Strike
“I’d feel a lot better if we weren’t standing in a lay-by and about to walk into a massive fucking trap,” Stal replied with a roll of his eyes.
“And he might not,” Millie uttered. The men grumbled. “I’ve spent too much of my life waiting to live, but I’m ready now. I want to decide my future.”
“But you don’t have to risk your own lives,” she told the group.
His mouth tipped up briefly.
Cam glanced between them, and Stal’s eyes pinched.
Millie pecked Strike’s cheek with a chaste kiss.
“But Stal,” she said, turning to him, “you have a baby. I understand why you don’t want to risk getting hurt, especially after what happened the other day. You need to be there for Jenny.”
Stal shook his head. “Mills, you’ve been amazing since the day I met you. You let me call you up and have counselled me for free. I’m all in. Besides, I’ll be in the van, so I’m not in as vulnerable a situation as the others. You deserve the best bodyguards.”
“I’ll always do what Strike wants. He’s my guru.
I like you, and your daily calls to Liss mean a lot to her,” Bear replied.
“Hopefully, she and Luke will arrive before we cause hell in that house. She’s on the end of the phone with Luke nearby.
She’ll call reinforcements or the police if we get to that. ”
“Which leaves you,” she said to Cam. “Your family are important. You can walk away whenever you want.”
Cam laughed. “I have two families: my blood one and these lads. I’ve gone to hell and back with them, and I’d do it again. Besides”—he shrugged—“the Deputy Prime Minister won’t let the future Queen’s brother get killed in his house.”
Stal rolled his eyes. “You think a lot of yourself, mate.”
Cam hugged him. “Someone’s got to, and it’s not going to be your grumpy ass.”
All but Millie laughed. “You’re doing it for Strike, too.”
They shook their heads like an orchestrated drama. “Nah. He’s a bellend.”
“Dicks,” Strike replied before pulling Millie’s knuckles to his lips and ghosting them with a kiss.
“Can I stop this for a second?” Cam announced. “Is no one going to mention the massive fucking elephant in the room?”
“You better not be calling me an elephant, Cameron,” Strike replied.
“You are acting weird, Strike,” Stal grunted.
Cam threw his hands in the air. “He’s being a sweetie! He’s not growling or scowling, and he’s madly in love. Why isn’t anyone talking about it?”
“What’s your point?” Strike glared.
“My point is that it’s the best news ever. I’ve longed for this day since I first met you, and now look at you.”
It was strange to laugh and tease when they were about face danger, but they were the same during the army days. Laughing was how they eased the tension, and as his therapist had told him, it was common for professionals facing traumatic situations.
“Of course we’d noticed, Cam. The guy has been the grumpiest for nearly ten years,” Bear added.
Strike held his hands up. “Hey—”
“That’s Stal’s title. Don’t be stealing the one thing he’s got going for him,” Cam said, elbowing Stal.
“That’s fair. My baby will learn eventually that nothing makes me smile.” Cam rolled his eyes at Stal’s reply. “Less attitude from you. I will remain grumpy for the rest of my life, so get used to it. We don’t want any more of this sweet shit.”
Millie interjected, “Even if your daughter grows up to be a bad-ass—"
“Which is likely with a dad like you,” Strike teased.
“You’re probably going to meet sweet mums and dads at the school gates, and one day, she might fall in love,” Millie broached.
“Not my girl. She’s going to stay single forever. She’s not talking to boys—"
“She might fall in love with a girl or someone non-binary.”
“She’s not talking to anyone, then. She only talks to me, my family, and you lot. Speaking of which…” Stal avoided their stares and kicked a stone with the toe of his boot. “This might be our last time doing this.”
All of them stared, but he avoided eye contact.
“What?” Strike asked.
“I’m selling my houses and moving. I’ve been offered a place with a lot of land where the rest of my family live.
I want to get out of the bodyguard game, at least for now.
Millie’s right. I have a baby to protect, and that incident a couple of days ago got to me.
My mum will be close and can help. I can’t rely on Strike’s parents forever. ”
“We’ll miss you.” Cam sighed.
Millie grabbed Stal’s hand and squeezed. “What does Jenny’s mum think?”
“I can’t find her. She’s completely disappeared. But I will eventually.”
The four of them nodded solemnly.
“Shit, man. You’re going to make me blub at this rate.” Cam hugged Stal, and soon, they all joined in.
After a couple of seconds, Stal cleared his throat noisily. Millie swore he wiped a tear away with the back of his finger. “Enough of this bullshit. Let’s sort out this bastard so Millie and Strike can have a future together.”
“Let’s get in that house and fuck some people up,” Bear added.
“I’ve studied the building over the last couple of days.” Strike had called in many favours, but it was worth it to obtain the floor plans and have photographs from every angle.
They nodded as one.
“Millie’s wearing a wire linked to a system Luke set up.”
“And I’ll be recording everything and listening from my van,” Stal replied.
“Right, lads,” Strike said. He straightened his back and squeezed Millie’s hand before letting go. He pushed his shoulders back. “Balls to the wall and stay alert. This one is for my sunset.”
They fist bumped each other, including Millie, and climbed into their vehicles.
This was it—do or die.