Chapter Twelve First Operative
Thorn
The following year passed in a whirlwind of emotional and professional ups and downs, long nights with little sleep and plenty of one-step-forward, two-steps-back moments.
Sloane Security Services was up and running under Thorn’s careful, pragmatic guidance, and combined with Tommy’s business sense and connections, they managed to break even by the end of the second quarter, with early projections suggested they’d see a substantial profit by year’s end.
Thorn had already begun joining veterans’ groups and online forums across the country, quietly searching for people who might be a good fit.
He avoided the loud or self-promoting types, the ones whose politics were plastered all over their profiles.
Instead, he looked for those who stayed quiet, people who posted the occasional dark-humor meme or calm, reasoned comment in the middle of heated debates.
Once someone caught his eye, he’d start digging, checking service records, reaching out to contacts in the military brass, and vetting every detail before adding them to his pile of potential candidates.
The day after Evie’s party, held after she finished her exams and received her grades, to celebrate her birthday, finishing her second year of Computer Science at the top of her class, and the start of her first summer internship with Sloane Tech in the Artificial Intelligence to her turning twenty-one, to her strength, and to her landing one of Sloane’s coveted summer internships, which he insisted had nothing to do with him.
To keep things fair, he’d handed the selection process to a committee of department heads, and Kara had stripped all identifying information from the applications before review, making it a blind evaluation based purely on merit, grades, and letters of recommendation.
Evie had pulled herself out of bed around two and helped Thorn and Nissa clean up, but Tommy had spent the entire day in bed, only getting up to eat dinner, which he threw up, then going back to bed, so the fact that it was now almost noon on Monday and Tommy was still suffering through his hangover was proof he had completely overdone it in showing off his excitement and pride over Evie’s accomplishments.
“Maybe you should try a little hair of the dog,” Thorn teased, flicking on the lights as he crossed the room to drop into the chair opposite Tommy’s desk, smirking when Tommy let out a low groan and buried his head in his arms.
“Never again,” Tommy muttered. “I’m done with alcohol. Consider me a teetotaler from this point forward.”
Thorn raised an eyebrow, fighting back a laugh as Tommy slowly straightened and glared at him through bloodshot eyes.
“This is your fault,” Tommy grumbled. “I tried to keep up with you.”
Thorn burst into laughter. At five foot eight, Tommy was over a full foot shorter and at least a hundred pounds lighter, making his attempt to keep up with Thorn’s alcohol consumption a very stupid choice.
Add in that Thorn came from a culture where rakija flowed at every celebration and drinking was practically a social art form, and it was clear he’d long ago learned how to hold his liquor.
For Tommy, the attempt had been borderline suicidal.
“I hope you have learned your lesson, then.” Thorn chuckled, sliding a folder across the desk. “In the meantime, I have found your next operative.”
Tommy reached for the folder, curiosity sparking in his bloodshot eyes. “Really? And you’ve already looked into him?”
Thorn nodded, smirking. He’d made a habit of chatting with the brass whenever Tommy met with military procurement or defense officials.
While Tommy discussed contracts and R she works as an administrative assistant at a thoroughbred breeding farm.”
“And you think she’ll be fine with him being a soldier for hire?” Tommy frowned, flipping another page. “He’d still be away for long stretches.”
“Not nearly as long as he would have been in the Army.” Thorn ran a hand through his shaggy, straw-blond hair and leaned back.
“He probably spent most of their relationship apart between deployments, training, and overseas rotations. I cannot blame her for not wanting to do that again. Plus, he has been struggling to find work since getting out, and she has been posting on social media, looking for ‘cheap things to do in New York.’ I’m guessing they would jump at the chance to make his annual Army salary in a couple of weeks. ”
Tommy paused, a slow smile crossing his face as he looked up at Thorn. “They’re in New York?”
“They are.” Thorn’s answering smile was almost smug. “Wright’s from Albany. They are spending their honeymoon upstate but will be in the city for three days before flying back to Kentucky on Sunday.”
**********
Tommy
“Are you sure they’ll be here?” Nissa murmured as they strolled through the Central Park Zoo. She paused at the sea lion enclosure, scanning the crowd gathering for the feeding.
“According to her Twitter feed, yes.” Tommy nodded, draping an arm casually around her shoulders and glaring at a man who was ogling her.
His relationship with Nissa was something he still couldn’t quite believe he’d gotten lucky enough to have.
Maybe that was why he sometimes found himself possessively guarding it, even though she’d made it clear she was happy and completely his.
“They watched the penguin feeding earlier,” he continued, pulling out his phone, “and her last photo was from this area.” He opened the app and showed Nissa Lana Wright’s Twitter feed. “She’s very excited about the sea lions.”
“Whooo, boy.” Nissa took the phone, scrolling back through the posts with an amused grin.
“I’ll say she is.” Handing it back, she scanned the crowd again.
“Judging by the pictures, they’re moving that way.
” She nodded toward the left, and they began weaving through the people.
“They shouldn’t be this hard to find, they’re both over six feet tall.
” She tapped her comms discreetly. “Thorn, do you see them?”
“Don’t look for him,” Thorn’s low rumble came through Tommy’s earpiece, nearly making him jump, he’d forgotten the big Serbian was shadowing them from a distance. “He’s used to blending in. The woman will stand out more.”
“Excellent point,” Tommy murmured. He pulled up a picture from Lana Wright’s page. “A tall, blonde like her won’t be hard to spot.”
Nissa’s elbow found his ribs. “Stop.”
“What? She looks more like a wrestler than an administrative assistant.”
“One o’clock,” Nissa said quietly, ignoring him. “They’re right there. You got them, Thorn?”
“Affirmative. How do you want to approach?”
Tommy rolled his eyes. They were acting like this was an extraction, not a meet-and-greet. “Oh, for the love of - watch and learn,” he muttered, cutting off their tactical chatter.
Ignoring Nissa’s protest, he slipped his hands into his pockets and strolled toward the couple. They were standing near the railing, watching as the zookeepers began tossing fish to the sea lions.
“Hi,” Tommy said easily, coming to a stop beside them. “How are you two enjoying New York?”
The woman blinked in surprise. “Uh, hi!” She smiled uncertainly, tightening her grip on her purse strap. “It’s been great so far.”
The man didn’t turn his head, but Tommy noticed the subtle tension in his shoulders, the stance of someone evaluating distance, exits, threats. Thorn had taught him how to spot that. The thought of him being seen as a threat was almost funny.
“That’s great.” Tommy smiled, pulling his hands out of his pockets to show they were empty. “If you like zoos, you should check out Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn. More animals, less crowding, and it’s right by the Audubon Center, makes a great day trip.”
“Thanks,” the man said curtly, eyes still forward. “We’ll keep that in mind.”
“Most people stick to Manhattan, Central Park, Fifth Avenue, all that,” Tommy continued, keeping his tone casual.
“But honestly, Brooklyn’s better. Fewer tourists, cheaper, and it still has all the charm of the city.
” He smiled and held out his hand. “But maybe I’m biased, it’s my hometown. Tommy Sloane.”
Cole let out a strangled sound and finally turned his head to look at Tommy, a spark of recognition flaring as his eyes widened. “Wait. Seriously?” He shook Tommy’s hand, chuckling in disbelief. “The Tommy Sloane? From Sloane Tech?”