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It was one of my best friend’s reactions, Carl, who did me in, though.
“Holy damn God!” Carl boomed, standing up so fast he knocked the chair he’d been sitting in over. “If it isn’t Hoax in the flesh.”
Then I was hugged so goddamn hard that my ribs creaked.
Hell, my arm that still ached at the end of the day even creaked and he hadn’t even touched it.
I returned the hug with as much strength as I could and let him go.
“You act like you didn’t see me in all this time.” I laughed.
The boys had been down to Bear Bottom twice over my time off and had left about two days before I’d met Pru.
“You have a woman,” Carl said. “You haven’t called. You haven’t written. I’m not even sure we have anything to fight for any longer.”
I rolled my eyes and shoved him aside, walking into the room that we’d call our home for the next however long it took.
Hopefully less than it was looking like.
We’d been the second team to visit this lovely establishment, and hopefully the last.
The first team, three of their guys had been made, and instead of continuing to fuck up or kill someone, they’d been reassigned, and we’d taken their place.
The boys had been there a week gathering information, and I’d arrived just in time to start planning.
Hopefully it’d be done fast, and I could go home.
But, like always, another job would come up, and I’d just have to leave again.
I hadn’t explained my job particulars to Pru, and I was hoping I never had to.
I had a feeling she knew more than she let on, because each time our conversations were steered toward my job, she changed the subject.
I hoped that her father had given her some insight as well because I’d never tell her the truth.
Not because I didn’t want to, but because I couldn’t.
I could, of course, give her a few details. But a few details always turned into too much.
And I didn’t want to burden her with any unnecessary worries, either.
“Yo, earth to loser.”
I flicked my gaze up to Carl and raised my brow. “What?”
“I asked if you asked her to marry you yet,” he repeated his earlier question.
I grinned. “Not yet.”
“So there is going to come a time that I have a sister?” he teased.
“You already have a sister,” I pointed out.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “But she’s a bitch and I don’t claim her.”
I snorted. “Carl, your sister’s a bitch to you because you never cease in terrorizing her.”
“Isn’t that a brother’s sacred duty?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t have any brothers or sisters. So, I wouldn’t know.”
“You can have mine,” Carl said. “And then you can let me know if you think me telling her that her ass is fat was fair as I got on the plane last week.”
I snorted. “I’m not sure that it’s ever nice to say a woman’s ass is fat, whether it is, in fact, fat or not.”
He shrugged. “Oops.”
“Boys, let’s stop talking about fat asses and get on to what we came here to do,” Treat suggested.
Treat, also known as Trinity to everyone that wasn’t us, was our commanding officer, and the man that led us into hellacious places and found us a way back out again.
I’d trust him with my life, and he’d proven that he’d take care of it.
“All right, here’s what we got…”
***
That night, as I lay on my cot sweating my balls off, I sent Pru a message through the Messenger app I’d downloaded.
Hoax Smith: I made it.
Pru immediately responded.
Pru Mackenzie: Your last name isn’t Smith.
I grinned and started replying.
Pru Mackenzie: I’m glad that I got to hear from you. But Smith is so generic, couldn’t you actually come up with something that’s believable.
I finished typing my message and sent it.
Hoax Smith: I would’ve just put Hoax, but Facebook wouldn’t let me. So, I made up a name on the fly. I thought it was good.
Pru took two seconds to type out her reply and then responded.
Pru Mackenzie: I guess that’s acceptable. Did you make a Facebook profile as well?
I started to type a reply but stopped when I saw the picture she sent next.
I grinned.
Hoax Smith: No, I didn’t create a profile. Why is Bacon in the bathtub with you?
Pru Mackenzie: I didn’t invite him in here with me if that’s what you’re asking. I actually meant to lock him out, but obviously I didn’t make sure the door was closed all the way.
Hoax Smith: you can take a bath with him any time. The only male I’ll allow to share your bathwater.
Pru replied with a ton of laughing emojis.
Another picture came in after the emojis, and I grinned when I saw the water drained from the bath, and the pig still covered in bubbles laying in the now-empty bathtub.
