Page 2 of Her Devoted HERO

“Dexter, my boy. It’s late on a Friday night, shouldn’t you be out on a date? After all, you have hundreds of women to choose from.”

He laughed. “Thanks for the reminder. I’m so going to get Clint for this.”

“According to your grandmother, he did you a favor. She’s been wanting great-grandbabies for a couple of years now.”

“That’s news to me. I would have thought all those summers having me foisted on you was enough.”

“You and your brother were back east when you were really young. She says she didn’t get a proper grandbaby fix. You’re her hope, and you’ve been letting her down.”

Dex snorted. But it got him thinking. His grandmother was really nurturing, he could see where she would want a great-grandchild.

“Are you listening to me?” his grandfather asked.

“What?” Dex asked as he pulled onto the freeway.

“I asked if you were done going through all the e-mails.”

“Got just one to go. But right now, I’m headed outta town for a bit.”

“Sounded like you were on the road, Kiddo.”

Dex grinned again. It killed him that at six-foot-three and two hundred and twenty pounds, he could be called Kiddo. “You guessed it.”

“Sorry to hear you’re going to miss our tee time on Sunday. I went to the driving range today. I was killing it. You were going to lose money.”

“What are you talking about? I always lose money. Old Man, you’re a hustler.” He was too. The man had somehow manipulated his handicap so he could consistently shoot below it. The two of them would bet a couple of bucks a hole, and Dex would end up owing a ton by the end of the day.

“I promise to teach you all of my secrets before I die,” his grandfather’s voice promised through the jeep’s speaker.

“Bullshit, I want to know your secrets now so I can beat your ass,” Dex said without heat.

Martin Evans laughed. “Not going to happen Kiddo. Are you headed to the base?”

“Got it in one,” Dex affirmed.

Martin was retired Navy, he’d been stationed all over the world, but his last assignment had been at the 32nd Street Naval Station in San Diego. He was a retired master chief petty officer. In Dex’s opinion, nothing could be better than following in his grandfather’s footsteps.

“You going wheel’s up?”

“Yep.”

“I’ll have Andrea take care of your plants. They should just be coming back to life about the time you come back.”

That was no lie. His young cousin had a green thumb.

“Thanks, Gramps. Give my love to Gram.”

“Always. Be safe.”

“You know it.”

***

Lieutenant Grayson Tyler looked grim, which wasn’t normal. Even before the most trying assignments, he would be calm and easy when talking to the six men on his SEAL team. If Dexter had to guess, his demeanor had to do with the two men in suits standing near Captain Hale in the back of the briefing room.

“We’re heading to Alexandria, Egypt. The situation is fluid,” Gray told his men.

Aiden O’Malley, the second in command, caught Dex’s eye. Fluid was code for fucked up.