9. Chance #2
“Someone call for the cavalry?” a voice called from one of the last SUVs. A familiar face grinned at me as he pulled off his sunglasses, and I was jogging down the steps before he’d even tucked them into the collar of his shirt.
“Cap,” I greeted, reaching out to shake his hand. “Good to fucking see you.”
“Well, when Beau called beggin’, it felt mean to say no,” he joked, making my brother scoff.
“I didn’t beg for shit,” Beau argued as they shook hands. “But I would’ve if I’d thought it would help.”
Cap laughed, then looked up at our house and let out a whistle. “Jesus, boys,” he said. “I knew you came from money, but this is somethin’ else.”
“Full of shit as always,” my dad announced, grinning as he strode toward us. “You’ve stayed in the damned guest house before.”
“So I have,” Cap conceded. “Good to see you again, Erik.”
“Wish it was under different circumstances,” Dad replied with a frown. “How did you get here?”
“Took leave,” Cap said innocently, tilting his head charmingly to the side. “Must be a coincidence that so many of us had vacations at the same time.”
“I’ve never been so grateful for Command’s lax vacation rules,” Beau muttered to me.
“No shit,” I replied.
I’d left Rena on the porch, and the further away from her I was, the more I felt like I was being boiled alive, but I still made a point to welcome every former teammate by name.
It hadn’t been that long since I was one of them, and I knew that their loyalty probably felt stretched thin by coming to aid us.
I wanted them to know how much we appreciated it.
Former operators were an excellent addition, but current ones were better.
“Franco,” I sang as I strode toward my old friend. “Oh, Franco, don’t stop.”
“How can you still mimic that woman after ten fuckin’ years?” Franco replied, throwing his massive arms around me. “Damn near givin’ me a chub.”
“Stop rubbing it on me,” I bitched with a laugh, shoving him away. “How’ve you been? Good? Looks like you’re all in one piece.”
“I got an owie on our last mission,” he replied, pointing to his side. “But all better now.”
“Bullet?”
“Blade,” he corrected. “Somehow, it’s worse.”
“You never know where it’s been,” I commiserated, wiping the sweat off my forehead. I shot a worried glance back at the porch, but Rena was still standing there, watching us all.
“Oh, she’s pretty,” Franco said, grinning at me. “Your mate?”
“Yeah.” I tried to be cool about it, but it was impossible to hide the pride in my voice.
“Bullshit,” Sullivan argued, shoving me as he came up behind me. “No way you found your mate before I did.”
“Lucky, I guess,” I said as we strode toward the house. “Where’s Walsh?”
“Found his mate and dropped off the face of the earth,” Sullivan replied. My stomach sank. “The motherfucker. We’re still waiting for them to come up for air.”
Beau’s gaze met mine as he started toward us across the driveway. He’d heard what Sullivan said.
“Beau, you broody bastard,” Franco called. “How you been?”
“Not bad,” Beau said, reaching out to shake his hand.
Cap, Sullivan, Franco, Walsh, Beau, and I had all been part of the same team, but you’d never guess it.
My brother had always had a hard time connecting with people, and while our other teammates respected the hell out of him and were loyal to a fault, I wouldn’t exactly call them his friends.
Luckily, he’d always had me as a buffer, or he probably would’ve gone weeks without engaging at all beyond what was necessary.
“Beau found his mate too,” I announced, making my brother scowl.
“Fucking hell, Beau,” Franco said. “And she likes you?”
“She tolerates me,” Beau said, his mouth twitching at the teasing.
“Well, you can’t ask for more than that,” Sullivan joked, slapping his arm. “She here?”
“Yeah, she’s inside somewhere.”
“Good fucking news,” Franco said, nodding his head. “Excellent news.” His face grew serious when he looked back at me. “Fucked about Zeke.”
I cleared my throat and nodded.
“Unbelievable,” Sullivan added. “Huge fucking loss.”
“Thanks,” Beau said quietly.
“I reached out a couple of times,” Franco said as we headed for the porch. “But when I didn’t hear back?—”
“Sorry,” I replied. “We were dealing with some shit. It wasn’t anything personal.”
“I figured it was something like that,” he said, waving me off. “Just wanted you to know we were there.”
“I knew,” I assured him. “Felt it.”
“Hello there, sweetheart,” Franco greeted Rena as we reached her. He and Sullivan hung back a little.
“Ew,” Rena said, looking from him to me. “Really?”
I let out a bark of laughter so unexpected that it caught in the back of my throat.
“Rena, this is Sullivan and Franco. Guys, this is my mate, Rena.”
“They’re your friends?” she asked, leaning into me.
“They are. Don’t hurt their feelings.”
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to make that promise.”
“I like her,” Franco said, grinning widely.
“My life is complete,” Rena quipped, but she was watching them in amusement.
“He’s a dawg,” Sullivan explained. “But he’s got a good heart if you dig deep. Real deep. Center of the earth deep.”
“Good to know,” Rena replied with a smile.
“Move, fuckers,” Cap ordered as he pushed his way past Sully and Franco.
“And this is Cap,” I said, nodding toward him. “Cap, this is my mate, Rena.”
“Very nice to meet you, Rena,” Cap said, his hand on his chest. “You been taking care of our boy?”
“Something like that.”
“Just remember that you’re too good for him, and remind him of it, and you’ll have a long and happy life together,” Cap said with a wink. “At least that’s what my mama always said.”
“Good advice,” Rena replied. “Shit, we should probably go in. We’re blocking the doorway.”
I knew my chest was puffed out, and I was grinning like a fucking idiot, but I couldn’t help myself as I ushered Rena into the house.
I was fucking proud of her. I was proud of how gorgeous she was.
I was proud of how quick and funny she was.
I was proud that she was leaning into me, that she thought I was cool—I was pretty sure she thought I was cool—and that later she’d be falling tiredly into my bed.
The next couple of hours were spent catching up with my team and greeting the Vampires arriving.
As it got closer and closer to noon, I was doing calculations in my head, counting the Vampires at the house and trying to guess how many of them would leave after my father explained why we’d called them.
I knew my brothers were doing the same. At one point, Beau caught my eye and grimaced.
It was impossible to know who would stand with us beyond the current team members, who’d known the fight we were facing before they’d arrived.
Zeke was one of theirs. They’d come to fight, no matter the odds.
I was laughing at a story Sully was telling when a familiar face appeared in my periphery. Turning, I found Elgin standing with two of his sons just inside the front door.
“You made it,” I said, striding toward him.
“Said I would,” he answered with a nod. Reaching out, he shook my hand a few seconds longer than necessary. “These are my boys, Jean and André.”
“Chance,” I greeted, shaking their hands. Both of Elgin’s sons stood at least a head taller than their father, with broad chests and shoulders.
“Chauncey,” Elgin corrected.
“French,” André said, smiling.
“Yeah, yeah,” I joked. “I think my mother just liked the name.”
“She’s got good taste,” Elgin replied. He paused before adding, “My eldest is Chauncey.”
I jerked in surprise.
“Linette insisted,” Elgin said.
“I’m honored,” I choked out, remembering the petite, no-nonsense Frenchwoman I’d worked alongside.
“He’s home watching over our family,” Elgin explained.
“We drew straws,” Jean said.
“Hey, Erik is having everyone gather outside,” Rena said, laying her hand on my back.
“Elgin, this is my mate, Rena,” I said, shifting to wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Rena, this is Elgin and his sons, Jean and André.”
“Nice to meet you all,” she said with a smile. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. I know Chance only reached you last night.”
“I couldn’t fucking find you,” I added, raising my eyebrows.
“That was the point,” Elgin replied flatly. “How did you?”
“André’s social media,” I replied as we moved toward the door with everyone else.
Elgin shot his son a look.
“I keep it private,” André said defensively.
“Once it’s on the internet, it’s never fully private,” Rena advised him with a sympathetic smile.
We came to a stop in the gravel out front, surrounded by all the Vampires who’d answered our call.
They’d come based on limited information, just the knowledge that they were needed, and a warm feeling ran through me at the many faces in the crowd.
Even if half of them left, deciding that this wasn’t a fight they were prepared to step into—they’d come. That was something.
My father stepped out onto the porch, my mother and Charlie following him.
They stood on his left side, holding hands.
Just as the crowd began to quiet, the sound of vehicles made many of us turn.
At least ten different cars parked along the trees, Vampires and their mates climbing out quietly, with Dalton Cavendish leading them.
“Right on time,” my father called out dryly.
“You know I like to make an entrance,” Dalton replied, holding his mate’s hand as he nodded to people in the crowd.
Dalton’s group greeted friends they hadn’t seen in a while, but quickly quieted down and turned toward my father.
They were fully aware of the situation and didn’t need him to convince them, but we’d all agreed that their attendance was important, if only to show that our family wasn’t the only ones willing to put their asses on the line.
“Thank you all for coming,” my father said, his words carrying without having to raise his voice. “We know that you all have lives and families that you’ve left behind to come here, only because we asked. We won’t forget that.”
He paused and met the gaze of a few people in the crowd, nodding at them.