“Farsi,” Tanner replied, grinning.
“I can speak Farsi,” John chuckled. “I spent some months in Afghanistan, too.”
“Can you teach me?” JJ asked John, all eyes.
“Why would you want to learn Farsi?” he asked the boy.
“I can only speak English and Spanish,” he said simply. “I want to know a lot of languages on account of they say the CIA will hire you if you do.”
“CIA?” John and Tanner spoke together.
Five
“Why the CIA?” Cole asked before John could.
“Because they’re spies,” JJ told them. “They get to drive all sorts of exotic cars and wear fancy clothes and fight the bad guys!”
John drew a breath. He wasn’t about to tell their young guest that Tanner had been deeply involved with the CIA. Well, not just yet, at least. “Well, that’s not a bad profession, but you get shot at, you know,” John told him.
“Oh, they have bulletproof vests,” JJ said knowledgably.
“Alternatively,” John interrupted, “there’s the FBI or the DEA or the US Marshals Service.”
“Yes, and Tony knows one of the deputy marshals,” Cole seconded.
JJ pursed his lips. “Well, yes, but they don’t drive fancy cars and stuff.”
“Fancy cars,” Cole mused, tongue in cheek. “JJ, I think it’s the cars more than the agency that you’re interested in.”
JJ sighed. “I love cars,” he said with a sad smile. “All weever had was beat-up old trucks. But Dad would tell me stories about this guy he knew in the CIA who had a garage full of really fast sports cars, all sorts and all colors. He made it sound real exciting!”
Cole chuckled. “I’ll bet he did.”
“And there’s no exotic cars around here,” JJ lamented. “I mean, fancy pickup trucks is about the best we get.”
“That’s true,” John said. “But if you study hard, you might get on with one of the federal agencies. You won’t make a princely salary, but the perks are nice.”
“Perks?” JJ asked.
“Things like health care and retirement.”
JJ looked at him as if he was crazy.
John just laughed. “I know, that seems like stupid stuff compared to exotic sports cars.”
“When you graduate from college, or trade school if you’d rather, I’ll buy you a fancy sports car,” Cole told him with a smile.
“You will? Really? Promise?” JJ asked, all eyes.
“I will. Promise,” Cole said, and laughed again when the boy threw himself into Cole’s arms and hugged him.
Cole sighed and smiled at John over the boy’s head. “It’s like having you guys back again,” he said gently.
John understood immediately. He smiled. “A breath of fresh air,” he said very softly.
Cole nodded. “Not that we don’t love all three of you.”
“But we’re grown,” John inserted. He chuckled. “We’ll all help you spoil him.”
