Need to know

Jim was just a little surprised that Chad actually came out - he'd half expected a fight just to see him. A quick glance and he concluded the two had been enjoying an evening alone, evident by the slightly wrinkled shirt and bare feet. Now alone with Chad on the porch, he gave the younger man a rather expressionless stare for a moment before he slowly reached out and accepted the handshake. "Hi, Chad. Yeah..." He nodded to a couple chairs at the end of the porch. "Let's sit a minute."

Inside, Rosalyn curled up in the corner of the couch, despite her strong desire to find a place where she could eavesdrop. Tears filled her eyes. This couldn't be anything good. Her dad was going to threaten Chad again. Try to scare him away. Do whatever it took to break them apart. And even though she was just starting to realize how serious Chad was about their relationship, she was still scared her dad would be able to ruin everything.

Back outside, Jim eased down in one of the chairs, and took off his hat to fiddle with the brim. "I, um... I'll just cut to the chase. He'd rather not waste time with pointless small talk. "I... owe you an apology." He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees as his gaze fell. This wasn't easy. But he was going to say what he'd repeated in his mind at least thirty times now. "I may have my reservations but... my behavior against you has been uncalled for and... I'm sorry."

He kept his eyes down. "Nobody else knows this yet, but, um... I'm... losing my eyesight. I was blinded once a long time ago from an explosion and..." His voice trailed off and he glanced over at Chad. "But that's a long story. Anyway... my eyes started failing, went to the doctor, he said there's nothing that can be done besides a risky surgery and... that's the day I blew up." His head was hanging now. "I guess somewhere deep down I was afraid I wasn't going to have enough time with my daughter before I lost sight of her forever, and...you were just a prime target." He shrugged. "I know it sounds like a line of bull, but it's the truth. It's not an excuse, but it's the reason. Once I started down that path, I just...couldn't seem to get myself off, and it just got worse and worse until I'd made such a mess out of everything, I couldn't even see a way out anymore. So... I just let it sit and fester rather than admitting I was wrong."

Sighing deeply, he straightened and leaned back in his chair, still fiddling with his hat. "But that's only the first part of why I came tonight." He didn't yet give Chad a chance to respond, preferring to move on quickly. "There's a new situation. The Agency's got a young man - Angel's nephew - and even though it's an incident away from the ranch, we all need to be on high alert for a while."

He finally turned to face Chad and look him square in the eye. "And I need to know that you're willing to protect my daughter. I'm not going to drag her home, but away from the ranch, she's out in the open and vulnerable, and if I can find her, the Agency can. Whether you stick around or take her with you..." Without warning, his voice cracked, and he looked away. Seeing the situation with Travis had struck one too many chords, providing a very stark reminder of just how important his children were to him. It took him a moment to regain control. "I just need to know she's safe with you," he concluded quietly. "I need to know you're willing to face the danger that comes along with this family without running away and leaving her unprotected."


Lane nodded numbly at Angel, leaning into her a little, just accepting her comfort. "I know," he managed quietly. "I don't doubt you and the others... I just... I can't lose my son." He swallowed hard. "After Amber left, he's...he's all I've got."

His buzzing phone made him jump and he took it out of his pocket quickly. It wasn't the Agency though. He showed the text message to Angel as he sighed.

Where are you guys? I thought Travis would be home tonight but he's not answering my texts.

"Amber." His tone was flat, but he was worried. His thumbs hovered over the screen as he tried to think of a reply. "She can't know... she'll call the police and it'll all be over." He hated to lie. He despised lying.

Sorry. His phone died. 

That much was true. The Agency had destroyed it, actually.

Extended the stay a few days. He'll call you soon.

There. That was all he could do. He sighed as he sent the reply. "She's not gonna like that," he mumbled. "Whenever he's with me, she blames me if he fails to communicate or anything. Says I'm a bad influence on him." He shrugged lamely. "Maybe I am." 


Laying low in California wasn't all that bad. There was plenty to do while not working at the gas station. And since most expenses were paid, he couldn't beat that. He'd lived a little further north once before, so it wasn't completely unfamiliar, and he did like being so close to the ocean. Just one thing was missing...

Chance sat in his car with the windows down, sitting sideways in the front seat with his feet propped up in the passenger window. To any passerby, he was just a guy chilling in his car enjoying the breeze. In reality, he was keeping an eye on the family who was having a picnic lunch on the nearby beach. He'd been tailing them for weeks now, and knew their routine probably better than they did. He knew when they got up in the morning, what time they ate lunch, and what movies they rented at night. He knew what kind of food the wife cooked at supper, and he knew just how many eyes were on the husband each day. There were few open chances for contact if he didn't want to be watched. But he knew where and when they were, and was just waiting for the word.

Digging into his pocket, he drew out his wallet and pulled out the small, worn picture that he looked at every day. Destiny smiled back at him, and he ran his thumb over the image. He'd probably stay in California if it weren't for that one thing that kept him coming back to Nevada. Reese had assured him she was fine, but he wanted to see for himself. He hated not being able to tell her where he was or what he was doing. He knew she understood he was on a case, but still. For so long he hadn't cared about anyone in his life. It had been the ultimate freedom. And now... His mind wandered back to when he'd been her bodyguard. How he'd fallen for her, he'd never know. But he had, and even through all his mistakes, that feeling in his heart hadn't left.

His vibrating phone jolted him back to the present and he quickly put the picture and wallet away before answering the call. It was Reese. "Yeah?" His eyes wandered back to the family on the beach as he listened intently. It was time. And there were complications.

...Seven o'clock that night. Everything was set. And they were free from Agency eyes for at least a good hour, if not two. It was one of the largest windows they had, and Chance was going to use as much of it as he could.

After parking along the curb in the quiet neighborhood, he walked quickly up to the house porch and rang the doorbell. Dressed casually in jeans and plain t-shirt, no one would suspect he was anyone but a friendly visitor. When the door opened though, he immediately showed his Elite badge. "Xander, my name is Chance O'Mally. I've been sent to extract you and your family. Your cover is unstable and we need your help." He glanced around Xander to see one of the kids, and he forced a gentle smile to keep the situation calm. "How about we talk inside before we raise suspicions with any neighbors?"


Seeing Nate approach, Garret straightened. Though bored, he had expected the meeting with Reese to take longer. Even more surprise came at the news that their plan was a go, and he couldn't help that it showed on his face. Really? Reese was actually going to let him help? He wondered what had changed the hard man's mind.

"Good." He folded his arms and resumed his confidence. "It'll be dark soon. I'd suggest a casual drive-by around the warehouse complex just to make sure there's no real activity, then Wyatt and I can go in." He already knew exactly what he'd do - create a distraction, lure the thug away from the girl, and give Wyatt enough time to get her out. It was a solid plan...so long as the girl really was there. But it was the only lead they had, and worth the risk. And Garret's gut told him that they were right. It made sense that the Agency operative would give them just enough to get them on his trail and toy with them - it was the Elite's timing that would throw a monkey wrench into his plans.

Garret cocked his head at Nate. "But you're the boss. So it's your call when we go in."


Levi nodded as he leaned back in his chair. "Don't worry - we'll give you time to adjust. We're not slave drivers around here." He shot a glance in his dad's direction. "At least I'm not," he teased. 

He took a moment and just studied Karla, seeing that though she was still enthusiastic, he'd probably overwhelmed her and needed to slow things down a bit. "Tell you what... let me give you the green book to go through and just browse - it'll give you an idea of our system and answers to questions customers might have about how we handle jobs. I need to finish working on a logo project. Feel free to watch, listen as we take phone calls, and if you want to start giving Nancy a little TLC, you can do that too." He grinned. "And by then, it'll be lunch time so we can all take a break. Sound good?"