard,” Jay added.
“I can imagine,” I’d said, even though I couldn’t. I was an only child who’d grown up in the system.
I shook off the memory. Buying ten individual coffees seemed silly, but I was a team guy, so I bucked up and said, “I’ll be back.”
“Wait, can you grab me a blueberry muffin?” Jay asked.
“Sure.” Then, despite knowing better, I asked, “Anyone else want anything?”
“I’ll text you what everyone wants,” Meg offered when the spacious lobby of SSI erupted into chaos. Everyone wanted something. According to my new co-workers, Grannie’s sourced the best pastries from a small bakery in town.I guess I’m about find out.
Grateful for the chance to escape, I mouthed my thanks before leaving.
During the short drive, I chided myself for being annoyed. As a newbie SEAL, I’d been tasked with bringing a case of beer anytime I fucked up or irritated a senior team member. I wouldn’t say it happened a lot, but I helped keep the team supplied until the next green guy joined the team.
Buying beer for the team was a rite of passage, and we always drank it together to build team unity. But buying coffee, the same coffee we brewed, that we’d all drink in our offices, didn’t serve the same purpose.
Maybe it annoyed me because I’d been working solo for so long. But being part of a team again was exactly why I’d applied to Sheppard & Sons. They came highly recommended from my former teammate, had a stellar reputation, and saw just enough action to keep my skills honed.And not feel bored.
