“Well, now that you mention it.” Becky stopped him in his tracks, then glanced at Katrina with a wink. “I sure could eat some chicken nuggets.”
Sid’s eyes dropped to her stomach, then back to her face. “Cravings already?”
“Bad.” Becky laughed. “Do you happen to have some chocolate frosting?”
Sid thought for a minute, then nodded. “Give me thirty minutes.” He headed for the door. “Make a list of your crazy cravings, and I’ll make sure I got the stuff here.”
“You might regret that,” Becky called out after him.
“I definitely will,” Sid’s voice faded as he headed toward the kitchen. “But I will still whip up whatever disgusting thing you come up with. I may bitch about it, but just ignore me.”
“We usually do,” Katrina teased earning a glare from Sid, but then he reached out an hugged her.
“I’m damn proud of you.” Sid said, then let her go heading for the door. “Don’t forget that list, Becky.”
“I didn’t expect that,” Katrina said, staring at the empty doorway after Sid walked out.
“I’m not surprised.” Becky smiled, then shook her head. “Sid is rough around the edges, and his mouth gets him in a lot of trouble.” She pulled Katrina into a hug. “Thank you for having my back, Katrina.”
“Always,” Katrina whispered, holding tears back. “You helped me during one of my darkest times. I can never repay you for that.”
Becky pulled back and smiled down at her. “You just did.” She grabbed Katrina’s hand. “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen and see what else we can get Sid to make us.”
As they passed Sloan’s desk, Becky glanced at it. The sight of his empty chair hit harder than she expected, sending a sharp wave of loneliness through her chest. She missed him. She knew where he was and why he had to be there. She wanted answers. Wanted justice. But none of that stopped her from wanting Sloan back where he belonged.
Blinking back the sudden sting in her eyes, Becky let out a quiet breath. Lord, pregnancy sure did send her emotions into a chaotic mess.
Katrina squeezed her hand, and Becky forced a small smile before they headed toward the kitchen.
CHAPTER 21
Sloan stepped out of the airport to see King leaning against a black SUV waiting for him. Making his way through the crowd, Sloan walked up and shook King’s hand.
“Sorry about cutting into your vacation,” Sloan said as King walked around to the driver’s side and both men got into the SUV.
“We were planning on cutting it short anyway.” King pulled into the airport traffic. “Amara is livid with what happened to Becky. How is she, by the way?”
“She’s doing okay considering, but she’s anxious for answers.” Sloan’s eyes stared straight ahead as they slowly made their way away from the airport.
“I hear congratulations are in order.” King glanced over at him. “Guess that was a shock.”
“Shock isn’t the word I’d use.” Sloan glanced at King who gave him a knowing grin. He was still getting used to the fact he wasgoing to be a father. He was trying to process it, but damn, it was hard getting used to the idea.
“How’s Becky doing?” King asked, stopping for an elderly couple to cross the street.
“As good as she can be.” Sloan watched the couple cross in front of the SUV. “She wants answers which is why I left her. Where is the son of a bitch?”
“Lacey and Jinx got me a location after running a trace. Those two are damn good at what they do. Only took them a few hours to find the bastard.” King pulled onto the expressway. “Duncan got me in touch with the VC here in Clearwater. They’re holding him until you get there.”
“Good.” Sloan growled, his hand itching to wrap around the man’s throat. “Who’s in charge down here? Sam Carter used to be, but heard he retired.” Sloan knew most of the leaders in each branch, but with so many of them, he couldn’t always keep track when they switched positions.
“Rafe Calder,” King replied, taking an exit.
“No kidding.” Sloan actually smiled. “I haven’t seen that son of a bitch in years. He’s a good man.”
“Yeah, these guys were on it.” King pulled down a street, then stopped at the end of the road in front of a large gate. Rolling down his window, he took off his sunglasses and looked at the camera. “King and Sloan Murphy from the Cincinnati VC.”
The gate opened immediately. King put his sunglasses back on and drove through, parking behind a row of motorcycles. As they got out, the huge door opened, and three men appeared.