“Well, you enjoy giving a shit, and I’ll keep causing trouble and not getting caught.”
The second he moved away, Zac shook his head. “I fucking hate that guy.”
“I’m right there with you.” Ethan kept his gaze on Gerome until Maggie touched his back.
She smiled at him. “You guys still talking about super-secret SAR stuff?”
He tugged her onto his lap. “I could spare a break for you.”
“Really?”
“I always have time for you.”
She lowered her head and kissed him, and he was reminded of exactly what he’d gained by coming back here. A life with his team. A future with the woman he loved.
And now that he had it all, he was not willing to lose any of it. He was going to find the person behind these killings. He and his team wouldn’t stop until the person was dead or behind bars.
35
Joel Dawson scanned the list of names on Ethan’s phone. Five spanning back twenty-five years and then another three in the last twelve months. All women. And if they’d been murdered—which it sure as hell looked like they were—none of them had gotten the justice they deserved.
He locked the screen and set it on the table before sliding it back to Ethan.
His team talked around him. These weren’t just friends. They were men he considered brothers. And now they were living in the same town. Working together. Seeing each other every day.
Everything about this beat Houston. Though, that city itself wasn’t the problem—it was his parents. It wouldalwaysbe his parents.
They had money. Not the big-house, fancy-car kind of money. This was different. His father wasn’t just a boss—he was the CEO of Dawson Energy Services. A company that drilled land and made a shitload of cash every second of every day.
Theywere the reason he’d joined the military, to get the hell away from them and the person they wanted to mold him into.
“Here you go.”
The smooth, airy voice had Joel’s gaze lifting and a smile tugging at his lips.
Polly Mack—the biggest walking contradiction he’d ever met. She was all soft and feminine and gentle. Well, gentle with Maggie and people she liked. But she was also sharp and fiery and had a hell of an attitude that she loved to aim his way.
Then he spotted his drink. While the guys all had plain white mugs, his was pale pink with a darker pink rim around the top. He turned it around to see “cup of calm for drama queen” written on one side.
His lips twitched. “Run out of plain mugs, Sunshine?”
“Nope.” There was just enough of a pause to have a couple of the guys chuckling. “Something wrong with that one?”
“Not at all. I love pink. And it’s not the first time I’ve been called a queen.” He sipped his coffee, and shit, it was so good. How this woman always made the perfect cup, he had no idea.
She half rolled her eyes before returning to the counter.
He bit back a laugh. She’d wanted a reaction out of him, but she hadn’t gotten it.
Connor frowned at him. “What have you done to that woman?”
“Just been my charming self.”
Connor glanced at the counter then back. “Be careful. She’s Maggie’s best friend, and if she’s important to Maggie, she’s important to Ethan.”
“You think I’d do something to hurt her?”
“Ithinkyou don’t date.” Connor sipped his coffee. “I don’t judge you—I know why relationships aren’t your thing. Just make suresheknows that about you if anything happens.”
