Page 31 of Cruel Love

“I wish.”

“That’s amazing, Box. Congrats, man.”

He furrows his brow in annoyance. “Okay, I’m going to let that last for another few seconds before you get to where I am right now.”

The knee-jerk excitement passes. My best friend is having a baby. The same best friend who happens to be the best soldier I ever served with. Her skills and insight will come in handy in the days ahead... but at what expense?

“You’re right,” I say, sitting back. “She can’t come.”

“Thank you,” he says. “Now, you go tell her that because everything I’ve said hasn’t quite gotten through to her.”

“What makes you think I can get through to her?”

“Because she listens to you, Fox.”

I scoff. “Since when?”

“Since always. Look, I’m not an idiot. I know my place in her life. I might be her husband but you’re her partner. I take full responsibility for that. I haven’t exactly been there for her the last two years, but...” He looks down. “I can’t let her go with you. When I think she will, I feel like I might vomit. Caleb Fawn is carrying my baby. I’m going to be a father...”

I stare at the dawning fear in his eyes. “You should probably stay with them, too.”

He shakes his head. “No, you need someone to watch your back. And I still feel sort of…” He pauses, exhaling hard. “I still feel responsible for this, in a way.”

“Because of Afghanistan?” I ask. He nods. “That wasn’t your fault, Box.”

“If I had stood up to Marilyn when I had the chance, you wouldn’t have been recruited.”

“We don’t know that.”

“We don’t not know that.”

“If things had happened even just a little bit differently, you could be dead and they could have recruited Caleb instead,” I point out. “You ask me, things happened in the best way possible.”

He laughs softly. “Do you think she could do what you’ve done? Be a Snake Eyes agent?”

“I hope not… but put a gun to anyone’s head, you’d be surprised at what they’re capable of.”

“I hear that.” He stares at the wall behind me. “If the things I know can help, even just a little bit, then I want to be there. Caleb will understand that. She may not like it but she’ll understand.”

“You sure it’s worth it?”

“I’m sure I’ll find out.”

“When did you find out?” I ask. “About the baby, I mean.”

His brow twitches, temporarily taken back. “Last night,” he answers slowly. “Just before everything went down but we didn’t even have a chance to celebrate before Archer showed up. Or, I think we would have celebrated. Haven’t gotten a straight answer from her on how she feels about it yet.” He looks at me. “That’s another reason why I came here to stew this morning. Seemed fitting. The kid was probably conceived upstairs in your guest bedroom…”

I squint, uncomfortable. “Man, Caleb is like a sister to me, so could you not?”

“Fuck, dude! Have you ever spent extended time with a woman who didn’t become like a sister to you?”

“Well…” I blink twice, thinking hard. “No, actually…”

Boxcar turns up his hands, vindicated. “Anyway, how did you convince Dani to stay behind?”

“That was easy.” I shrug. “Dani’s not built for something like this, but Caleb...”

He slides his laptop into his bag and stands up. “Well, I’m sure you’ll think of something,” he says. “She’s in the back room of her shop right now inventorying her guns.”

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