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“That’s what you’re being stubborn over?” I rolled my eyes, giving Ryker a “see, I knew Cohen was right” look.
“Hey,” Milo said, stepping into the room. “Everything is final with the real estate company. The house we wanted is ours.” Milo grinned at me, looking at the other two men. “I’m glad you made it out, Ryker.”
“Thanks, man. House?” he asked, looking at Cohen and me.
“Milo and Cohen are both stupid rich, so I decided to use that for my own personal gain for once. The rest of us will be returning to Utah, and you’re coming with us. Lux has state-of-the-art physical therapy programs, and Milo will be the physician overseeing your care. We haven’t gotten the opportunity to build our relationship the way I want…” Cohen cleared his throat, and I smiled. “Sorry, the waywewant, and we both knew if, given the opportunity, you’d stay behind, siting something to do with recovery and overseeing the transferring of titles and blah, blah.” I waved my hand, smiling. “So to circumvent all that, we made it impossible for you to say no. Besides, you deserve some happiness, and I want you around.”
“Me too. Even though you annoy me at times, I can’t deny the feelings I had for you are still there. The situation we’re all in is unique, but I know if you stay back, you’ll only grow further away from us, resigned to never be happy and just live for the job. I know you, Ryker. This is your chance to catch up, to get to know Fin and me, and see if this type of relationship works for you. You don’t have to stay forever, just give us a few months and see where it takes you.”
Ryker looked between the three of us, taking in our expressions. “You really mean all of that?”
“Yes, Ry.” I smiled, squeezing his hand, and he softened.
“Okay, I’d like the chance to see how this type of relationship works. I already know what you all have is unique and special, and it would be a privilege to get a chance to find that for myself as well.”
“Yes!” I jumped up, kissing his lips briefly before hugging both Milo and Cohen. “You know, despite almost dying… Nope.” I shook my head, resetting my thoughts. “Actually, I don’t want to qualify anything Dex did as fun. I’m glad it’s over. I’m relieved we’re all relatively unscathed, and I’m thrilled we’ve somehow all found each other through it. Yep, let's go with that.”
The guys gave me soft smiles, and I knew that we’d all be okay despite our rocky beginning.
* * *
A week later,we’d officially packed up our suite, most of it consisting of clothes and Ryker’s belongings since we’d all only come with a few suitcases. After a few days to recover, we spent the rest in meetings and debriefings, talking about the incident and how to make sure something similar didn’t happen again. Bishop admitted to being blackmailed and was brought up on charges of assisting a terrorist. It sounded harsh, but people wouldn't have died if he hadn’t given our location at the mall, not to mention Kristina.
What impressed me was how The Order used everything as a teaching moment. It was weird being discussed openly without people knowing it was you in the room. But it allowed the other agents to see what had been done well and what could’ve been done differently.
“I liked how Agent Oblivion thought to use an outside agency, but I also think there was a way to utilize more of The Order’s agents without arousing the mole,” someone said, and I tried my hardest to keep my face blank.
It was an odd experience to sit through hours of strategic planning on something you’d done. I was glad that we’d be inactive agents after this. Ryker had bargained for us all to remain as part of The Order, but where we could go back and live our lives, only taking on missions when it fit our skills. It seemed like the best of both worlds for me. I’d get to be back with my family and friends, living a life I loved, but also have opportunities to live a little dangerously every now and then. It made my adrenaline junkie heart happy.
“Well, that’s all for today. Thank you all for your commitment to going over these files. There’s a celebration in the canteen for our comrades who will be leaving the base to return to their homestead,” the instructor said, dismissing everyone.
I looked at the guys, smiling as we gathered our stuff for the last time. Cohen slung his arm around my shoulder, and I grabbed Milo’s hand as Asa walked behind us, talking with Ryker. Despite Ryker’s claims of being on the outside, since the attack, he’d loosened up and let the guys into his life. It made me happy to see our family unit bonding.
“So, hot stuff,” Cohen said, grinning down at me, “what do you have planned for the rest of your life?”
“Hmm,” I said, tapping my lip with a finger. “Well, naturally I want to start my own fashion label for ice skating costumes. The ones Sawyer sent me for Nationals were atrocious. The kids desperately need my wisdom at Lux, or they’ll majorly screw up their social media presence. But other than that, kicking some bad guy's butts every now and then doesn’t sound half bad. Why? What do you have in mind?”
Cohen grinned, bending down to whisper in my ear. “Oh, I plan to have you every which way and then back again for the rest of my life. What do you say, sweetheart?”
I gulped, nodding enthusiastically. “Yep. I’m good with that plan.”
Milo chuckled next to me, and I glanced over, squeezing his hand. “I’m good as long as you guys are there. I don’t care how cheesy or loved up that makes me.”
“You could never be too cheesy, Fin. It’s one of my favorite things about you. Plus, I had your fantasy closet built, so I’m not going anywhere.”
“You did what?” I asked, stopping and making Asa and Ryker almost collide with us.
“I didn’t expect Milo to spill the beans first,” Ryker said, nudging him. Milo’s face was red, but he shrugged.
“I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer.”
“You’re serious? You built me my dream closet? I think I might faint.”
“Wait until after the party. We have a long night of traveling ahead of us. You can faint when we get to the house. Deal?”
Jumping up and down, I kissed each of the guys before tugging them into the canteen, even more eager now to leave. I’d come to The Order to settle a debt, and I was leaving with more than I could’ve imagined. Now, if I could only learn to not wear stilettos on missions, my life would be complete.
Who was I kidding? Fashion always trumped necessity.
