I flash a grin at the waitress who passes by our table, a pretty twenty-something with auburn hair in a ponytail and bright brown eyes. She blushes and hurries off.
“Seriously?” Jonah raises an eyebrow, dark eyes glaring at me. “Is there anything sporting a skirt and a pair of boobs that you wouldn’t try to sleep with?”
“One or two I can think of.” I throw a glance at the photo still laying between Jonah and me before looking back up with what I hope is my most shit-eating grin. “And it doesn’t have to be a skirt.”
“You’re beyond professional help.” Jonah sighs and rubs his eyes, but there’s a small smile playing on his lips. “Can we get back to the mission at hand, please?”
I silently sigh in relief. My distraction tactic worked. As far as Jonah is concerned, I’m still the same man-whore who isn’t in the market for anything serious and who wouldn’t risk his job and his friendships for a random hookup.
“So, Maddie,” I force myself to say her name out loud. “Does the trouble she’s in have to do with her cybersecurity work?”
“It does.” He presses the pads of all five fingers onto the picture and pushes it closer to me, indicating it’s mine for the taking. “She’s in Chicago.”
My heart starts racing at the thought of meeting her face to face again, the photo burning against my fingertips like a scathing warning when I pick it up again, but I can’t stop myself.
“I guess it’s time for a home visit.” I tuck the photo into my inner jacket pocket and take a long swig of my beer, the bitter taste drying my mouth and the amber liquid like cement going down my throat.
Handling both Maddie and my mom at the same time may be more than my psyche is equipped for, but Maddie’s laughter is still playing in my head on repeat, and I can’t bring myself to make a different choice.
I scan the floor of Blue Ghost Bar and Grill, the local bistro in the small town of Glassmont Grove, where Andrew lives, making sure he hasn’t arrived yet before returning my gaze to Jonah. “What kind of trouble did she get herself into?”
“Two weeks ago, she found a discrepancy in Cuthbert Bank’s system, took it to Agent Lawrence.”
“Sounds pretty straightforward.” I tap the table with a single finger, a feeling of discomfort settling in my chest. “Which begs the question–why are we being called to action?”
“The accounts are tied into Daniel Harlow’s operations.” I choke on the sip of beer I just took at the information.
“Dan…” Jonah shoots me a warning glare, and I take a deep breath, forcing myself to lower my voice. “DanielfuckingHarlow?”
Andrew’s approaching voice prevents Jonah from elaborating, and he leans across the table to whisper, “Top secret, Commander.”
I nod and look up to see Andrew making his way to us with Micah, Jonah’s older brother.
Micah’s about my height, a few inches shorter than Jonah, though much broader and more muscular. His neatly trimmed beard and meticulous undercut are a darker brown than Jonah’s almond-colored hair, but there’s no mistaking the DNA that runs strong through all the men of the Peak family.
“If it isn’t my favorite wingman,” I greet him as he slides into the booth next to Jonah. He’s a couple of years younger than me, but since Andrew’s married and Jonah doesn’t go out as much, Micah and I became fast friends and nightlife buddies.
“Welcome back, Commander.” Micah claps his palm into mine with a wide grin, giving it a firm shake, Andrew bumping shoulders with me as he slides in next to me.
“I have some news,” Andrew declares, getting everyone’s attention, his greenish-blue eyes twinkling in the way they only do when he’s thinking about his wife. “Phoebe’s pregnant.”
“Really?” Jonah practically jumps over the table, and I catch Andrew around the shoulders and squeeze, wide grins all around.
“Damn, Double-A, that’s really something.” I clap his back and laugh as Jonah slides back into his seat across from us. “How far along?”
“About four weeks.” His smile broadens. The sheer joy that radiates off him is contagious but also stabs at me a bit.
At thirty-six, I’m the oldest of us three with not one serious relationship to my name. I’ve never been keen on the idea, and my service was always a handy excuse. I was married to the navy until I wasn’t.
Part of me wants to find what Andrew has with Phoebe. Something real. Something that matters other than the mission.
I thought I had found it once, but I was wrong. It was enough to set my mind at ease that using my service as justification to live a life of one-nighters and casual, short-lived flings was never the issue. No. Strong, smart, resilient women that I could actually imagine a future with were just not a good match for me.
Micah orders a celebratory round of shots and turns to Jonah. “You remind the prodigal SEALs about first candle at Nona’s Tuesday?”
“Don’t forget about Hanukkah at my mom’s on Tuesday,” Jonah repeats dryly.
Micah shakes his head. His brown eyes, much lighter than Jonah’s, dance with amusement as they turn my way, and he asks me about my latest assignment.