The other men laughed, including Turner. “Don’t have to worry about that with me, King. I wrap my shit up tighter than the Pentagon’s secrets. I’m clean as a whistle. Got the test results to prove it.”
“Do what you want”—Nate took another swig— “but there’s no fucking way I’m utteringthosewords to any woman. Ever.”
Kole slapped a hand to his chest, a feigned look of devastation crossing his face. “This coming from the guy who’s supposed to be my best man in a few weeks?”
Kole and his fiancée, Sarah, were getting married in two months. The couple had just bought their first house, which was why Nate and the others were sitting around Kole’s back yard drinking beer and hanging out. Sarah had invited the team over for a housewarming-slash-belated engagement party.
“What’s the matter, Carter? Not a believer in true love?”
Nate didn’t have to turn around to recognize the deep, gravelly voice coming from behind him. Gabe Dawson was a former SEAL and had been chosen as Bravo Team’s leader.
“For guys like Kole? Sure.” Nate tilted his head back as Gabe walked past him. “For Me? Not a chance.”
“What makes Kole so special?” Gabe asked as he snapped open his camping chair and sat down in the space between Matt and Zade.
The six-four, two hundred sixty pound beast of a man looked as though he was sitting in a kiddie chair.
Putting his free hand to his chin, Nate pretended to ponder the question for a moment. “Kole’s like an Amur leopard, Dawson. They exist, but are critically endangered and very rarely seen in the wild.”
This time everyone laughed, including Kole. “Speaking of rare, I’m going to go find my amazing fiancée and see if the food is ready for the grill.”
As Kole walked past Nate, he tipped the bill of Nate’s ball cap, nearly knocking it off his head. After smacking his friend’s leg and readjusting the hat, Nate took another long draw from his bottle.
They were constantly giving each other shit, but Nate had to admit, Kole was like the brother he never had.
He glanced around at the other men. They were all members of R.I.S.C.’s recently formed Bravo Team. As private security contractors, they worked under the leadership of former Delta Force operator, Jake McQueen.
The jobs they took were a lot like the ops they’d been on in the past, just without all the red tape bullshit.
In addition to owning the company, Jake also served as Alpha Team’s leader. Alpha Team was R.I.S.C.’s original team and was well-known and highly respected throughout the military and U.S. intelligence communities.
Along with private jobs, the five man, one woman Alpha Team took on a lot of high-risk, under-the-radar jobs for Homeland Security.
But, with all the evil in the world, R.I.S.C.’s services were in high demand, so McQueen decided they needed to expand.
Enter Nate and the rest of Bravo.
Each member had been hand-picked by McQueen based on their former military experience and area of expertise. Nate was Bravo’s technical analyst, which meant if it involved computers and finding intel, he was your guy.
Nate swallowed the rest of his beer as the Texas sun beat down on his face, neck, and forearms. There was just enough bite to its heat to let him know summer had officially begun.
Thankfully, the melt-your-face heat Mother Nature bestowed upon their great state each year had yet to arrive. It was only a matter of time.
Not that he didn’t love living here. It was just that, having grown up near Richmond, Virginia—where the highest average summer temp was eighty-seven degrees—the Texas heat still took some getting used to.
Reaching down into the small cooler he’d brought with him, Nate’s fingers met ice cold water as he pulled out his second beer of the day. After flicking the water from his hand, he twisted off its metal cap and looked around at the other men sitting nearby.
Less than a year ago, they didn’t know each other existed. Now, they were his teammates. His brothers. There wasn’t one man here Nate wouldn’t lay his life down for, if necessary.
“So, what do y’all think about that new treaty agreement President Russell’s talking about signing?” Zade asked the group.
“The one with Turkey?” Matt asked. When Zade nodded, Matt shrugged a shoulder. “Sounds like it’ll be good for both countries. If it happens.”
“What are your thoughts, Boss?” Zade looked at Gabe.
“I think they’re both politicians,” the surly man grumbled.
“Meaning?” Nate asked.
