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“In a situation like that, when your lives depend on each other? You don’t just become friends, you become brothers. And that’s how we were, the three of us, inseparable. Even after our service ended, and we decided to go independent.”
I sipped my tea, and discovered it needed more sugar. “Independent?”
“We took jobs in the private sector,” Joshua explained. “Contract work. Mostly security, but also some high-threat operations and executive—”
“We’re mercenaries,” Evan cut him off. Joshua shot him a dirty look but he only shrugged. “C’mon man, it’s a lot easier to just say it.”
Mercenaries.The word sounded hard. Tough. Fictional. Like something from the movies.
“Mercenaries,” I repeated, tasting the word. “Really? That’s a thing?”
“Oh it’s a thing,” Evan laughed. “And we did it for a lot of years, too. Long enough to make a good chunk of change, and to build a life for ourselves.”
He pointed straight upward and twirled a finger, indicating the house itself.
“All these things in here,” I said, glancing around. “They’re from places you’ve been. Places you’ve… worked?”
“Operated,” Evan corrected me gently. “But most of it, yes. A little reminder of our past, of our history together. Something to remember, even afterward.”
My eyes narrowed. “So you’re done?”
“For the most part, yes,” Joshua answered. “We still do some cake work, but nothing like the missions we took before. We ran together in a pretty dangerous outfit. Worked for a company that inserted us places we shouldn’t have come back from, but somehow did.”
“You can’t do that kind of thing forever, though,” Evan added. “On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.”
“Fight Club,” I chuckled.
Evan and Joshua’s eyes went wide. “Really? Youknowthat line?”
“Of course,” I said simply. “Young Brad Pitt? Are you kidding me? I’ve seen that movie more times than I can count.”
“Then you know that nothing’s sustainable forever,” Evan said admiringly. His rings clacked together as he crossed his steepled fingers. “Eventually we semi-retired. Rather than keep rolling the dice until we ended up pushing daisies, we decided to enjoy the future we’d worked so hard for.”
“And the one thing we all wanted most,” Joshua added, “was to raise a family.” His gaze dropped momentarily to where his child — or one of theirs, anyway — was slowly growing, deep in my womb. His smile was warm and genuine. “That’s where you come in.”
Silence descended for a few long seconds, and I was actually able to imagine it. The three of them, fighting their way across the world together. Cementing bonds. Building a brotherhood that ultimately led them here, to a big lonely mansion with no one to share it with. No friends. No family. They’d forsaken a normal life for an extraordinary one, and in the process, given up the chance at maintaining relationships that could lead to marriage, or children…
“So where does this guy come in?” I finally asked. “The one who’s looking for me?”
“He’s not looking for you, he’s looking forus,” said Cole. “But yes. He’s looking for youbecauseof us.”
My heart sank. A strange lump formed in my throat.
“And that puts you in a danger that’s totally unacceptable.”
Twelve
QUINN
Risk was something I was familiar with, but not this kind of risk. Not this kind of danger. It left my mouth dry as I sat there, trying not to show my fear or my frustration.
“Why is this all happening?” I finally asked.
The men looked at each other again. This time it was Joshua who spoke.
“As mercenaries we worked in the Middle East and North Africa primarily, but eventually took jobs in South America.” His voice grew solemn and a little more serious. “Toward the end, there was this mission. The mother of all missions, in fact. And things went… well, they sort of...”
“Spit it out,” Cole grunted.
