Page 82 of What Remains

“That’s the Marines,” Jack cuts in with a laugh, eyes on Mason.

Mason doesn’t miss a beat. “At least we were downrange in the action, not busy sweeping the sun off the sidewalk back at base.”

“Now you’re just trying to give me PTS-fuh—” Jack smartly stops himself, remembering kids are around, including his own son.

“He’s not wrong, though,” Oliver pipes up, smirking. “But don’t act like you didn’t play Katy Perry while rolling up on targets, either,” he shoots back at Jack.

“Yeah, uh, not to break up this lovefest,” Julian says, swimming over, “but I thought we were here to relax?”

“This is how we relax,” Jack grunts, and he’s not wrong about that. It’s not like we know how to sit around and be still. Memories and past trauma we don’t want to revisit are bound to creep in.

“How about guys against women?” Charlotte suggests, walking up next to Jack with their son at her hip. I’ve seen her behind the wheel of a car, driving like she’s in an F1 race, so I have a feeling she’s competitive in everything.

“Where’s Boss Man?” Jack twists around to locate Carter, who’s in the middle of helping Diana out of the hot tub. “What do you say?”

Carter drapes a sapphire-blue towel around Diana before they head over.

Diana leans into him, patting his chest. “Oh, come on, grump.”

I steal a quick look at Gwen as she spins Emory around in the water, her little sister cracking up laughing while stretching her arms out wide.

You’ll make a great mom one day. My chest tightens as I remember Wyatt’s words to me out in the hall again. No, no you weren’t talking about with her. No way.

I switch gears and turn back to the others.

They’re strategizing. Discussing the rules. Something about water guns now, too. You’d never think we just survived hell, and that we still have another nightmare of who’s behind all this in front of us.

“Well, what do you say?” Jack asks, since Carter’s yet to give his go-ahead.

Carter hesitantly nods, but I don’t miss the eye roll aimed Jack’s way.

But maybe Jack’s right. We’ll let off some steam now and cross the bridge of tomorrow when it gets here. Or blow it up if we have to.

CHAPTER 26

Easton

I’m tired, and it’s not even that late. But jet lag is kicking my ass, and I had one more bourbon than I probably should have down by the pool. I need to try and get some rack time so I’ll be more useful helping out with the case tomorrow. Which, of course, was the whole point of the mandatory relaxation time.

After a longer-than-normal shower where I spent most of the time remembering Gwen in that damn bikini, I put on my new black boxer-briefs—yet another reminder of Gwen, since she picked them out.

I take a second to try and think about anything other than that woman before going into the bedroom I said goodbye to months ago. I know what will happen once my head actually hits the pillow; I’ll overthink my way into barely sleeping, and there’ll be another 0400 cup of joe in my future. But this time, I’ll stay put in my own room for it.

I shake my head, toss back the covers, and force myself to get in anyway. Rolling to my side, I set the alarm on my phone just as a group text pops up. Carter had originally started this thread earlier when our teams had split between my suite and Griffin’s.

Gideon: One of my men in Brisbane reached out. He’s been surveilling both Bodhi’s parents’ and Patrick’s parents’ house. Nothing yet, but a good friend of Bodhi’s was also former military. Cooper was off grid on a private contracting assignment with him. Cooper’s parents asked Bodhi’s if he knew where their son was, because he didn’t check in like normal. Bodhi’s parents gave them the news they assumed he died on the island along with their son as traitors to their country.

Bodhi. Patrick. I stare at their names, memories of what I walked in on at the compound assaulting me all over again. Patrick, the dead guy I killed outside the door first. Then Bodhi, inside with his belt undone, bleeding out after I slit his throat . . .

The text might as well have resurrected the dead, because both men feel alive all over again. I did my best not to humanize them before now. Not to think of them as people with names, with families. Carter accidentally said Bodhi’s name earlier and once was already too many times.

And shit, if reading this news is giving me such a strong reaction, I can only imagine how Gwen’s handling this if she’s in her room alone.

Gideon: Just emailed you the transcript and recording he sent me from Bodhi’s parents’ house.

Julian: I’m adding Cooper’s face to our search to see if he’s ever come in contact with Jezebel in person, but my guess is Jezebel wouldn’t risk meeting with Cooper in person, either. And before you ask, no, we have no record of him being in Dubai or at the hotel there.

Gideon: My team in Brisbane is splitting up so they can also monitor Cooper’s family. We need to figure out how Jezebel recruited them to this off-grid project in the first place.