AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He sucked his teeth and righted his suit, and I was sure he was uncomfortable as fuck. He was a grunt like his old man and me. He preferred combat gear.
To no one’s surprise, Cullen removed his helmet and placed it on Crew’s head. “Don’t argue with me, son.”
Crew didn’t argue. He let Cullen fuss a little bit before he smiled awkwardly and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “So this is my boyfriend. We haven’t gone on our first date yet, unless we count jumping out of an airplane and—”
“And we don’t count that, sweetheart.” Mercier stepped forward and extended a hand to Cullen.
Shitty timing for introductions of this…nature, and nobody had patience for pleasantries when we heard explosions and gunfire going off around us. But here we were.
Cullen shook Mercier’s hand and side-eyed Crew. “Isn’t he like my age?”
Crew snorted. “You wish. He’s old, but you’re decrepit.”
I smiled and shook Mercier’s hand next, and his sigh didn’t go unnoticed. “Welcome to the family. I’m Greer, Crew’s favorite uncle.”
Crew lifted his eyebrows. “I mean… Roe—”
“Shut the fuck up,” I told him. “I’m your favorite.”
He smirked. “You are.”
Damn right.
Mercier smiled politely at the exchange. “I will do my utmost to collect brownie points later, but I’m afraid we have to get going. Danny’s team is leading the way inside the main estate, and I don’t think we’ll find anyone of importance in there. I want to go back to Marco’s villa and search it again. I must’ve missed something last time.”
Then let’s go. I was with him. We were dealing with senior citizens; they couldn’t have made it all the way back here before Cullen and me—or Danny and Reese, for that matter.
CHAPTER 2
Joel Hayward
“Daddy?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“How much do you love me?”
Oh, I wasn’t falling for that again. I swooped her up and blew a raspberry on her stomach to the sound of her squealed giggles, and then I sprinted down to the water’s edge.
The sun was about to set over the horizon, but I didn’t have to go back to base just yet.
“Oh my gosh, no! No, Daddy!” she laughed. “We just got out of the water!”
“Well, last time you asked me that question, it cost me three scoops of ice cream, and you barely finished one. So I think I need to toss you in. Maybe you’ll think twice before you try to shake me down.”
“But I only want a popsicle!” She was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
“Oh.” I came to an abrupt stop, knee-deep into the water. “Why didn’t you just say so? Let’s go get a popsicle. I definitely love you that much.”
Her giggles came out all wheezy, and she clung to me. “You’re a dork, Daddy.”
* * *
Icame to a screeching halt and immediately lowered my rifle at the sight of three young boys and presumably their mother hiding in the bathtub, crying and shaking like leaves. I muttered that they should stay there before I closed the door to the bathroom again. Fuck me. We were the enemy to these people.
I just want my little girl back.
I ran into Elliott as he left the bedroom across the hall.
