Chapter 6

Five years later

"Package acquired, in route to safe house," I report through my headset with my voice modifier still on. It has been five years since I have seen Christopher. Currently, I am on a recovery mission for the CIA to rescue the son of a wealthy business man in Jacksonville, Florida. Apparently, the man made enemies with a member of the mob that is located in the city so they kidnapped his 17 year old son for ransom. The man contacted the CIA to help rescue him but was forwarded to our company as a mission through them.

"Copy, route is clear. I will radio if anything changes," Grayson states through my ear piece. Huxley and Jaxon are with me in the van with our target for extra muscle if needed.

We are almost to our destination when a truck comes out of no where and cuts us off. I expertly maneuver the van so we don't hit them or run off the road.

"That's them. They have came to take me back. Please don't let them take me back there," the boy says from the back.

"You won't be going back there. I promise," I tell him as I step on the gas. The truck starts to swerve at me to make us go off the road. Looking over at Huxley, he gives me a nod. We may have masks on but his eyes say it all.

"Pit maneuver?" I ask out loud.

"Go for it. It will give us time to lose them while they try to get back on the road," he confirms.

I slowly let off the gas so the truck gets more in front of us and prepare to take them out. Just as their back tire lines up with the front one of the van, I jerk the wheel towards them and hit the back of the truck which sends them spinning out of control and into the ditch. I correct the wheel and step on the gas to get as far away from them as I can. Looking in the side mirror, I see them still spinning when I reach my first of three turns to get to the safe house.

As I pull into the safe house, agents walk out and retrieve the boy as Huxley, Jaxon, and I get into a silver sedan to go get Grayson from the off site and go to the airport to head home.

"Did you seriously pit maneuver the mob, sis?" Jaxon asks after we take the masks off.

"Sure did. The best part is that they don't know who they were up against. For all they know, it was another mob. At least the kid is safe," I tell him.

"Great thinking. Their engine apparently stalled when they went into the ditch but you were already at the safe house before they got it started," Grayson states as he gets in the back seat.

We head to the airport and get on a private jet that was loaned to us. If we used ours, it would put us in the city and the mob could come for us next. Better to be safe than sorry.

Not wanting to talk much longer, I lay down and get a nap before we get to the private air strip outside of Nashville. As I close my eyes, I see the break of daylight appear on the horizon.

Next thing I know, I am being shook awake by Huxley, who tells me that we are about to land. I sit up and put my seat belt on for landing and watch out of the window as we descent from the air.

When I walk out of the plane, my driver is waiting on us by the newest Rolls Royce that is all black with a soft blue under glow. I told my dad that I didn't want a driver but he insisted. My driver is actually our head of security, Draco.

"Welcome back boss. I trust your trip was successful?" Draco greets us as we near him.

"It was. I just want to get home and rest for a few days," I tell him with a smile. He nods and opens the door for me.

When we arrive to the house, I get out and almost run up the stairs to get to what is waiting for me behind the door. Opening the door, the smell of pancakes, bacon, and coffee reaches my nose. Heading towards the kitchen, I hear the little voice I was missing talking enthusiastically about what dream they had. I reach the door and the little voice stops.

"MOMMY!" my son, Tucker, yells out as he hops off the counter to run to me. Five years ago, I finally decided to tell Christopher about the kids and went to the mansion. Before I could get to the door, Chelsea walked out and saw me getting out of the car. With a glance at my very round belly, she holds up her hand to show a engagement ring with a smirk. Deciding that he has moved on and wasn't worth my time, I got back into my car to head home. Unfortunately, on the way home, a car hit us from the side and ran us off the road. I don't remember much between there and the hospital, but they had to do an emergency C-Section on me to save the babies. They were able to get the babies out but only Tucker survived. Lily had rushed up there when she got the call from my driver for that day and rushed up to the hospital to deliver them. She told me that with the babies positioning, my daughter saved Tucker and died on impact. I decided to name her Alana Marie Anderson and I had to bury her before I could really meet her. As a way to honor her, my family and I went and got her name tattooed on us. My tattoo is on my inner left wrist.

"Hey, my prince. Where you good for grandma?" I ask him as I pick him up.

"Yes, ma'am. We are making pancakes," he says as he points at my mother who has pancake mix and batter all over her. I look at Tucker again and realize he is just as messy.

"Making pancakes or playing with the mix?" I ask with a chuckle.

"What's the difference?" he asks with a laugh.

"Breakfast will be ready in a little bit. Go freshen up and come get some food," mom says from behind the kitchen island. Shannon walks in from the pantry and tries not to laugh at the sight before her.

"I leave you both alone for five minutes and you make the batter explode," she says with a smile. Mom just looks at her with a playful glare.

"On that note, I am going to go get a shower since you both aren't done with the batter war yet," I announce to the room as I set Tucker down. As soon as his little feet hit the floor, he runs back over to the counter and climbs up.

On the way to my room, I pass the office when I hear my name come from the cracked door. I poke my head inside and see my dad sitting behind the desk looking at some papers.

"Welcome home, baby girl. How was your business trip?" he asks as I walk to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"It was successful. We had a small issue but we were able to fix that quickly. How was everything here while I was gone?" I answer.

"Great. We took Tucker to the amusement park then had a day outside at the pool," dad replies. Whenever I go on a mission or business trip, my parents take Tucker to do things to keep him busy while I am away.

"Sounds like you all had a lot of fun. I wish I could have tagged along with you guys," I say with a smile. I am so glad that my parents take the time to do things with Tucker. I have seen situations where the grandparents only do things with their grandchildren when asked or forced.

We go over the details of the mission before I head to my room. I get a shower and then get dressed in jeans and a t-shirt before I head back downstairs. In the dinning room, my parents and brothers are sitting at the table waiting to eat. I don't see Tucker in his normal seat and wonder where that little dude went.

"Where is Tucker?" I ask as I walk to my seat.

Before anyone could answer, my leg is grabbed by a little hand as I pass one of the cabinets that decorates the room. I have to keep myself from acting on instinct as I hear a little giggle coming from inside the cabinet. I reach down and open the cabinet as the giggles turn to laughter at the account of being caught.

"There's my little man! You got me good this time," I say as I pull him out from the cramped space. My brothers have been teaching him the art of stealth and how to find good hiding spots. I told them he is to young to start that type of training but they made a good point by saying that it would help him progress faster when it is time for his hardcore training to start.

"I got you mommy. Was it good?" Tucker asks me with a big smile on his face.

"Yes it was baby. I would have never thought to look there," I tell him before I kiss his cheek and set him down. He runs over to his spot by my seat and climbs up.

The table is loaded with pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruits, and juices. The sight of all the food has my stomach growling as I sit in my seat. Fixing Tuckers plate first, we all eat breakfast as we chat about anything and everything. Tucker participates in our morning banter by telling us what he did at the amusement park.

As breakfast finishes up, Jaxon looks at me with his business expression. "So Nat, are we going to Bucks this evening?" He may be coming across as all business but I know that he mainly wants to go party.

"I may go to get some stuff done and check on things. Why?" I ask him. Bucks is the business we started about four years ago. The property that I was photographed looking at with him is actually the spot that we bought for the business. It is a country bar and grill that isn't to fancy but nice. We wanted it to be a place that anyone could come to and enjoy music, dancing, and more. Bucks has now became one of the most visited hot spots in the city in the last four years.

"Great! Do you need a ride or will we be meeting you there?" Jaxon asked while placing his hands on the table.

"I will meet you there. If I take my own car then I don't have to wait on you to party yourself out. We both know you can party until the sun is up," I answer him in a matter of fact tone. "Plus I don't want to be stuck in the back with the PDA poster people going at it."

Dad spit the coffee he had taken a sip of out when I said that and started to cough. Mom starts to hit his back as she is trying to hid her face which turned red from embarrassment. That is actually a two for one deal since dad is normally our main target to make uncomfortable. If mom happens to be there, she is bonus points.

Looking at my brothers who are silently laughing at dads reaction, I decide to remind them who is in the lead. "I still lead with 45, Hux with 36, Grayson with 28, and Jaxon with 20. You men need to catch up or you will be beat by little ole me." This just makes them laugh and what made it worse is the 'are you kidding me?' look I received from dad.

"Off with you, you lot. I like my coffee better when its not all over the table. Let me drink it in peace," dad states as he shoos us away with wave of his hand.

Tucker and I go to the game room and start playing while my brothers do who knows what. After drawing, racing hot wheels, and doing some of his learning games Tucker decides he was in need of a nap. He fell asleep in my lap as we were watching Paw Patrol so I texted Huxley to come help me move him to upstairs. The rest of the day was very laid back until I had to get ready to go to Bucks.

"Mommy, what is this?" Tucker asked as he holds up a tampon from my bag. I don't carry a purse but I do carry a small backpack to hold my stuff.

Walking over, I take it from him and put it back into the pocket he grabbed it from. "It is a boat plug for girls."

Tucker looks like he is deep in thought then just shrugs and was off on the next topic he wanted to talk about. "Can my birthday party be Iron Man themed this year?"

"You don't want it to be Paw Patrol?" I ask him like I didn't already know that he was now into Iron Man stuff. He walked into the living room one night because he couldn't sleep to find my brothers and me having a Marvel movie marathon. We just happened to be on Iron Man 2 when he came into the room and has been fascinated with him ever since.

"I did at first but I would like to change it to Iron Man now. He is so cool," Tucker says as he gets excited and starts to ramble about how awesome he things Tony Stark is while jumping around.

"Okay, okay, okay. Calm down little kangaroo. We can definitely make it an Iron Man themed party. How about you run and tell Grandma so she can start looking for the decorations," I tell him with a laugh. Tucker takes off out my door while yelling for my mom.

I finish getting ready to go and head downstairs where I see my parents looking at the iPad with Tucker, looking at Iron Man party decorations. I already know that my mom had already saved a lot of stuff since the main thing he talks about is Iron Man and also already has the design for the cake. Pulling on my boots, I let them know that I was leaving.

"I am going to check on Bucks and will be back in a few hours. Tucker, be good for Grandma and Grandpa okay?" I announce as I take my keys from the bowl beside the door.

Tucker jumps off the couch and runs over to hug me. "Be safe, mommy. I love you."

How did I get such a sweet kid. I hug him back tightly and say, "Always, my little prince. I will come check on you when I get home." I kiss the top of his head and go out the door. I go to my Ford F-150 Black Widow and hop in. This truck was a birthday present from my dad last year. The top is black and fades into red at the bottom. All of the windows are tinted to the darkest tint that is legal.

I pull out and set off to the Bucks. My phone rings halfway to my destination and I see that its my uncle Frank. Pushing the button on the steering wheel, I answer the call.

"What do you want old man?" I greet him. My uncle and me have this love hate relationship where we throw digs at each other but we in the end laugh it off. This is how we have always been and people normally think that we hate each other or are being rude to one another until they see us laughing.

"Who are you calling old, brat?" Uncle Frank responds in a rough tone.

"If the shoe fits, what are you turning this year? 100?" I ask with a smile that he isn't able to see.

"Don't make me come through this phone, young lady," he threatens.

"That's me. The YOUNG lady," I retort. The other end is silent for a second and laughter fills the cab of the truck.

"I was just calling to tell you that I have set up a meeting with a potential business deal for Gianna to tell her story. From rags to fame. With her new album coming out, this would be good for her and also for the label. Is it okay for me to have the meeting at Bucks tonight?" Uncle Frank asks.

"That's fine with me, but don't you think it will be a little loud for you to be able to make the deal?" I inquire. We have live bands always playing and it can be really loud. The bands range from musicians that are starting off to well known names.

"That's what I thought at first but Emily suggested that it would be good for the deal since its a happy and relaxed atmosphere. She will be coming with me because she wants to see you," Uncle Frank explained. Leave it to Emily to persuade her father into taking her to a bar.

"Okay, I am actually almost there now. I will let Roger know you are coming so just tell him who is meeting you so they can get in as well," I tell him. Roger is out bouncer who works the door. This man is huge and not even the toughest biker tries to mess with him. I end the call as I pull into the parking lot and park. My phone rings again and I see it is Zara. She is our dancer that leads the line dances on the weekends.

"Hey Zara," I answer the call.

"Hey Natalia. I wanted to call and let you know that I will be late tonight. I having to take Hendricks to my parents since his dad flaked again. I should be there in about an hour. Is that okay?" Zara rushes out like she is scared that I am going to fire her.

"That is perfectly fine Zara. You can't force someone to be a parent. I am sorry that Hendricks has to go through that," I assure her. As a single mother, I fully understand her situation. Zara's son, Hendricks, is around the same age as Tucker and has spent the night with us a few times for the boys to play.

"Thank you so much. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have a boss like you. The last job I had fired me the first time it happened," Zara says in relief. "Will you be okay with covering for me until I get there?"

"I certainly can. Just get here when you can and come find me when you get here. See you soon," I tell her and hang up the phone.

Walking into the building, I inform Roger of Uncle Franks meeting that will happen tonight and head to my office. I sit in my chair and not even five minutes later, my door opens up with a bang as Megan comes in.

"Well hello to you to," I state as I turn my computer on. The first thing I need to do is look at the numbers from this week since I was gone.

"Hello gorgeous. What are you doing in here?" Megan asks as she sits on the couch across from me.

"I wanted to check on everything before I have to cover for Zara until she gets here. Lance flaked again," I tell her with an exasperated sigh.

Megan's face scrunches up in anger. She knows of Zara's situation and wanted to go beat up Lance as soon as she found out. "That dead beat will get what is coming to him one day. That poor kid doesn't deserve that. So is he going to stay with Tucker?" Megan asks as she silently fumes.

"No, she's taking him to her parents which is why she will be late. She will be here in about an hour. I am going to cover for her until she gets here," I tell her as I finish getting up to date on everything. The numbers look good so there is nothing to worry about.

"Ooooohhhhhh I get to see you dance tonight. Score for me," Megan says while sending me a wink.

I laugh and point to the door, "Go. I just have to send an email to a vendor and then I will be out there."

Throwing me a kiss, she walks out and I finish the email. Locking the door, I walk out to the main floor. Some of our regulars greet me since we see each other a lot but what people don't know is that I am actually the owner. I wanted to not let anyone know that I was the owner because there are some people who think that a woman shouldn't own a business like this, just work here. That, however, changes tonight. Jaxon and I decided it was time to introduce the main owner of the establishment.

When I am almost to the DJ booth to start the first dance of the night, a hand stops me. Looking to my side, I see Emily standing there with a big smile before she pulls me into a hug.

"I was hoping that you were going to be here tonight. I am glad I convinced dad to do his business deal here," she says as she squeezes the life out of me.

"Yeah, he called me while I was on my way here. I thought it was weird since this place is loud and I didn't know of this meeting until he called me," I tell her with a exasperated look.

Emily looks a little taken aback by what I said then a evil smile stretches across her face. "This is golden. I get to see dad get in trouble."

I laugh at her remark. "Yeah but it will happen after the meeting." I go to turn around to go to the booth when I see my uncle sitting with two familiar face. My heart stops as I see the person who is sitting with my uncle because I have not seen him in five years.

My uncle was meeting with Christopher Lane, my ex-husband.