“Are you staying the night?” Charlotte asked once they were out of the vehicle.
Jamie shook his head. “I need to check on my team.”
“What happened?” Richard wanted to know.
Jamie glanced up at the clear night sky above, the stars dimmed by light pollution. “I’ll tell you later.”
They weren’t behind soundproofed walls, their words guarded by electronic jammers. Charlotte might tell Richard the bare gist of what had happened today once they were inside, but Jamie had no desire to stay any longer than necessary.
He hugged his mother goodbye and offered his father his hand to shake. Richard took it after a moment, gripping him tightly.
“Despite what you think, I do care,” Richard said gruffly. “Stay safe.”
Funny way of showing it,Jamie thought.
He nodded and walked away, heading for his car parked in the driveway. Once he was behind the wheel and on his way, he called Katie.
“We’re fine,” she assured him immediately once she answered.
“I know. Tell me what happened.”
Her verbal report gave more inflection than text ever could. Jamie listened intently on the drive home, asking few questions, more interested in getting a feel for the events Katie had lived through. She was calm and collected throughout the entire debrief, but Jamie still had to watch the way he gripped the steering wheel to make sure he didn’t break it.
“We’ve been ordered home, so don’t go to base,” Katie warned when she finished.
“I know. I did get your message.”
“Good. Don’t second-guess what happened. We all got clear and came back alive.”
“Thanks to Sean.”
“There’s a reason we wanted him on the team, and not just to stop Alexei from sulking.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow at base.”
“I’d offer to meet for breakfast beforehand, but Matthew promised to cook for me.”
“Have fun.”
“You bet your damn railroad tracks I will,” Katie practically purred.
Jamie laughed and shook his head, even though she couldn’t see him as the call cut off. The closer he got to home, the more the tension drained out of his shoulders. By the time he parked and made it up to the condo, Jamie was ready to leave the stress of the day behind.
It was late when he arrived, the condo dark save for a soft light far down the hallway that beckoned him. When the attending computer started to turn on the lights, Jamie said, “Lights off.”
He walked down the hall to the master bedroom, undoing his tie as he went. Coming into the bedroom, he shrugged out of his suit jacket and vest, draping it all over the comfortable armchair in the corner.
“Hey,” Kyle’s sleepy voice said from the bed. “How was your date?”
“Terrible.”
“Really?”
“He wasn’t you.”
Kyle chuckled, the sound fading into a yawn. “Damn straight.”
Jamie worked at the buttons on his dress shirt as he slowly approached the bed. “He’s young.”
