“It is.” I huffed. “But don’t start talking foreign to me.”
He chuckled. “Surely you want to learn a few Slovak curse words?”
“Ah, well, that might come in useful if you piss me off, Balko.”
“I’m gonna try not to do that, just for the record.”
“You’re doing well so far.” I spotted our vantage point, next to an air vent that provided a rectangle of shade we could fit in side by side.
“And Sean? How’s he doing so far?” Balko asked.
“Sean and I are working it out.” I flicked my earpiece to one way, so I could talk without being listened to.
“He’s a great guy. Yesterday was…maybe he was trying to prove himself.”
I rested my weapon on the gritty rooftop then followed it down, glad that I’d bothered to put knee protectors on. I flicked down my stand then lined up my sights. “He doesn’t need to prove himself. If he’s on my SWAT team it means he can do the job.”
“Yes, but he’s not going to think that, not with a move south like this and after…”
I studied Balko for a moment. He had chiselled features, his nose had a slight bump in the centre and his mouth was either a flat, serious line or tipped into a smile. “I know what happened, with his mother.”
“You read his file?”
“No, he told me.”
“Oh.” He seemed a little surprised. “Well that’s good.”
“Sounds like one heck of a mess.” I used my sights to sweep the area, looking out for anything or anyone suspicious. It was busy and noisy, but so far peaceful and just the usual banner waving and huddles of women talking.
“Yeah, it was.” Balko was performing the same ritual as me. Scoping out the crowd. “I know everyone loves their mom, but Sean, she really was all he had. His only family.”
“No father?”
“Nope, nothing, not even a distant cousin.”
“That’s rough.”
“It explains a lot.”
“He’s got us now,” I said quickly, my emotions coming with the words.
“I’m glad you feel that way.” He lifted his head and studied me. “It’s why SWAT is the best. It’s more than teamwork, more than just having each other’s backs, it’s one hundred percent trust, honesty, respect and even…”
“What?”
He shrugged and turned back to his sights. “Love.”
“I’d agree with that.” I glanced over at my men. They were each flat on the roof, weapons aimed. “I’ve worked with Jonathan and Ricardo for a while now. I love them.”
“Like brothers?”
I didn’t respond.
“Ah…” He glanced at me and raised his eyebrows a fraction. “I see.”
“What does that mean? Ah, I see.”
“Nothing.”