36. Chapter 36
Chapter thirty-six
Warlock
I’m a free man.
Being out of the crosshairs is an incredible feeling. Although relief and oppressive guilt battle for dominance as I struggle to accept it.
My first stop after leaving my JAG’s office is my dad’s house. I want to get that done and out of the way so I can focus on explaining things to Tallahassee, which is a longer, far more important conversation.
When dad sees me on his doorstep, he yanks me into his chest and gives me a bone-crushing hug. It takes great effort to ignore his emotional response, so it doesn’t trigger my own.
The dog, Lady, is looking better. Some of her fur has grown back in fluffy tan clumps, but it’s still impossible to determine what sort of dog she is. I let out a hearty laugh when dad informs me he’s decided to keep her. Tallahassee was right. She was a foster fail from the start.
“Have you talked to Tallahassee yet?” he asks, ten minutes into our visit.
“No, I came here first. She’s my next stop.”
He hooks my arm and hurries me toward the door. “Well, go. Get out of here. We can catch up later.”
I appreciate his enthusiasm, but I’m not optimistic it’s well-founded.
He stops me at the door, his tone serious now. “Darren?”
“Yeah, Dad?”
“Do whatever it takes to bring her home to you.” He clamps a hand on my shoulder, giving me a stern look. “Whatever it takes, son.”
I nod. “That’s my plan.”
My phone pings with an incoming text. Dad and I glance at each other as I pull my phone out to read the message. “I’m being called to the base.”
“Spin up?” Dad asks.
“I’m not sure,” I reply with a shrug.
Dad pulls me in for another hug. “If you are being spun up, be careful, son.”
After divesting myself of my phone, I hesitate outside the team room door. The last time I was here, my security code was rejected. There’s a surge of relief when I enter my code and the locks disengage.
My teammates are already assembled inside.
“There he is!” Pony calls when I enter the room.
They swarm me. Greeting me with broad smiles, fist bumps, and back-slapping hugs.
“We missed you, man,” Hawk tells me.
“Hasn’t been the same without you,” Ricochet chimes in.
“Good to have you back, Warlock,” the commander greets me as he enters the room, the slightest grin tugging at his mouth.
My teammates begin whooping and enthusiastically drumming on the table.
“Good to be back, sir,” I respond with a smile when the commotion dies down.
“I hope you enjoyed your little sabbatical,” he says, sardonically. “Because we’ve got one hell of a mission for you.”
My smile is broad. “All in all the time.”