Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18
W arrick saw Dalton and Grant share a look and head his way. Dalton didn’t stop, he simply jerked his head to indicate Warrick should follow them. Warrick fell in line behind the two former pararescue jumpers. They walked in silence down the hall and out the back of the house. They stood on the brick patio looking out over a garden.
No one spoke for a solid minute.
“I was ordered to stand down,” Dalton finally said. “I argued with my commander then I refused to follow the order. I told my team I would do it myself, but they all agreed the order was garbage. Grant flew us out and when we arrived...”
“It was a right shitshow,” Grant filled in. “That politician should never have been sent there. Dalton saved him, but the whole thing stank.”
“Stank of a setup. The plan was for that politician to be dead. It was a hit job for sure.”
“Branson Ames,” Warrick said softly. “The politician. He worked for the State Department and was stationed with my father for a brief time.”
Dalton nodded. “That’s him. When we got back to the base, we were arrested. We were held with no phone access, no trial, nothing. We sat in a cell for over a month. We didn’t know Mitchell was dead until this little man with wire-rimmed glasses showed up and recruited me while letting the rest of my team go. In return for serving in this black ops group, I could make a difference again and not go to jail.”
“And you want me to trust this man?” Warrick asked sarcastically. “Why would I do that?”
“I talked to Branson months later. Thurmond Culpepper came in and told him he’d screwed up and fired him. They blamed Branson for the whole incident. Then a contract was put on his life. They were tying up loose ends. We hid Branson away in Peru until it was time for him to testify. Humphrey is the one who set it up and made sure Branson was safe.” Dalton turned to him and looked him in the eyes. “I’m telling you Humphrey and Birch are trustworthy, and it’s time to read them in.”
Warrick digested that information as he looked out over the countryside. Horses dotted the fields as a breeze blew by. “Let’s see what they needed Greer for, then I’ll decide.”
“Pragmatic answer,” Grant said. “You’d be a good fit for the President’s Guard, you know.”
“Greer has established it here in Keeneston. Right now, it’s not fully up and running,” Dalton told him. “We’re waiting on the election to determine the next phase.”
“How does the election play into it?” Warrick asked, wanting to know more about this group.
“It started with just Elizabeth, the first lady, and Val. I was brought in and then I dragged Grant into it when we needed a pilot we could trust. Abby and Dylan came next then Greer. There are a couple of newbies that Greer has trained who run a lot of the ops now. Birch is grooming Sutton Ramsey to be the next president. He believes he can trust her with our group. We don’t know who is running from the other party yet, but we’ve heard rumors. So, it depends on who runs and who wins. Since our lives are on the line, Birch will hypothetically speak with the winner to determine if the group can continue or not. He'll make the call before he leaves office. If we’re disbanded, he’ll pardon us all and we’ll go on our merry way. If not, he’ll bring in the next president for a meeting and we’ll go from there.”
“The first lady was part of the group?” Warrick heard the rest, and it made sense. But Tate Stratton was part of a black ops group?
“Yeah, she helped take down the media. She’s badass. So is Birch. You forget, he was military too.” Dalton patted Warrick’s shoulder. “I hope this makes you feel better about confiding in Birch and Humphrey.”
“It gives me more to consider. Thank you for telling me.”
“Now, how are you and Cassidy doing? I’ve heard there’s a wee bit of betting going on and I want in,” Grant asked with a grin.
“Sorry,” Cassidy said, walking out to join them. “But that’s between me and my hubba bubba.”
Grant smacked Dalton in the chest and grinned. “Hubba, as in hubby? Thanks for the hint.” Grant laughed and Dalton rolled his eyes before they headed back inside.
Cassidy was shaking her head with amusement as they walked by her. “How are you doing? That was a lot.”
Warrick took a breath and looked back over at the horses. Cassidy came up beside him and rested her head on his arm as she placed her arm around his waist. “I’m doing better than I thought. Getting answers helps with the pain of their deaths.” Warrick paused as a horse galloped by in the field below them. “I’m not used to having a team. I did everything myself. I feel rather useless at times now as if my mission is being taken away from me.”
“I understand, but it’s not being taken away from you. You will lead us and you will get your justice. We won’t take that from you. Use us as your tools to end the mission.”
“I never thought I’d have a team to help me solve my parents’ deaths. I never thought I could trust again, much less fall in love.” Warrick placed a kiss on Cassidy’s head and held her tight. She was becoming his heart and soul, and it scared him. What if he lost her like he lost his parents? “I want you to be safe. I can’t lose you, sweetheart,” he admitted to her.
“I’m very sneaky. You can’t escape me, so there’s no way for you to lose me.”
Warrick laughed and pulled her closer to his side. “What now?”
“Now we get some food and,” Cassidy yawned, “and get to bed early.” Then she winked at him and smacked his ass before sauntering inside.
Warrick laughed and took one last look out at the farm. It was truly peaceful here. He couldn’t believe this was the same place a woman blasting Celine Deon power ballads drove a Hummer armed with a flame thrower into the middle of a battle and mowed down bad guys left and right. Maybe Keeneston really was his kind of town. It was definitely full of his kind of people, and most importantly, Cassidy.
“Yeah, spending the evening with Cassidy is not happening,” Cy said, crossing his arms. Warrick almost jumped. Where the hell did he come from?
“Don’t think you have a say in what Cassidy and I do or don’t do.”
Cy smirked. It wasn’t an amused smirk. No, it was a smirk straight from a Stephen King novel. Warrick was impressed and slightly envious. He didn’t have the menacing smirk down. He had the “isn’t it funny that I’m going to rip your balls off and feed them to you” smirk down, so that’s what he gave Cy.
“Oh, young’un, you have so much more to learn. Good thing Uncle Cy is here to teach you. Speaking of which, the brothers want a word.” Cy tossed his arm around Warrick’s shoulder and pulled him around the side of the house where Miles, Marshall, Cade, Cole, and Pierce stood.
“What’s going on?” Warrick asked, having a feeling he’d been ambushed.
“It’s not our place to interfere,” Pierce said, completely interfering. “But, it’s time to be honest here.”
Warrick didn’t say anything. He waited. They’d tell him eventually what they wanted.
“The fact of the matter is you’re not ready for dinner at our parents’ house on Saturday night,” Marshall finally told him.
Warrick raised an eyebrow. Why did everyone think he wasn’t ready for some dinner?
“See,” Miles said, “we started this little tradition of testing the guys our sister, Paige, dated.”
Cole shook his head. “Yeah, let me tell you. It’s not fun.”
“Then why did you do it?” Warrick asked. “You’re a grown man. You can say no.”
“Simple,” Cole said with a shrug. “I love Paige and, if proving myself to her family as someone who can go toe-to-toe with her or them does it, I’ll do it. You’ve been in the military. You know hell week. What is the true reason of hell week and what results from it?”
“Weed out the ones who don’t fit the program and it builds loyalty, trust, and comradery with your fellow soldiers,” Warrick said, suddenly understanding what was going on. “Why are you helping me? Shouldn’t you be setting up tests to see if I can pass muster?”
Pierce cleared his throat. “That’s on me. It’s because we, um, like you.”
“You like me? You don’t know me.”
Cy chuckled as he looked at his brothers who all smirked and Miles even rolled his eyes, which was just strange to see.
“You’re saying even after we found you and had to practically give you a road map to asking Cassidy out?” Marshall asked with a chuckle.
“Yeah, we wouldn’t go through that trouble if we didn’t like you. You came on our radar when you helped Kale out,” Cy told him. “Then when I saw you outside the café the other month, I knew you cared about Cassidy.”
“And that’s what matters to us,” Pierce told him.
“We know Cassidy,” Miles told him. “She needs someone to put her first. You do that.”
“And you need someone to put you first,” Cade told him. “And she does.”
“See?” Pierce said with a smile. “You’re the perfect couple.”
“But,” Cole said with a roll of his eyes to his brothers-in-law, “some men aren’t the best with acts of romance. That’s why I’m here. To help you woo the woman of your dreams.”
The brothers all groaned and Marshall punched Cole in the shoulder.
“Don’t ever take romance advice from Cole. That’s lesson number one,” Miles said. “Paige still hasn’t forgiven him for the vacuum cleaner he gave her.”
“The point is, our sons and nephews take the lead on these bonding activities when boyfriends come into the pictures,” Pierce explained. “And while Cassidy sometimes disappears and is on the fringe of things, they’re very protective of her. She’s the last of them to be married.”
“Did you forget about Cricket?” Marshall asked with a chuckle.
“She’s in kindergarten. I think we have some time before I need to worry about her.”
Warrick smiled, thinking of the little girl who very much reminded him of Cassidy. “Exactly what do you want of me?” Warrick finally asked.
“You never go into a mission blind. We’re here to give you the rundown on family dinner,” Miles told him. “We made you a dossier.”
Warrick took the folder that Cy handed him. He opened it up and read the reports. “Psych evals, strengths, weaknesses, and a layout of . . . is this an obstacle course?”
“It’s a skills course more than an obstacle course,” Cade told him. “Now, ready for some practice?”
“I already had some practice this morning. I’m good,” Warrick told them, looking over the skills he’d be tested on.
The brothers groaned again. “Look, we know you think you’re a hotshot, but you’re not,” Cy told him.
“I never said I was. I just think I’ll do okay with this.”
“Okay is not an option. You need to excel.” Pierce shook his head. “Cassidy won’t respect a significant other if he can’t hold his own with her family.”
Warrick looked at the five earnest faces. “Sure. Teach me.”
“Great, have you held a knife before?” Cy asked.
Warrick was beginning to seriously rethink how badass the uncles were when suddenly Miles took him to the ground and a knife was at his throat. “You have to be aware at all times.”
Crap. Now who looked like the amateur? “You’re right. I underestimated the situation. It won’t happen again, sir.”
Miles grunted and stood up. He held out his hand and Warrick took it. Maybe he did need a little work. They did run a top-notch training center after all. “We don’t have time to teach you everything. We should get together Sunday, if you survive dinner, at the training center,” Miles told him.
“A little intergenerational challenge,” Cy said with a smirk. “I like it. But first, let’s see how you handle yourself.”
Warrick finally finished working out with the Davies brothers and began to walk home. They’d moved to the security center and put him through the most basic old-school drills, which, he had to admit, he was a little rusty at. It hadn’t been his best showing, but he was determined to memorize the file and have a good showing at the dinner.
Cassidy had texted him to find out where he’d gone. He’d told her he was doing some research and would be back in time for dinner. Now he was coming back sweaty and exhausted.
“Yoo-hoo!”
Warrick turned to see a minivan full of the Davies wives pull up to him. Tammy was driving and Annie, the redhead, stuck her head out the window.
“Good evening, ladies.”
“Oh, it’s not such a good evening,” Annie said, frowning.
“It’s not?” Warrick asked.
The door in the back slid open and Paige stuck her head out. “Oh, no sweetie. See, we heard you’re coming to family dinner. And well, Tammy needs this win badly. You need some work. How are you at withstanding interrogations?”
“I think I’m pretty good, but I’ve never been caught so I wouldn’t know. And what win is that?” Warrick asked, turning to Tammy.
“I have five kids, Warrick. Five. Everyone else has all their kids married and no matter what, I’ll still have twenty more years until all my children are happily settled. But I could get one step closer with you. You’re a son to me already. I see how much you love Cassidy, and as a mother that’s all I want. So, we need to help you with family dinner.”
“How are you at shooting?” Paige asked.
“Pretty good, ma’am,” Warrick told her. He was more than pretty good if he was honest.
“Hop in, let’s find out.”
“I’m supposed to meet Cassidy for dinner,” Warrick said, looking longingly down the lane.
“Get in,” Annie snapped.
“Yes, ma’am.” Warrick knew better than to argue at this point.
Warrick got into the minivan. Miles’s wife turned to face him as he took a seat in the back between Marshall’s wife, Katelyn, and Cy’s wife, Gemma.
“What is your specialty?” Warrick asked Morgan.
“Interrogator,” she said with a smile that Miles probably taught her.
“And you?” he asked Gemma.
“I ask all the really embarrassing questions.”
“I don’t know what kind of embarrassing questions you could—”
“How many women have you slept with? Do you always use a condom? No dick cooties for my niece, thank you,” Gemma spouted off, causing Warrick to shift uncomfortably.
“Understood, ma’am.” He turned to look at Katelyn, worried about what she’d do. “And you?”
“I’m the doctor. Well, vet, but you’re about the size of a donkey, so we figured it would work. Annie can get a little carried away sometimes in her torture thingy.”
Warrick swallowed to try to wet his dry throat. He had said Keeneston was his kind of town, and it was, except when they were threatening him. And the uncles thought the aunts weren’t scary. Ha.
Paige shoved a gun in his hand when they reached the back part of the farm. Told him what to shoot and then proceeded to give him a master class while Morgan kept peppering him with questions about his finances, his ethics, his job, his missions, and his opinions on this and that. When she took a breath, Gemma started with questions asking how he was dealing with his parents’ death, how many friends did he had growing up, what kind of student he’d been, and what his stance was on feminism and a woman’s place in a relationship. Meanwhile, Annie would attack him with various knives and the worst, needles that she managed to stick up under one of his nails when he forgot to pay attention to her when Gemma asked if he was a giver or a receiver.
Tammy sat, quietly listening as she knitted. Occasionally she’d ask him specific questions regarding Cassidy. Her favorite color, what foods she liked, her favorite movies compared to his favorites.
Then just like that, it was over.
Tammy patted his cheek. “Such a nice young man. You’re perfect for my Cassidy.”
They hopped into the minivan and took off with a wave and a “See you Saturday!” as if they hadn’t just left him speechless, feeling as if his soul had been turned inside out, and strangely loved all at the same time.
He was about to start walking back to the cottage when a state trooper’s cruiser appeared. Great. What now? The front window rolled down. “Get in, fam.”
“Am I being arrested now?”
The man with the tight cut and smiling face shook his head. His umber skin had a short cut beard growing. “Nah. I just had a feeling you’d need this.”
He handed a closed mason jar filled with amber looking liquid. “Iced tea?”
“Sure. Let’s call it that. Drink up. It’ll help to process your day.”
“Thanks, trooper.”
“DeAndre Drews. You met my wife, Aniyah, and babies already.”
Warrick smiled. “That’s right. She’s really nice and your kids are adorable.” Warrick took a sip of the tea and couldn’t hide his shock. “I thought you said this was tea.”
“There’s tea in it, it’s just more bourbon than tea. Like I said, I had a feeling you’d need it.”
Warrick took a deep drink and relaxed back in the seat. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I think you’re my new best friend, DeAndre.”
DeAndre chuckled. “If I wasn’t before, I will be in a minute. I thought of a way for you to flush out who is after you.”
Warrick lowered his mason jar. “How would I do that?”
“For that, we need to talk to Mo.”