Chapter 9
Sweat rolled into Max’s eyes as he concentrated on the tangle of wires. Tracing the most important pathways on the explosive device, he forced himself to breathe slowly and take his time. Rushing led to dangerous results.
With that said, he was acutely aware that the timer now held less than thirty seconds.
Soon, he would have to take his best guess if he didn’t figure out which wire would disarm the bomb.
There! Max spotted a pink-striped wire leading to the ignition.
Without debating his decision, Max snipped the pliers closed, severing the target.
The glowing numbers on the timer disappeared.
Max exhaled a breath and watched the display. He continued to count down in his mind. When he reached zero, nothing happened.
“Thank God. Do you like waiting until we’re all having a heart attack before going eeny meeny miny moe?” Koa demanded.
“Weren’t you considering becoming an explosives expert?” Max asked as he rolled his neck to relax his muscles. The youngest member of the team would need a few more years of instruction to be ready to slough off the pressure, forget the clock, and focus exclusively on the timer.
“Yeah. Think I can do it?”
“With the right experience and training, sure,” Max said confidently. “I’ve done this for a while.”
Koa nodded and looked at the bomb. “Was that a close one?”
“Not remotely.”
“You are more cold-blooded than Hank,” Koa said, mentioning the team’s sniper.
“Hank’s not cold-blooded. He is an expert at calculating angles and distances as well as taking into account the effects of wind and rain. His ability to remain still for hours is legendary,” Max said.
“Aw, you’re making me blush,” Hank said with a grin.
Max enjoyed seeing Hank joke with the team.
Their sniper had joined a couple of years back.
Max had said nothing to Caden, the team chief, but Max had noted how the marksman had kept himself apart from the others.
Something had happened on his last team.
Max had dedicated himself to involving Hank in their activities.
Of all the team, Max was closest with Hank.
They’d been the last two without a little girl as the others had found their perfect women.
To his surprise, with every teammate that became a couple, Hank had melded more into the group.
Not having a little girl didn’t push him away, but had pulled Hank into the fold.
At lunch, Caden looked at him directly and asked, “Who’s the woman?”
“I think she’s my little girl,” Max confessed.
Congratulations rocketed toward him from everyone.
“Thanks. She’s my art teacher,” Max shared.
“You mean the one that made you strip the first night? That’s literally a ballsy way to impress women,” Zale, their medic, said.
“Is that what caught her eye?” Koa asked, trying to sound innocent and failing miserably when he burst into laughter.
“It’s a figure drawing class, assholes,” Max reminded them. “Everyone takes their turn. After the second class, she panicked when someone pounded toward us out of the blue, loudly like they were attacking. She was a bystander during a bank robbery and hasn’t healed from that trauma.”
“I’m glad you were there,” Jerico said.
“Me, too,” Max agreed. “I have no doubts. She’s my little girl.”
“Do you think she’s ready to meet Aspen, Pippa, Giana, and Brooklyn?” Caden asked, listing the little girls who had matched with Jerico, Zale, Koa, and himself.
“Soon. Who wants to have the next cookout? I think it would be easier on Saylor if we could come and go without hosting.”
“At my house,” Caden said. “Next Friday. Bring stuff. I’ll make ribs ahead of time and finish them on the grill.”
With that settled, they focused back on the training for the day.
Each of his teammates talked to him individually at different points in the afternoon to share their best wishes with Max for the future with his Little.
The team was a pivotal part of his life.
Max hadn’t realized how withholding the news from them had affected him.
Toward the end of the day, Jerico’s phone notified him of a message.
Their team leader had programmed a special ringtone that everyone recognized to put them on alert.
Jerico quickly made a call to the commanding officer of their elite team as everyone listened intently to one side of the conversation.
When he finished, Jerico disconnected and told them, “Things are gearing up. We need to be prepared to leave. I’m sending everyone home early.”
The group grabbed their things and headed for their vehicles. Max walked out with Hank. “Hey, you’re the last bachelor in the group.”
“I am.”
“Are you okay with that?” Max asked.
“No. It sucks. Why? Are you considering leaving your little girl to keep me from being lonely?” Hank asked. His teasing tone told Max that Hank wasn’t serious but lightening the conversation.
“Never. You’ll find a Little again one of these days,” Max assured him.
“If I don’t, it’s okay, Max. I have great memories of Angie before her fatal accident. She was the love of my life,” Hank told him.
Max could see the sadness in his friend’s eyes. He whacked Hank on the back. “You’re not done with love yet.”
“Go home. Enjoy every moment with that little girl.” Hank’s tone held more than simple good-natured advice. Loving and losing had left a mark on his heart.
“I’ll do it. See you tomorrow,” Max said with a nod and headed for his truck.
Once behind the steering wheel, he called Saylor. He needed to hear her voice. When it clicked over to voicemail, he listened to her brief message and left a message. “Hey, baby. I’m done early. Want to go play on the swings at the park?”
Two seconds later, he saw the dots signaling she was texting back. She must not be in a place she could answer. He waited patiently.
In a department meeting. Give me twenty minutes?
He answered, Want to call when you’re leaving?
Yes!!!!!
Max smiled. He could imagine her trying to control her wiggles of excitement and then the impatience she would attempt to disguise while she waited for the meeting to end.
He headed home to check out what he would need to do if activated.
Max rarely kept much in his refrigerator because it would rot if the team headed out on a mission.
Thankfully, he had a neighbor who worked on the base.
Max just dropped his trash in their outdoor trashcan before leaving.
The little girls usually made the rounds to get rid of milk and other perishables if the team left for an extended time.
Max didn’t want them to have to deal with a smelly mess if he could avoid it for them.
Saylor wasn’t a big fan of fresh dairy. He could picture her expression when faced with an awful odor.
Max laughed aloud and noticed three twenty-something women waving enthusiastically at him in the car idling next to him at the stoplight.
He nodded and refocused on the light. She’d already changed him.
Before Saylor he would have rolled down his window to chat with the trio.
Now he had something amazing in his life. Random strangers didn’t attract him.
He’d forgotten them by the time the light changed. As he drove forward, the driver honked her horn to attract his attention. Max didn’t hesitate. He headed for his neighborhood. A final blast followed him. They obviously weren’t pleased with him.
A few short minutes later, Max pulled into his driveway and checked out his grass.
It would need mowing in a few days. He opened his email and composed a message to his backup lawn care company, activating the mowing service.
After saving it in his drafts to send with a click if needed, Max checked to see if Saylor had messaged. Nothing.
Heading inside, Max took a shower with his phone precariously balanced on the shower rail so he wouldn’t miss her call. As he dried off, he double-checked to make sure she hadn’t contacted him. Still nothing.
Her estimate of twenty minutes had come and gone. Max continued to check things off from his get-ready list. He, of course, had his go-bag prepared in the closet. Another sat in the truck in case he was out when the notice came in.
A knock at the door made him sprint to the front of the house. He threw open the door and spotted the three women from the car. They’d followed him home?
“What’s up?” he asked as he checked for messages again.
“Hey. We noticed you looking at us and came to say hi!” one of the brunettes told him.
“I’m sorry, ladies. I’m on a tight schedule today. Have a great day,” Max said and stepped back to close the door.
A white-sandaled foot with pink toenails blocked him from closing the door completely. “Come on, handsome. We know when someone is flirting. Don’t get all shy on us.”
“Yeah. We love men with broad chests and big… big shoulders,” the blonde finished, implying with her hesitation that they appreciated something big other than his shoulders.
“I’m not interested. I have a significant other,” Max told them in a flat tone that showed no interest in his visitors. With luck, they’d decide he was gay and move on.
“We’re okay with sharing,” the last woman suggested, making the others laugh.
“Yeah! That’s great,” the first brunette chimed in and reached out to touch Max’s chest.
He stepped back from her hand. Max was finished with this conversation. Either they were on something or emboldened by the company they kept. “Go home. There’s nothing here for you. Move your foot.”
His hard voice surprised the brunette blocking the door. She took a step back in surprise. Immediately, Max slammed the door and locked it. His phone buzzed.
Almost there. Can’t wait to see you.