Marsh’s voice dropped a little.“You think this drone shit is connected to either of them?”
Dale thought for a moment.“I don’t think so, man,” he said honestly.“And as for me, the only people I really piss off on a regular basis is you guys.”
Bateman’s frown deepened.“Could be a vendetta.We’ve made more than a few enemies.”
“Maybe,” Dale agreed quietly.“But this kind of surveillance takes time, planning.Whoever it is, they’re invested.”
“We’ll tighten patrols around the perimeter,” Marsh said.“Coordinate with security to rotate patterns irregularly.Make the Ridge and the people who live here harder to track.”
“I’ll reroute trainee access, too,” Bateman added.“Keep traffic to the public zones minimal until we’ve got a read.”
“You do that,” Marsh said.“And if this gets worse, we pull everyone tighter.No solo assignments.We learned that lesson the hard way.”
Dale nodded, appreciating the weight behind the words.Marsh wasn’t just looking out for the Ridge.He was looking out for their team, their family.
“Go on,” Marsh said.“Your classes will be waiting.”
Dale turned to leave, but Bateman stopped him.“Hey.Ty and Oren.That’s real, huh?”
Dale paused.Usually, this would be the moment he threw out some cocky line or rolled his eyes.But instead, he said, “Yeah.It’s real.Feels like the kind of thing worth fighting for.”
Bateman raised an eyebrow, but didn’t press.“Then fight smart.”
Dale gave a tight smile and headed to the gym.His morning classes were already filling up, trainees stretching and sparring on the mats.He moved through the drills on autopilot, half his mind on their form, the other half replaying the conversation with Marsh and Bateman.Drones, surveillance, the faint scent of trouble circling the Ridge.
By the time the last session wrapped, the sun had dropped low, washing the yard in amber light.He dismissed the trainees, then lingered, leaning against the ropes as the shadows stretched longer.There was an itch between his shoulders he couldn’t shake.Not danger exactly, but the sense that the day wasn’t quite done with him.
That’s when the idea took hold.A night exercise.Not for the rookies—for the three of them.Ty.Oren.Himself.They needed to see what they could do together when it counted, when the only thing between them and failure was trust.
He keyed in the training schedule and locked the gym.If the stars aligned, he’d still be feeding a builder and an engineer later—with wine, garlic bread, maybe even a plan for breakfast.But first ...he had a date to plan.
****
Oren had left the barracksearly, slipping out of bed with a reluctant sigh when the morning light crept through the window.Waking up wrapped around Ty was new, but far too easy.Too addictive.Ty had stirred, groaning when Oren rolled him onto his back, but that groan had turned into a moan when Oren pressed a slow, deep kiss to his lips.
They’d made out like teenagers, heat rising fast between them.Ty’s hands gripped Oren’s waist, pulling him close as their mouths met in hungry, unrestrained kisses.Oren moaned low in his throat when Ty flipped them, settling between his thighs.Their hips rolled, grinding against each other, breathless and needy.
“God, you taste good,” Ty murmured between kisses, voice husky.“Been wanting this since day one.”
Oren’s fingers threaded through Ty’s hair, tugging just enough to earn a growl.He kissed him again, deeper, harder, until his brain swam.Then he pulled back slightly, brushing his nose against Ty’s.“You know,” he said softly, his voice thick with emotion, “I wouldn’t have been ready for this back then.Still too deep in my father’s bullshit—his preaching, his hate.I thought if I even looked at a man the wrong way, I’d burn in hell.”He kissed Ty again, gently this time, then rested their foreheads together.“But I’m not that guy anymore.I’m not his son.I’m me.My own man.”
Just before they passed the point of no return, Oren pulled back, chest heaving.He looked Ty in the eye and said, “Dale.”
Ty, flushed and gorgeous, eyes dark with need, smiled and nodded.“Yeah.I know.”
Oren reached up and brushed his fingers along Ty’s jaw, his voice low.“Not that there’s anything wrong with this, us, what we just did, but the start of the three of us—it should be the three of us.”
Ty leaned into the touch, his smile softening.“Agreed.But for the record?You can wake me up like that on any damn day of the week.Oh, and I still want that name.”
Oren rolled his eyes.“What for?”
“I’m not going to beat him up,” Ty said with an innocent look, “I just think we might have to do a little background search, that’s all.”
Oren thought about that.It made sense.“It was Carson Rourke, a contractor working over on East Ridge.”
Ty smiled, but didn’t say anything more, and they lay tangled for a moment longer before Oren kissed his forehead and slipped out, promising to see him later.There was work to be done.
By the time he hit the construction site, the sun was just warming the horizon.The air smelled of dew-wet dirt and fresh-cut lumber.The kind of peaceful start to a day he usually liked.But something felt—off.
