Beaufort, South Carolina
March 22
Ren and Tox sat at an outdoor table at the quaint coffee shop. Despite the clement weather, most of the patrons were indoors. Fifty degrees was arctic in Beaufort, South Carolina.
“You guys headed to Cairo tomorrow?” Ren asked.
Tox nodded. “Wheels up at oh-six-hundred. Calliope is already in Zurich, so I just need to drop Coco off with Twitch and grab my go-bag.
“So, how’s Finn?” Ren bit into his scone.
Tox blew on his black coffee. “Honestly, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
“Are we getting our boy back?” Ren asked.
“He’s different now, but better, you know? He’ll never be that kid again, but I like the guy he’s becoming,” Tox said.
Ren spun his mug on the table. None of them was unaffected by their time on the SEAL team. “That’s the best-case scenario, I think.”
“Yeah.” Tox laughed. “Dude, he’s doing carpentry projects, and there’s this little kid who follows him around like gum on his shoe.”
“A kid?” Ren grinned. “I’m glad he’s working through everything.”
“About fucking time,” Tox said without anger.
“Hey, you’re one of the rare few who knew he needed help and got it. Some of us need a nudge.” Ren gestured with his mug.
“Yeah, I’m the poster boy for mental fucking health.” Tox ate half a donut in one bite.
Ren lifted his coffee to his lips, then stopped. He looked around the empty sidewalk. “You smell that.”
Tox inhaled through his nose. “Gauloises?”
“Hell, no. I love the smell of French cigarettes.” He sniffed again. “That’s that Russian shit. God, that week in Chechnya with those assholes. Even the hint of that tobacco makes me sick.”
They glanced around looking for the smoker but saw no one.
“That’s on you for trying to smoke one,” Tox said.
“Lesson learned.” Ren shook his head with a laugh. “Finn smoked that thing like a Moscow street urchin.”
“He also beat them at Durak, and he’d never played before.” Tox chuckled.
“He really could charm the pants off anybody.” Ren drained his cup.
“Come on, let’s get back.” Tox stood and placed his dishes in the bus bin against the wall.
The men left the seating area and walked up the sidewalk to Ren’s car. At the driver’s door, Ren glanced up to see Tox once again scanning the street.
“Everything okay?” Ren asked.
Tox turned back as his friend popped the locks. Pulling open the passenger door, he said. “Yeah, all good. Oh, we need to stop at the QuickMart. I promised Twitch I’d pick her up a ginger ale.”
Ren started the car and pulled into traffic. “Is there something you’re not telling me about our red-headed friend?”
Tox scratched his chin. “Plenty. Good thing you’re a smart guy and can figure shit out on your own.”