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Honor, Duty, and the Relentless Pursuit of Justice.
"So," I said, exhaling. "I guess this is how it starts."
Asher and Miguel flanked me. "It's gonna pan out, Reed. We got a feeling."
So did I.
But even with all of our guts combined, none of us sensed just how much our lives were about to change.
5
Grizzly
2021, The Present Day
"Man, some of these clients,"Paladin drawled, his head still on the table. "I swear I'd rather do Hell Week all over again than get proof their spouses are cheatin' on them."
I didn't blame him for his lukewarm response to the new case file I held out. The last month had been slow.
It was actually the slowest year we'd had. Back when Trident opened, we'd catapulted into one exciting case after the other.
But that could be because we'd been open to traveling the whole country back then. Right now, I needed to hold the fort down in Oakmont.
Among other things, the persistent remnants of a flare-up in my thigh had made movement difficult.
The bullet wound had long subsided, but things that deep are usually never content with superficial scars.
They need to maim you from the inside out, even if slightly.
Most of all, though, my ex-wife had become an absolute nuisance in the past year.
From disappearing on our kid to blaming me for everything that was wrong with her third marriage, there was no end to what she could pull.
What annoyed me was that she still refused to send Leia to live with me.
Her grounds held reason—why would a feisty pre-teen share an apartment with her dad and his buddies?
It didn't make a good premise, so I never pushed it. Plus, maybe it was all for the best.
Leia needed stability, and living an ex-SEAL's life meant dangers would keep cropping up.
"What's this one about, then?" Thunder yawned as he sipped his lukewarm coffee.
"Some business tycoon convinced his wife is secretly dating her best friend. I mean, the man's away almost the entire year. What marriage survives that?"
Thunder scowled at Paladin. He backtracked immediately.
""I mean—"
"No sweat," I replied, turning my back to the two of them, "but it's still work. And if we don't get anything better this year, we gotta make do with what we have."
The door burst open, and a swanky man stepped in, along with a theatrical gust of wind. Rolex on his wrist. Armani shoes.
This has to be good.
Something about the air around this man told me he wasn't one of the good 'uns.
He looked like the kind who'd encourage you to fall off a cliff and then tell the world he couldn't believe you'd make such a foolish choice.
