“Dude, what in the world?” he laughed.
“I’m here interviewing to become part of you legal team,” he smiled. “I’ve been a criminal prosecutor in Detroit for the last few years. I wrote to Maeve and Chase and they said there might be something here. It was just luck that I caught it all during River’s wedding. He looks happy.”
“He’s blissfully happy,” smiled Quinn.
“What about you? Are you married?”
“Me? Hell, no. You?”
“Not yet, but I’m hoping,” he smiled as Wavy, Willa Avery, walked toward them.
“Hi, Quinn.” He nodded toward her smiling. “Another dance, Brian?”
“Sounds perfect. See ‘ya later, Quinn.”
“Yeah. See ‘ya later.”
CHAPTER TWO
Quinn learned over the years that even though his teammates were all SEALs, just like him and his brothers, not all SEALs were created equal.
To be a SEAL you had to have equal parts skill, emotional intelligence, team attitude and loyalty, speed, and a smidgen of both craziness and hero complex. What Quinn realized is that those ratios were not equal in all his teammates.
On more than one occasion he’d been criticized for stepping in to help someone that needed it.
“I’d like to die on the battlefield, asshole. Not in the bar.”
“He slapped her,” said Quinn staring at his teammate.
“Not my problem. We walk away from that shit.”
“No, you walk away from that shit,” said River. “We don’t. Hitting a woman is never okay. Don’t care where you are.”
“It’s a wonder the three of you aren’t dead,” frowned the man. He left them to put their gear in lockers and the brothers just stared at one another.
“Don’t change, Quinn,” said Finnegan. “It’s what makes you better than me and River.”
“What are you talking about? You guys step in, too.”
“No. We step in when you do,” smirked Finnegan. “It’s not that we wouldn’t eventually but maybe not quite so ferociously.”
“He’s not wrong,” said River. “I think you’re amazing, Quinn. You’re my brother and I love you. I love everything about you, especially your handsome face.” Quinn and Finnegan laughed, shaking their heads.
“You’re such an asshole,” chuckled Quinn. “I get it. I just can’t seem to help myself.”
When the brothers decided to retire from the teams, or at least retire at the urging of the Navy, they returned to Coronado to finish their paperwork, Quinn and Finnegan deciding to stay for a few days and just relax as civilians. Or at least that was the plan.
“Well, we’re no longer SEALs,” said River standing on the beach with his brothers.
“We’ll always be SEALs,” said Finnegan. “We’re just not active duty. Did anyone else think the reasons he gave were all bullshit? I mean, how do you say you have to leave the teams but you’ll get all your benefits, and we don’t get suspicious about it.”
“I agree,” said Quinn, “but I’m sure River doesn’t give a shit. He’s got a new life.”
“That’s not fair,” said River. “I do give a shit. Yes, I have a new life but she was content to let me be a SEAL and she’d move here. I wanted what was best for all of us, not just me.”
“I’m sorry,” said Quinn. “I didn’t mean it to come out that way. It just all feels wrong. I guess we know how all the others before us felt when this bullshit happened to them.”
“It makes you wonder why we even bother,” said Finnegan. His brothers looked at him, confused. “I mean, why serve our country when all they do is get pissed off when we actually go above and beyond.”
