Theo
“You were right— this is way too good to be true. Something bad is gonna happen.” Grumbling in Illya’s ear, I tapped my feet on either side of the outdoor lounge chair and glanced around the back yard. “I have a feeling you’re spot-on, Illya. This is the calm before the storm. Just when everything’s going perfect, it’s gonna fuck up.”
“I realize that. I’m just gonna enjoy this for now, though.” I grunted as I scanned the backyard, full of people I didn’t know and didn’t care to know, and Illya sighed as she hunched a little. “I didn’t expect things to go well at all, let alone . . . ”
“You expected them to hate you for their mom committing suicide?” Nodding slowly, she leaned back into my chest, and I rubbed her hip as my gaze flickered around and around. “I guess it’s not unexpected, all things considered. Do you want to leave?”
“Not really. Jack’s got a crush on you. It’s kinda cute.” Frowning at Illya’s cheeky smirk, I sat back in the chair and propped my arm under my head. Jack hadn’t seen a lot of action, that much was clear, but I didn’t think he’d be so starstruck. “What?”
“I guess that just goes to show you why being a Marine is better than the Army. Dude’s a baby. He’s only two years in. That’s a lifetime.” I could remember my first deployment like it was yesterday— a lot of fucking sand, a lot of downtimes, and a lot of training. Now that we weren’t actively warring with the bad guys, kids in the military had it easy. Firefights were simple things, after all, and being in one didn’t make Jack a badass. “He’s a good kid, though.”
“I bet he’s gonna come over and ask you to show him some moves.” Rolling my eyes at that, I only shook my head, and Illya giggled a little as she twisted to face me. She looked good— fresh and glowy andhappy, that happy of a person experiencing something unexpected. “Would you show him something if he asked?”
“I’d have permission to beat the fuck out of him, why would I turn that down?” She laughed again, and I savored the sound as it twinkled against my eardrums. Licking my teeth, I glanced over at Jack to find him mustering up the courage to approach me, and I hoisted myself up with a grunt.
Truth be told, I just wanted Illya to experience all the greatness that she could while she was here. Jack sized me up, and I could practically smell the tension thrumming through him under his uniform. Not gonna lie— seeing that hurt. I hadn’t put on my dress in ages, and I wasn’t even sure where they were at this point.
“Wanna get punched?” Jack obviously didn’t expect my straightforward question, and I couldn’t help but smirk when his brows rose in surprise. His face flushed, and he handed his beer to his friend as I rocked back on my heels.
“How long were you in for?”
“I’d still be in if I didn’t get my fingers blown off.” Holding up my hand, which I knew he’d noticed a long time ago. I shrugged lightly, and Jack shuffled in discomfort. “It’ll happen to you eventually, though maybe not physically. The ones with missing limbs are the lucky ones.”
“I’ve heard. Once I do my four years, I’m just going into college.” Nodding absently, I scanned this kid from top to bottom, and he straightened a little and clicked his heels. “You look like you’d do well in a fight.”
“Are you gonna try to find out?” I took a moment to think about that before shaking my head. My hand-to-hand combat skills were shit now. Jack looked a little disappointed, and I exhaled a big breath as I watched him deflate noticeably. “So, why’d you come over here?”
“To make Illya feel good.” Glancing over my shoulder, I reached to rub my head and neck as Jack smiled faintly out of my peripheral. I really didn’t have anything to say to him, but I knew Illya would appreciate the effort. She seemed different in this atmosphere.
But it wasn’t going to last. She came here for closure before her life took an irreversible sharp left. That was all.
“I consider myself lucky to get dropped like that.” Grinning at that, I turned my attention back to Jack, and he tinged red up to his ears. “I’m glad we’re not on different teams.”
“You should be.” The ominous threat in my tone made me chuckle, and I shook my head a little at how fundamentally Jack understood the differences in our abilities. “I’d kill you before you even realized you were gonna die.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” The conversation stalled, and I didn’t try to revive it before heading back to Illya. The sun shone brightly off her hair and illuminated her whole face, and I sat back down behind her.I should probably savor the atmosphere, too.
It didn’t escape me that everything was going a little too well lately. Just like Illya, I’d been feeling apprehensive about her starting work, but like fuck I was gonna say that to her.
Today had been such shit. I woke up to an argument, got dragged up the coast, and now I was at a party full of people I didn’t know. If that wasn’t bad enough, I felt like this whole trip was a waste in some ways. I was honestly hoping that Carlyle would call me back, so I had an excuse to go home.
Just as the disgruntled thought slithered through my mind, my phone began to vibrate, and I fished the thing out of my pocket.Speak of the devil.
“What?” Leaning back, I held the speaker to my ear, and Carlyle’s frown radiated against my cheek before he’d even said anything.
“Get back. I need Illya.” Reaching to tap on her shoulder, I pointed shamelessly at her uncle, and Illya frowned under tightly knit brows. “And don’t take forever. Something just came in, she’ll be up all night.”
“Yeah.” Hanging up before I muttered the confirmation, Carlyle left the line dead, and my cheek twitched in irritation as I stood up again. Illya followed suit, and I’d guess she heard that last part as she sauntered off toward her uncle. Rubbing my face in agitation, I heaved a massive sigh. “The calm before the storm.”
We’d been here about an hour— an hour too long, in my opinion— and I hoped Illya got the answers or enlightenment she was searching for. I sure as she wasn’t going to jump through hoops to come back, and I watched her hug her uncle with a smile cresting her cheeks.
“What did Carlyle want?” Only posing her question once we were out in the street, Illya cast me a questioning glance as I pulled my keys out of my pocket. “Do you want me to drive?”
“You don’t have a license yet.” Even as I grumbled, an ache shot up my right arm, and I tossed her my keys. She caught them easily, nodding curtly, and I rounded the back of the car before speaking up again. “Don’t get us pulled over. I don’t know what Carlyle wants, but it involves you, so it must be something involving whatever internal drama he mentioned at the club.”
“That seemed like a long time ago.” A strange sensation filled me as I climbed into the passenger seat of my own car, and Illya stuck the keys into the ignition before adjusting the seat. “When I was a teenager, me and my friends used to go on joyrides and stuff. It’s fine. I won’t get caught.”
“Don’t kill me, okay, that’s all I’m asking.” I sunk in the seat a little as she adjusted the mirror, and the car roared to life.
And I saw my fucking shit-life flash before my eyes when she grinned at me from over the center console.
