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“We did. It’s almost four. Court’s done for the day. Now it’s back to training the ’youngins.”
Ty thought it was amusing that Dana kept calling him young when he was only a few years older than him. He stood there with Dana while Kell kept walking toward the SUV. It sounded like the bosses were talking with Ford about a large bond he’d just posted for a first-time offender, so Ty hung back. Automatically, his eyes roamed to Kell. He was leaning against the back of the vehicle with his head bowed.
“Cool guy, isn’t he?” Dana said out of the blue.
Ty didn’t have to turn his head to know Dana was talking about Kell. “Yeah, he is.”
“When Quick said he wanted to bring Kellam in we were all skeptical at first because—”
Ty turned and faced Dana with a stern expression, cutting off his sentence, “If you’re about to tell me something negative about Kellam, you can keep it to yourself.”
“Whoa. Damn, man.” Dana put his hands up. “First of all, that’s not what we do in this family. I’m not talking behind Kell’s back because I’ve already told him to his face; that I was skeptical of meeting anyone Quick had personally trained. Because it meant they could most likely kick my ass.”
Ty laughed, giving Dana a look of understanding. Watching Kellam in Jake’s gym had been unreal. Growing up where he had, he hadn’t met another trained, disciplined fighter. “He really is something.”
“Mmmhmm.”
Ty heard the undertone in Dana’s murmured ‘mmmhmm’. “I didn’t know you were gay, Tyrell. I don’t even think Brian knows.”
“That’s because he doesn’t know me. Brian knew my father. Not me.”
“Let him tell it, you two are one in the same.” Dana tilted his head. “Fiercely loyal, were the words he used.”
“I guess I could say the same about you and Ford? I didn’t know.” Ty flipped the conversation back on Dana.
“Shit. I didn’t either. I was always bisexual. But I was caught up with another female when I realized Ford was it, ya know. He was the one.”
“How long you been dating?” Ty figured it was fresh, because Ford was all over Dana in that truck earlier. New romances were always exciting and full of heat. Every touch more urgent than the last.
“Almost three years. We moved in with each other not long after making it official.” Dana smiled.
Years! Living together?! “You two aren’t married?” Ty asked, hardly able to hide his shock.
“Hell no, man! I said three years, not ten.” Dana looked at his bosses. “If any one of us was to get hitched first, it’ll probably be Duke.”
“Why would you say that?” Ty was curious to understand their way of thinking, because none of what Dana was saying aligned with what he’d been taught. These men claimed to have someone precious to them, a partner in life. Then why leave them unprotected out of wedlock? Ty had presumed the guys were either divorced or single—a result from working a dangerous job—since none of them wore wedding bands. He didn’t know they all had someone special in their lives.
Dana shrugged as if it didn’t really matter. “Well, because he has the youngest partner. Quick’s son, Vaughan, is thirty-three and I think he’s hinted at marriage to Duke. They been together almost four years.”
Four years! Ty didn’t know what was going on. Are these guys doing time? All these men were claiming to be in love and in relationships… without the security of marriage. Were none of these strong men willing to humble themselves to receive the peace of matrimony? Ty realized then, that he’d learn from these men, train with them, but he’d determine what lessons he took into his soul and what he discarded.
“Kell’s a beautiful man,” Dana said, watching Ty closely.
Ty leveled a look at his new coworker. A look that may’ve warned Dana to be careful what he said next.
Dana scoffed at him. “Like I thought.”
“Problem?” Ty asked calmly. He knew Dana had seniority and was technically his superior, which was the only reason he was letting him have his say. It was clear he’d noticed the change in temperature between him and Kell as well. Looked as if they all had. Did he and Kell think they could fool men who were intelligence officers in the Special Forces?
“You tell me,” Dana threw back at him.
He was already done with this conversation. He didn’t play guessing games. If any of them wanted to question him directly, then he was right there. “It’s all good.”
“That’s all I need to know. We don’t care who you’re sleeping with. This ain’t the police department. Just make sure you show up and do your job. Make sure you keep your personal shit at home,” Dana told him.
Ty could respect that.
Dana waved to his team, throwing both hands in the air. “Ya’ll gonna stay out here in the parking lot picking meat ’outta’ya teeth all afternoon? Or are we gonna snatch Memphis’ sneaky ass up real quick so I can go home. Thank you.” He finished by hopping back into the passenger seat of his and Ford’s truck.
