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Neither could Adrien.
Dad just grinned. I knew he was fucking with me, and it was working, goddammit.
He’d been trolling me the whole flight—since I’d stupidly admitted I was nervous to face the others. I didn’t know if they were pissed at me. Or worse, disappointed.
The truths came out in the debrief. The danger had passed, and now the superiors laid into the poor grunts, all the shit they’d done wrong. Such as disobeying orders and going AWOL. Maybe I’d lose my job. Shit.
I swallowed my nerves and started bouncing my knee.
Adrien put a hand on my leg, and I blew out a breath.
He dipped down and spoke into my ear. “Everything’s going to work out, sweetheart. I’d like to think the way you shook me down in front of my partner sweetens the deal for your unit.”
I bit my thumbnail, hoping he was right. I’d done my best—and Adrien had delivered instantly. The man had power. And cooperating with someone from a government agency clearly worked in our favor sometimes. I’d asked him to “work his magic” and get law enforcement off our backs when we got home. Since, like, they wanted to know where we’d been.
Even so, having a lightbulb moment didn’t mean I’d actually done anything. That was all Adrien.
“At least they’re fans of you,” I replied.
“They’re fans of you as well, Crew.”
We’d see.
Adrien hugged me to him, and I forced myself to breathe out and relax. I closed my eyes and buried my face against his neck. How he managed to smell delicious after the forty-eight hours we’d had here was a mystery.
“I guess they’re kinda cute together.” Dad’s words were almost lost over the noise of the engine. “I can’t wait to tell Peyton our boy is datin’ someone her age.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“Please tell me that’s not true,” Adrien said quietly.
I chuckled, because I couldn’t help it, and I peered up at him. “Mom totally locked him down right outta high school.” Not that Dad had been that much older. “It’s a funny story. I’ll tell you one day. I was born a year later.”
Adrien closed his eyes and rested his forehead to mine. “It’s going to be a lifetime of age jokes, isn’t it?”
I smiled. “So we’re on the same page—that’s good. We’re aiming for a lifetime.”
Yeah, I was too fucking adorable for him to stay grumpy at. He opened his eyes again, and he smiled too. All sexy and crap.
* * *
Elliott Jones
I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling.
With how little sleep we’d gotten, I should be fucking dead to the world right now. Instead, I was listening to Joel’s quiet sniffles—and the squeaky pipes that always protested in this corner of the building when someone was in the shower room.
I’d heard the return of Emerson, Mathis, Crew, the Finlays, and Mercier.
Danny had been there, waiting for his man.
The sun was about to rise.
My heart hurt.
I rubbed at the spot and screwed my eyes shut.
“I was talking about Blake, you stupid fuck.”
