“Dude, you’re my third best, or is it my fourth best friend?”
“No, man, I’m your sixth. I know where I fall in the pecking order.”
He rolled his eyes as he pulled up to the base entrance. “I’m here. I’ll see you when you get on base.”
“I’ll be there as long as you take me out for ice cream after. I’m not showing up for another late-night meeting without ice cream.”
The guy on guard duty rolled his eyes as he listened in on the conversation. Cy chuckled and ended the call. He knew the guards must hear a lot of bullshit, but at least he’d made the guy laugh.
By the time he was out of his car, T was pulling in. He got out and jogged to catch up to Cy.
“You really going to get me ice cream?”
“Sure, buddy. Whatever you want.”
“Thank you. You’re the best.”
“What is Cy the best at?” Bang asked.
T skipped a few steps like he was a fifth grader hopped up on soda and candy. “He’s going to buy me some ice cream.”
“Like in a date?” Foster asked.
T shot Foster a deadpan look. “Yes, Foster, like in a date.”
“Hey, I don’t know what you two are doing. No shade. You all want to date, go for it, but the brass won’t like it.”
“Won’t like what?” Jump asked.
“T and Cy dating.”
“Nah, man,” Jump said. “You two can’t date. T is mine forever. I took him out for pizza, and he pledged his life to me.”
T nodded. “I was really hungry that day. I would have pledged my life to anyone for a little food.”
“Jesus, T, you’re like a dog. I bet if I had cookies, you’d do tricks for them,” Foster said.
Laughter spilled from T as they entered the building. They were a good crew to work with. T had taken some getting usedto. The guy was exuberant, and he seemed very unserious the first time Cy had met him. But T turned serious very fast when work began. Plus, T had passed BUDs and all the other tests they had to take. The man was a beast on the battlefield, he just liked joking around when they were off the clock.
The conference room filled up fast as Cy took his seat. He wasn’t one of the decision makers, and he was glad for it. Having to decide which missions got their attention versus which ones were ignored would drive anyone crazy.
He counted the number of SEALs in the room, twenty-four. Not all meetings had this many guys. What were they about to get into?
By the end of the meeting, he knew they would be leaving soon. The next few weeks, their schedules would be ruled by this mission. No question, he wouldn’t be able to help Willa if her jerk of an ex showed back up and tried to hurt her.
10
Working evenings at a bar was weird. Willa liked talking to people but was careful about how flirty she acted. Her first waitressing job had revealed how weird it could get if she flirted too heavily. Now she knew when to splash a wide smile versus when she needed to dial it back.
This evening, her tables featured two groups of women who seemed to know each other. None of them gave off creepy vibes, so she was able to smile and laugh with them and not think anything of it.
She was delivering drinks to one of the tables and had just set down the last drink when one of the women grabbed her arm. A gasp escaped her lips as she met the other women’s gaze.
“Sorry to startle you, but that police officer is pointing at you.”
Willa’s gaze swung over to the entrance, and sure enough, a police officer was headed her way. “Oh shit.”
The woman stood, squeezing her arm. “Are you okay? Do you have someone here? A close friend? I know you’re at work, but maybe one of the other waitresses is close?”
