Lottie just smiled at her.
Jet’s eyes narrowed, and she started to look pissed.
Ah, hell.
“Dude, how do you become a commando?”Alex asked him beforeJet could get into it with her sister about how she suddenly had a boyfriendthat Jet had never heard about who Lottie was tight enough with, he was comingto dinner with the family.
“Thisdudeis Uncle Mo,” Lottie corrected.
Now he was “Uncle Mo.”
And now he wanted someone to killhim.
“Righteous,” Alex said to his aunt, then back to Mo.“UncleMo, how do you become a commando?”
He opened his mouth to tell the kid he wasn’t a commando.
Though, with some of the missions Hawk took, he absolutelywas.
But Lottie got there before him.
“He was in the Army.”
“Righteous!”Alex yelled.“Just like Uncle Lee!”His gazedipped to Mo’s weapon.“Why do you carry a gun?”
“I’m on duty,” Mo told him.
“Cooooooool,” hebreathed.He recovered from that awesomeness and asked, “Do you know how to puton camo makeup?”
“Yeah,” Mo said.
“Do you know how to use a rocket launcher?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you flown in a helicopter?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you jumped out of a plane?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you been to Afghanistan?”
Mo’s body grew tight and so did his repeat of, “Yeah.”
He felt Lottie and Jet’s attention.
Alex opened his mouth again but didn’t get anything outbefore Lottie said softly, “Alex, honey, find the ice cream and get yourbrothers and yourself a bar.’Kay?”
“Sure, Auntie Lottie,” Alex said, then started diggingthrough the remaining canvas bags.
Mo avoided her eyes as he bent and picked up the spent bags,folding them in half, like Lottie kept them, and stacking them on the counter.
He heard ripping ice cream bar plastic and felt Jet move hisway.He turned his attention to her and saw she was carrying noodles, Tostitosand boxes of granola.
When she got close, she said low, “Thank you for yourservice, Mo.”
