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Kri cuts him off, casting a finger in front of his face. “But nothing. We don’t have time to have a pissing match. If I do this, it’s safer for the entire team. Let my dick be bigger this once. I’ll be fine.”
“But I won’t be there to protect you.”
Kri’s body sags, her head lolls backward, and she rolls her shoulders like she’s slinking out of a smelly coat. “Oh, spare me the caveman crap. The team will have my six. And I can handle myself. I’ll carry a weapon if you’ll relax.”
Shep looks to Tomer and Mia, expression questioning. “Do we know if this bar has a metal detector or bag check at the door?”
“They don’t,” Mia answers immediately.
A sense of pride fills my chest. Answering without delay means she already thought of that. If I didn’t already know she was a speedy little genius, I would now.
Shep blows out another hissing breath— literally having a hissy fit— and nods, reluctantly agreeing. Kri raises on her tiptoes and plants a kiss on him.
He cups her cheeks. “If anything happens to you, I’ll tan your hide.”
My eyes shoot wide, but I school my expression. I’msurehe’s kidding. Right?
“Promises, promises,” she taunts him.
Oh boy. Maybe he’s not kidding.
I wonder if I could ask him about…
Tomer cuts off my musings. “Okay, gear up, guys. Everyone on full comms with chest cams. Mia and I will monitor from here and feed you real-time intel. I want wheels spinning in five minutes.”
For the hundredth time tonight, a nagging sensation coils in my gut. At first, I thought it was the typical nerves over the upcoming op. Then I rationalized it away as wondering about Tomer and Lettie.
Jonesy, Aaron, and Junior file out of the lair to head to the armory room. I know I should follow, but this distraught feeling isn’t relenting. My feet drag.
Dread and powerlessness have teamed up with paranoia and planted a bomb in my gut.
Then realization hits me like a brick to the skull.
I’m worried about my mother.
Duh.
Usually, I’m better at separating home worries from work stress. But with her condition progressing at the rate it has been lately, it tracks that my focus heading into an op is sketchy.
Fan-flipping-tastic.
I stepped out to call Gloria earlier. She had to go home for a while but would return to ensure Ma gets to sleep safely.
“Go, Klein. Clock’s ticking,” Tomer snaps at me, causing irritation to blend in with the uneasy bomb already taking root in my midsection.
My feet drag me toward the door as I pull out my phone, quickly swiping to check the interior camera feeds at Ma’s house.
Mia’s soft voice tears my gaze off the screen. “Cal, I’ll walk you out.”
Nodding slowly, I glance through the images until I find my mother. She’s peacefully reclined on the couch with a book on her chest. Must have fallen asleep while reading. Along with puzzles, she’s been reading a lot lately in hopes of it keeping her mind sharp. A quick check of her vitals on the other app shows a steady heart and respiration rate.
The tension melts off my shoulders at knowing she’s safe and well.
For now.
But what if something happens to me on this op? Or what if she needs me and I can’t get to her?
Pulling in a deep inhale, I slip my phone into my back pocket and trail Mia out the door. We pass Kri and Shep, who speak quietly to Valerie in the cubicle.
