They were still waiting on its final destination, but she was keeping a close eye on their target’s movements. While she did that, Shadow was also doing a deep-dive on all of Crawford’s properties.
The guy was a billionaire, so there were several to choose from, but given the direction they were headed, she’d narrowed it down to two. One was in northern California, not far from Santa Barbara, and the other was a secluded beach house in San Diego.
Neither property was a guaranteed hit, but for now, it was their best shot at getting to Alex and taking down Crawford. And since Shadow was as thorough as she was smart, she was doing a simultaneous search for land connected to Cyrus Vas.
“So.” Bones plopped down into the seat beside him. “You and Alex, huh? That’s cool.”
It was the first any of them had said about his burgeoning relationship. Though, to be fair, they’d been busy with other things.
“If you’re going to warn me off or tell me it’s a mistake, I’m gonna have to stop you right there.”
“Warn you off?” Bones snorted. “Dude, I think it’s freakin’ awesome. Think about it. If you and Al get married, then you’ll be Falcon’s brotherandhis brother-in-law.”
Coulter frowned. “I’m not sure that’s how it works.”
“Sure it is. Alex is his sister-in-law, so her husbandwould be Falcon’s bro-in-law by marriage. Two titles, one man.” The team’s medic gave him a teasing nudge.
“To be honest, I expected you to say something about me being an undercover agent with the CIA.”
“Oh, that? Nah.” Bones waved the topic away. “I mean, it’s cool, don’t get me wrong. But given what we do, and the secrets our job requires us to keep, I get it. The others do, too.”
Coulter grinned. “Thanks, Bones.”
“No thanks needed, man. Far as any of us are concerned, you’re just another part of the team.”
“I wish,” he huffed.
“Do I sense trouble in CIA paradise?”
Coulter shifted his lower body against the soft leather seat. “I’m just burned out, I think. All the lying I’m forced to do and the lines we cross . . . I don’t know.” He sighed. “I love doing what I can to keep our country safe. I just think there has to be a better way, you know? One without all the government BS getting in the way.”
“Why do you think I joined Tac-Ops? Hell, it’s why weallbecame part of the team.”
“Bones is right.” Garrett returned from his quick trip to the jet’s tiny bathroom. Choosing the seat across from Bones, his brother added, “It’s nice not having to cut through all that red tape.”
Bones nodded. “Especially when there are innocent lives hanging in the balance.”
“I bet it makes doing your jobs a heck of a lot easier,” Coulter mused as he met the man’s friendly stare.
“Dude, you have no idea. But hey.” Bones gave his thigh a light slap. “If you’re really wanting to get out ofthe spy biz, you should see if Rafe will hire you on as part of the team.”
Garrett leaned forward to meet his gaze. “So you were serious about quitting the CIA?”
“I was.” Coulter nodded. “I am.”
“Then its settled.” Bones slapped his own thighs that time. “We get back, we’ll tell Owens we want you as the newest addition to the team.”
A tiny grin lifted one corner of his lips as his chest grew warm. “I appreciate the sentiment, Bones, but shouldn’t the other guys have a say?”
In a move he should have anticipated, the former corpsman pushed himself to his feet and whistled. When Digger and Apollo turned his way, he asked loudly, “Either of you two object to seeing if Owens will make Colt an official member of the team?”
“Works for me.” Apollo shrugged as Digger gave what they all assumed was an approving grunt.
“There ya go, my man.” Bones slid back down into his seat. “It’s all but done.”
“It won’t be done until I see Alex with my own eyes and know that she’s okay.”
Right on cue, the mounted flatscreen above the cockpit door came to life. Within seconds, Shadow’s face appeared.
