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I folded up the sleeves of my shirt.
Everyone was accounted for.
Coach and Danny had made coffee.
I didn’t say no to that. I poured a mug for Elliott as well. He took his spot next to Coach by the whiteboard, so I sat down next to Crew and Mercier.
“Hey, man. How’s your hearing?” Crew asked.
“Good as new, almost. Just some minor ringing left. You?”
“All better.” He smiled, and it looked…awkward. Forced. Was he nervous?
“Let’s get started, everyone,” Coach said. “Before Elliott takes over, I just wanna say we have one Gulfstream headed for DC in two hours, and a Bombardier headed for Barcelona in about three. Danny, Em, and I will be on our way home. Greer and Cullen…?”
“Yeah, count us in,” Cullen said, glancing over at Crew. “Looks like my boy didn’t need to be rescued after all.”
“Heh.” Crew bit at a cuticle and cleared his throat. “I’m still hella humbled youse came. Annoyed as fuck, sure, but humbled. We needed your assistance with what the operation turned into.”
“Absolutely.” Mercier inclined his head. “My own method might’ve worked, but the cartel would’ve been back on its feet much quicker than it will now—if it ever sees the light of day again. I’m incredibly grateful.”
“It was a successful operation,” Elliott stated. “We got Shay back too, and he was obviously our priority. It’s good to see you in high spirits, kid.”
Shay smiled sleepily from where he was wedged between River and Reese on their couch.
“Now, Crew…” Elliott returned his attention to this couch, and Crew stiffened next to me. “I think we can all agree that you fucked up royally but did the right thing. Those of us who’ve been in the service know that doing the right thing isn’t always synonymous with following orders. Do I ever wanna see that behavior from you again? Abso-fucking-lutely not, but if it happens, I trust you to make the right call.”
Well put.
Cullen had something to say to his son too. “I think most of us have been in this situation before. Now’s when you get reprimanded by your superior—you take your punishment with a smile—and you also get the pat on your back for a job well done that won’t appear in any of the reports.”
“Because protocol must be followed,” Greer added with a slight smirk.
Elliott smiled a little and took a sip of his coffee. “You can help me rebuild my patio when we get home. That’s your punishment. But it’s mostly because I wanna see more of you. Ryan’s been lettin’ me know your confidence isn’t what it should be, so I don’t want you to get shit confused here, Crew. Making the right decision in the situation you were in would’ve set us back.”
“Our op in Colombia could’ve ended in disaster too,” Reese added. “But instead we had you bridging a gap between us and Mercier.”
Crew pinched his lips together and nodded once, and judging by the glassiness in his eyes, he was struggling to speak. The relief was clear, though. He’d needed to hear this, and he hadn’t been certain he would. He’d probably feared worse ramifications.
Sensing he was overwhelmed, I didn’t add anything to what the others had said, but I’d say my bit when everything was over. He’d made the call I wouldn’t have been able to make. Same with Ortega, who was desperate to see his wife again. We looked at things from another perspective, and emotional attachment kept us from doing what was strategically better sometimes.
“Shall we move on to the Fed?” Elliott drawled.
I glanced over at Mercier, who smiled wryly. He wasn’t precisely worried, unless he was hiding it well. To me, it was a done deal. He’d had his mission, and we had ours. He’d put his work first, as he should’ve, but he’d also assisted us to the best of his capability.
“There can’t be any beef,” Crew blurted out, then cleared his throat. “He’s done a lot for us, and as of a few hours ago, he ordered his partner to make sure we won’t have to face law enforcement when we go home. This applies to everyone who was at Elliott’s ranch, plus Dad and Uncle Greer. As far as anyone in the US is concerned, the Hillcroft guys weren’t involved at all. And also—he’s coming with us to Europe. He was supposed to go bring his son home from space camp, but he talked to his old man, who’s gonna surprise Jack with a museum tour in Texas, and—”
“Crew.” Elliott put a stop to Crew’s rant. “That’s…” He lifted his brows, presumably processing everything, and he let out a chuckle. “We definitely appreciate what he’s done. There’s no beef, so you can chill. It ain’t the first time field operatives have crossed paths out there, and it won’t be the last. Mercier knows this.” He paused and tipped his coffee mug at Mercier. “I’m only on the fence about Mercier till I know he’s good for you. Federal agents are…well…”
“Legit,” Coach said with a grin. “Fuckin’ government people.”
I leaned back and took a swig of my own coffee.
Mercier sighed. “You know who I’mnotgoing to listen to? Unruly little private contractors who can’t spell structure.”
“I’m not sure you can either.” River spoke into his coffee mug. “The Feds’ alphabet stops at B for bureaucracy.”
Everyone cracked up at that, including me, including Crew, who finally appeared to relax.
