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"You okay, man?" I ask softly.
There’s silence, then, "I will be. Provided you tell me all about your high rollin’ lifestyle so I can live vicariously."
"You could have had it. You were as much of an athlete as I am. You were better than me at all sports. You could have been captain of the English cricket team and been in the media spotlight."
He chuckles. "Not likely. Hate having to pander to news people, in any form."
"But you’re fine pandering to your chain of command?"
There’s silence again, then, "There’s always a logic to what I’m told to do. There’s a structure, a goal at the end of the assignment that drives me."
"You’re more focused than I am. More present. More…gutsy. More everything."
This time the silence stretches before he responds, "Areyouokay, man?"
"Yes, why?" I scowl.
"Cade 'the King' Kingston, admitting someone is better than him? Never thought I’d see the day."
My neck heats. "Well, let’s not repeat that to anyone else. I have a reputation to protect."
"Speaking of, did you score last night?"
I clear my throat. "Actually, no. I was home and asleep in my bed before two a.m."
Knight whistles. "The King sleeps in his own bed for the first time in months, if not years, then?"
I shake my head. "I’m training, Knight. I need to get at least four hours of sleep."
"You mean, gone are the days when you’d party till dawn, then run ten miles the next day?"
"I still do that, only I stop partying earlier."
"Never thought I’d see the day," he chuckles.
"And you? Do you train as part of your regimen?"
"You know I do. And I can’t tell you more than that."
"But you're on a secret mission, aren’t you?"
"It’s secret for a reason," he counters.
"Right, sorry, don’t mean to push."
"It’s fine. It’s a bloody shame I can’t share more. Especially with the family."
"Speaking of—" I pause, draw in a breath. "Your sister—"
"Let’s not talk about her, King. You know my feelings on that."
"I know you’ve said you don’t want to discuss her with me—"
"And I don’t talk about you to her. It’s the only way I can have a relationship with the both of you."
I wince. "I never expected you not to. She’s your family."
"And she was wrong in what she did. And she knows it. And she knows how I feel about it. And the truth is, she’s tortured herself with it ever since it happened. She thinks I don’t see it, but I do. The thing is, I want both of you in my life. And the only way to do that is to stick to my rule of not talking about one of you to the other."
