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My unexplained outburst catches everyone’s attention, and I’m met with confused faces.
“Sorry. The idea of Yuri getting Shep drunk triggered an old memory. A hilarious and disgusting one.”
“Fuck,” Shep groans, tossing his head back, eyes rolling to the ceiling.“Nooo. Not the hot dog again.” His exasperated tone renews my hysterics.
“Yes, the hot dog,” I choke out between cackles.
Shep’s angry facade breaks, and he joins me. His deep guffaws draw a similar reaction from the rest of the team, despite having no clue why they’re laughing. It’s an unwritten law of the universe that when someone in your presence doubles over in hysterics, the hilarity spreads like a contagion. And we need a quick tension break before the op.
Everyone laughs.
Except Tomer.
Andthisis why they tease him.
But maybe it’s his concern for Lettie that’s responsible for his current mood, rather than an aversion to fun.
“Focus, guys. We have a mission,” he admonishes everyone.
“Shh.” Shep flaps his hands, palms downward the way a kindergarten teacher would shush the class. “Chuck has a point.”
“Hey! Stop that.” I point my finger at Shep, ready to tear him a new one. Klein wraps his warm palm around my arm, gently holding me back.
Baffled by my abrupt one-eighty, Shep’s eyes bulge comically, and his jaw bobbles from side to side.
Getting us back on track, Aaron asks, “Klein said this was a hush-hush op, and you told us the girl isn’t a client. Since Boss isn’t here, can I assume he’s in the dark?”
I respond coolly, “Correct. And it stays that way until Lettie is safe. We’re asking for forgiveness this time, not permission.”
“Why?” Junior blurts out, not raising his hand this time.
“It’s complicated and irrelevant,” Tomer asserts, irritation overtaking his tone.
Junior shares another concerned look with the team. Kri fidgets in her chair, hand rubbing her right thigh.
Visibly calmer, Tomer adds, “We need to find her tonight. At all costs.”
Shep’s blue peepers widen, and he drops his chin to his chest. “All costs? On an op that Boss hasn’t authorized? And when it goes sideways, we’re on our own without Redleg’s attorneys or Big Al’s influence with law enforcement. This doesn’t feel right. Are you guys fucking for real?”
I nibble at my lip, contemplating how to handle this setback. The tight set of Tomer’s jaw and his clenching fists reveal his short fuse. Shep challenging him might flip his kill switch. If Shep bails, we’ll lose the other guys. He’s the linchpin.
Maybe we should tell them who she is.
Before I have the chance to act on the thought, Tomer bustles up to Shep and bows out his chest.
Rushing to intervene, I leap between them, facing Shep. “Listen, my guy, trust us on this one. It’ll all make sense in the end. Help us save her tonight and deal with the rest later.”
Jaw ticking, my old friend stares me down while contemplating my plea. Klein moves over, protectively flanking me. I’ll reflect on how hot that is later.
Silently, Shep glances at Kri, then toward the closed door, where Valerie sits on the other side. “I don’t know, Ghost. I have a family to consider now. Choosing to put my ass on the line for a random person isn’t as easy as it was before.”
Taking one last swing at it, I add a challenge, hoping to stoke his competitive nature. “If you guys do this right, there’s no need to worry about having Redleg’s official backing. Are you a team of badass operators or not?”
Shep fills his lungs with a deep inhale, then forcefully hisses it out through his teeth. Eyes trained on mine, he shakes his head minutely.
Dammit. He’s about to shut down the op. And I get it. He stands to lose more than most of us.
Frantically, I begin calculating a backup plan. Tomer and Klein could find the tangos one at a time while I hold down HQ. But I don’t like those odds.
