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Caleb scoffed. “You going to be working on that thing all day?”
I didn’t turn around. I loved Caleb and Worth, they were like brothers to me. But I didn’t have the patience for their sarcasm at the moment. I was immersed in my comfort zone. When I was working on a bike or flying a plane, I was in my happy place, completely wrapped up in my element.
“For your information, this is what I consider fun,” I said.
“Just leave him alone,” Worth said. “If he’s enjoying himself, that’s all that matters.” He paused. “That’s what all the chick magazines say, at least.”
I flicked my gaze up to Worth who was standing above me in my crouching position. “Thanks.” My voice was dry.
“No problem.” He rubbed his knuckles against my blond buzz cut, then cupped his hand over my shoulder and squeezed. “If you change your mind, you know where to find us.”
“No, I don’t know where to find you,” I said. “I’m not a mind reader.”
Caleb rolled his eyes and shifted his weight, the epitome of impatience. “We’ll be at the beach, dude. Where else would we hang out on a bright, sunny day like this?”
“Okay.” I shook my head. Caleb was walking to the beach for one purpose; to check out sexy women in flashy, revealing bikinis. I understood his desire, but for now I wanted to give my baby some well-deserved attention.
Caleb was a special kind of guy. He never allowed anyone to tamper with his emotions. He kept them at bay, tucked into the cobwebs of his mind. Worth and I had known him long enough to know better, and to understand that there was so much more under the shield of his gruff demeanor.
He was a softy, a big ol’ teddy bear under those layers of the tough guy badass vibe he tried to put out. He would take a bullet for either one of us, I was certain of that. He was a loyal friend and a fierce military police officer. He wouldn’t bow down to anyone, and I had to respect and honor the man for that. All three of us took our jobs seriously, it was just in our hardwiring. Caleb was different. It was more than a job for him, it was part of his personality, part of his way of life.
Worth and I also shared a special bond, given the fact that we were co-pilots. There was nothing I relished more than being up in the air, soaring through the clouds like a bird. Worth and I had shared our ups and down, whether it be planted on solid ground or up in the sky. The job could certainly become stressful on occasion, in the blink of an eye. For the most part, we were at home when we were in our pilot seats, laughing and giving each other a hard time even though we meant well underneath it all.
But man, sometimes I just wanted time to myself.
I watched them walk away. Soon, they disappeared altogether. At least for a little while, I could savor in some peace and quiet. I took a deep breath and plucked my sunscreen from the sidewalk beside my chopper. My shoulders and back were already turning a light shade of pink. As I touched my hand to my hot skin, I knew I probably needed to lather up post haste. No one wanted a wicked burn to ruin a perfectly awesome trip to Miami.
While I applied sunscreen, I took a few seconds to sit back and glug down my water. The liquid was refreshing and ice cold sliding down my throat, instantly cooling me. I wiped the beads of sweat that had begun to pop up on my forehead with the back of my gloved hand.
I glanced around. The parking lot was cramped and small-scale, packed to the brim with cars. There were a few pedestrians walking across the sidewalk on the other side. Most of them were carrying hot pink flamingo floats and alligator floats, pushing beach coolers for a fun day in the sun.
I picked up the cloth to finish up the cleaning process on the chopper when something moving caught the corner of my eye. I curiously turned my head in the direction the activity was coming from.
There were three teenagers loitering around the outside of the building. They were smoking cigarettes and laughing. One of them was skateboarding across the edge of the pavement where the sidewalk jutted up a few inches.
It was all normal annoying kid stuff, but something was… off with them. One of the teens was wearing gray skinny jeans and black Converse sneakers. He had on a dark purple hoodie which was way too warm for this weather. He glanced around the corner suspiciously, before walking away.
These kids looked like they were up to something. I pretended to be engaged in my motorcycle cleaning, but I kept a close and watchful eye on them.
After a few more minutes, they began to walk in my direction. Deliberately, I turned and stared right at them, letting them know I saw them and that I wasn’t intimidated. I was a muscular guy. I wasn’t wearing a shirt and I had that classic military buzz cut. To a sprinkling of lanky teenagers, I might have come off in an intimidating way even with a smile. For the best effect, I scowled at them as they hurried past me cautiously.
“Come on,” the one with the long hair instructed as he and his friends breezed past me. “Let’s get out of here.”
I didn’t know their agenda, but their shenanigans weren’t going to happen around here, not on my watch. I watched them scamper away nervously. A pleased smirk cracked the edges of my lips. This day might turn out to be more interesting than I had initially anticipated.
Chapter 6 - Caleb
“Check out those hot chicks in the red bikinis.” I subtly nudged my chin in the direction of the shore, right where the waves crashed to the sand in a plume of white foam.
Worth gave me a sly look. “I dare you to go talk to them.”
I scoffed. “You dare me?” I shook my head and squinted as I looked out to sea. “What is this, fifth grade?”
Worth laughed and propped himself up on his elbows on his Air Force beach towel. “I don’t know. Sometimes you act like you’re in grade school.”
“Well, if it is, I have a crush on those hot chicks in the red bikinis.”
“I don’t know, man, they look too young for us. Not fishing in a cradle, if you know what I mean.”
