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Opposites in almost every way; the only way to describe them was complimentary contrary forces. What she lacked, he had, and vice versa. Something that made them damn near unstoppable when they gave their daily bickering a rest.
Taking a slug of the lukewarm coffee, he watched Nathan Foster stroll up his driveway. What could bring Tancy’s brother to town?
“Hey, Teague.”
He tipped his chin. “I hope you plan on delivering the leprechaun somewhere else.”
Nathan set the small green fairy next to the walkway leading to the house. “According to my sister, your lack of St. Patrick’s Day decoration is an abomination and crime against everything right and good in the world.” He glanced over his shoulder. “And please don’t shoot me because she told me if I delivered it, she’d make my favorite meal.”
“Are we talking shrimp and grits with peach pie for dessert?”
“Absolutely.”
“If I wasn’t ten kinds of irritated with Tancy, then I might try and horn in on your feast.”
Nathan picked up a scraper plane off the workbench and turned it over in his hand. “She told me something about a good idea not quite hitting the mark.”
“Is that what she’s calling posting half-naked pictures of me on the internet?”
“I guess.”
Not wanting to raise his blood pressure to heart attack range again, he took a long breath. “What brings you to town? I didn’t think being the wonder kid of the NSA would give you much time off.”
Nathan shoved his hands into his pocket. “I parted ways with the agency.”
He knew that someone with Nathan’s clearance didn’t just retire or move on since his specific skill set was highly valued. And something the government wouldn’t want to get into the wrong hands. “That’s interesting.”
“I had a difference of opinion and ended up spending time with your cousin, Birch, at a CIA black site for several weeks.”
“You don’t say.”
“I’m not supposed to talk about it.” Nathan strolled over to a bookshelf in progress and ran his hand over the scrollwork. “But I will say that I did the right thing, no matter what my former boss claims. Shading the truth is just a lie in fancy wrapping. I couldn’t be a party to the ploy and did what was necessary.”
“Understood.” He watched Nathan study a pile of books and knew that Tancy had uttered a similar phrase a time or two. The siblings held an uncompromising view of justice, and he wasn’t sure where it came from. “What’s your next move going to be?”
Nathan frowned. “The local tech billionaire offered me a job, but I’m not ready to return to a cubicle.” He looked toward Tancy’s house. “I’m going to run over to Haven tomorrow and catch up with Birch. I hope he’ll help me get into the world of black ops.”
Teague choked on the coffee he was trying to swallow. “What would make you want to do that?”
“Don’t look at me like I suggested moving to Laos and training monks in the fine art of cyber espionage.” He pushed some wood scraps into a pile. “You did it after retiring from the Teams.”
“I’m the beneficiary of millions of dollars worth of training and have over a decade of combat experience. Those two factors made me the perfect candidate to operate in the gray area of national security.”
“It’s not all about guns and bombs anymore. Cyber-terrorism and espionage are how you take down a country or destroy a population, and given my skill set, some would argue that I’m the new lethal warrior in town.”
“No arguments from me. I’ve seen it up close and know what happens when a country’s electrical grid goes down for more than a few hours.” Appreciation filled Nathan’s face. “Birch is a rock-solid operator, so listen to what he says because he’s got no reason to bullshit you.”
“I know.” Nathan walked toward the driveway and then stopped. “Are you going to your cousin Linc’s wedding in a couple of weeks?”
“I plan on it. Why are you asking?”
“My sister is going too, and I thought you two could drive together.”
Teague leaned against his workbench. “I thought she was going with our aunts.”
“Ellie is speaking at a conference in DC that weekend, so they’re missing the wedding.”
“Tancy isn’t a bad driver and should be fine to go on her own.”
