“Yeah, apparently they eat a lot.”
“Whatever you think you need, double it.”Rourke advised.“Anddon’t let him push the cart. He runs over people’s toes if they don’t moveout of his way fast enough.”
“Hey!” Castello spotted a car with its reversing lights on and hit the brakes to allow the driver to pull out so he could take the shaded spot. “It was one time.” Why the fuck did the three of them having a phone conversation feel so fucking normal? Sure, his team spoke to Rourke all the time. But it never quite felt like—family? Ugh, he was being stupid.
“Okay, Roo, we’re at the store.” Castello picked up the phone and held
it in his hand. “You want me to call you back when you are done?”
“Nah,”Rourke answered.“I just wanted to see if you were home.
Talk to you later, k.”
“Okay, bye kid, love ya.”
“Love you too, Pop.”The sound of the smile in Rourke’s voice could be heard over the phone.“Bye Axel,”he called out,“Good luck shoppingwith Mrs. Doubtfire.”
“Bye.”
“Hey,” Castello grumbled at the running joke between himself and his son. Rourke always teased him about looking for the healthy foods and stuff, but the line went dead so he wasn’t entirely sure that he had heard him.
“Sorry about that.” He and Axel got out of the truck.
“No.” Axel paused mid-step and waited for Castello to turn to him.
“He’s your son, when you are with me, you always answer his call. Family is more important than anything else. Got it?”
“Yeah.” The corner of Castello’s mouth curved up in a lopsided grin,
“Got it.”
Axel grabbed a cart from the bay and smirked at Castello. “C’mon, Mrs.
Doubtfire, you can get your kink on with the vegetables.”
“Ugh,” Castello waved him on ahead. He turned and scanned the lot.
Catching Rafe’s eye he gave a farmer’s nod. Just a jerk of his chin in acknowledgement. If Colgan was out there watching, and if he was half as good a SEAL as Zack was, then he would have caught that gesture, and would know that he and Axel had backup if they needed it.
Chapter 9
“Are you sure you got enough?” Axel had given up trying to curtail the amount of food Castello was putting in the cart by the time they had made it past aisle two. Grocery bags filled the trunk so full he’d thought they would have to call the guys over to take a couple.
“Nah, the guys will go tomorrow if we missed anything.”
“Are you serious right now?” Axel jerked his thumb over his shoulder,
“There is enough food there to feed an army.”
“Not an army.” Castello drove toward Axel’s house, mentally taking the opposite turns on the way back as he had getting to the store. “Just a task force.”
“Ugh.” He could already see the house getting closer. “You think he was watching?”
“Maybe not him,” Castello glanced in the rearview mirror. He didn’t even see Zack’s truck behind him, never mind a tail. “But someone was. I have fucking hives and my neck itches like hell.” He rubbed one hand across his chin. “Hopefully Sage and the guys have found something for us to work with.”
“I don’t get it.” Axel muttered. “I have never even met the dude. Why the fuck would he want me?”
“Maybe it’s something to do with your sister?” Castello pulled into the drive, reached down to pull the tab for the trunk, and got out of the truck.
