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I was too broody, as Jude liked to say. I had a hard time getting out of my own head space and felt the need to control everything as much as possible. Kellan, who was too impulsive, and forever inventing ways to stir shit, said it made me an inflexible ass.
To which Jude would quip that my ass was plenty flexible.
Fuck, I missed him.
So did my ass.
“Rhett?” Crew was staring at me, and I realized I’d missed a question.
I lifted my brows rather than ask him to repeat it.
Crew sighed, not upset, but more concerned. “Anything we need to worry about?”
My gaze dropped to the tablet and the live drone surveillance footage of the compound. I shook my head. “No, Jude’s intel seems right. There’s increased activity and movement, but everything seems centered on their meeting house. Some of the guards who usually patrol the wall have already left their posts.”
Crew gave a short, decisive nod. “Make sure you share all this info with Bowen. He’ll be handling coms onsite. I want you on point with me.”
Kellan flashed me a knowing grin, and another knot of tension unraveled in my chest. I’d been worried I’d be stuck in the van, monitoring things from the air and ground as the teams went in and rescued the omega and any other victims.
But I needed to be there to make sure Jude was okay. I had to make sure I was as close to him as possible.
Crew circled the table and touched my shoulder. “I know this has been hard on you. Both of you.”
I cleared my throat. “It’s part of the job.” It was the part I hated most, but yeah. Jude and I knew what we’d signed up for when we’d all pushed to be in the same unit. Not that the FBI was dumb enough to split up packs. Even when a pack didn’t enter the program together, those that joined by themselves had to undergo extensive personality testing to make sure teams fit. Usually those teams became a pack, too. The bond was undeniable and made us do our jobs more effectively.
Packed teams were more intune with one another. They were more alert because the stakes were so much higher if someone was hurt. There was also the added benefit of being able to sense one another’s emotions in the bond.
But Jude and I went beyond a pack bond; he was my mate. Yes, we shared a pack bond with Kellan and Crew, but I’d also taken him as my beta. I would never be comfortable with him being somewhere that I couldn’t protect him myself.
Crew’s lips twitched. “Doesn’t make it any easier.” His hand squeezed my shoulder. “We’ll all be glad to have him home.”
“Fuck, yes,” Kellan agreed. “Neither of you two can play Call of Duty for shit.”
I stared at him. “We live that shit every day.”
“That’s so factually incorrect that I can’t even begin to?—”
“How about you two table the bickering until Jude is back?” Crew suggested, leaning a hip on the table and folding his arms as he shot us both a look.
Kellan grinned and locked his fingers behind his head, the tattoos on his forearms and biceps rippling. “Dibs on time with Jude first.”
“The fuck? You can’t just call dibs on him,” I snapped, irritation licking up my spine. Despite knowing their bond was decidedly more brotherly than intimate, a low growl rumbled in my throat. As soon as Jude was back, he and I were taking a long break. I’d already cleared it with Crew, who’d agreed we all needed a rest. He’d even put in the paperwork to take our team out of rotation. We hadn’t done that in… shit. I didn’t even know.
Kellan’s eyes flashed at the challenge. “Wanna bet? I?—”
“Enough!” Crew’s sharp bark pulled us both back. He rubbed the back of his neck, irritation lining his face. “Jesus, I’ll be glad when he’s back just so I have someone else to help me deal with the two of you. Fucking worse than an old married couple.”
Kellan scoffed, but stayed quiet. Instead he winked at me, and I rolled my eyes before looking at the time. Tension prickled up my spine. “When do we leave?”
The smile evaporated from Kellan’s expression, his serious mask slipping into place. I’d never admit it, but it scared the shit out of me how quickly Kellan could go from frat boy joker to stone cold killer. Didn’t help that the guy made grizzly bears look small—the biggest of us by a couple inches and easily thirty pounds of muscle.
And Crew and I were in the gym almost every goddamned day.
Crew glanced at his watch. “I want everyone ready to roll in thirty minutes.”
“Fuck yeah,” Kellan grunted, getting up. He twisted his long hair back into a bun with an elastic he always wore around his wrist.
I nodded and stood as well. “We’ll be ready.”
