Why was that so damn difficult?
As he sat there on the jet, he knew now, he had another job to do there. The Blackhawks had some underwater gear to dredge a lake shipped ahead of him.
Apparently, but not the least bit surprisingly, Callen and Chris had a little problem on their hands when it came to the water on the estate.
BONES.
When Tony had been there, right before he headed out, they found an arm bone in the pond, and they needed the rest of the victim found.
That was his area since one of his specialties was deep water retrieval.
He could dive with the best of them, and he was going to earn his keep. The Blackhawks had sent him on a private jet, hidden so Riley wouldn’t know where he was, so he wanted to work that off.
No, they wouldn’t expect that, but for him, it mattered to be part of the family and give something back.
How could he repay their love?
They were putting him up in a castle, the family castle, and he could hide there for as long as he needed. That was a priceless gift, and he knew it.
Oh, and he was going to take them up on that.
The last place he wanted to be was coming face-to-face with an ex.
Yeah, with his heart this dinged up, he’d never survive that. Honestly, he was one step from getting some therapy, so he stopped thinking this was all his fault.
Michael might be a Marine, but he had a tender, gentle soul, and he’d been kicked around plenty in his life.
All he wanted was peace, and to silence those demons that were back again.
They were the ones who constantly told him that he wasn’t worthy.
Because he wasn’t.
Love had taught him that.
Some people found their persons, but he never would. Not in this lifetime. For now, he needed to stop trying, and maybe he’d get back to being calm.
As he heard his phone ringing, he pulled it from his pocket, and saw her face.
That cheered him up. Here was the one person who would always protect him, and for that, he was grateful. At least he had her on his side.
Answering the call, he smiled warmly at the woman, grateful to see her.
“Hey, Mom! Are you guys on your way home?” he asked, greeting Elizabeth.
She actually laughed.
And laughed.
And laughed.
Oh, well, that was a whole other situation that she was dealing with now.
“A funny thing happened as we had packed up and were loading up,” she admitted.
He lifted an eyebrow.
“Ethan wants to stay, and we’re not going back.”
