Page 39 of Clap Back (Carter Brothers)

Boss.

He’s your boss, dummy.

I had to keep repeating that to myself over and over again before saying, “Please step back.”

Scott’s eyes narrowed, and it looked like he was about to push it, but then the door to the training room banged open and the men started filing in.

They all paused at the door, and Scott had no other recourse but to step away and give me the space I so desperately needed. Had he not given me that space, I might’ve reacted before I could get control of myself.

Let’s be honest here, I was one of the most hotheaded of the Carter brothers. I snapped fast and regretted it afterward.

And I would’ve regretted hitting Scott.

As in, I would’ve lost my job, and regretted it later once I’d calmed down enough to see that a brother being upset that his sister was dating a cop he didn’t like was probably a normal thing.

Everyone filed in, and I crossed my arms over my chest to keep from clenching my hands and letting Scott know just how much he’d gotten to me.

The asshole.

“What’s on the agenda today?” a fellow SWAT team member by the name of Boscoe asked. “Because last I heard, we already finished this month’s training.”

Boscoe was always saying what we felt. Whereas Atlas and I would’ve gotten in trouble if we’d said that, Boscoe didn’t.

It helped to be the grandson of a board member…

“We did, but we can never have too much,” Sheldon said, acting for all he was worth like he didn’t kiss Scott’s ass every chance he got.

Fuckin’ loser.

“Ass kisser,” someone coughed.

Sheldon’s eyes narrowed on the crowd at my back.

Since I was in the front, it was more than obvious it hadn’t come from me.

That didn’t stop Scott’s eyes from becoming calculating as he said, “We’re working on team building and trust.”

Someone snorted behind me.

Likely my brother.

“I’m not sure why you’re laughing,” Scott said as he moved his gaze from person to person. “We’re trying to make this team more cohesive. That starts by exercises just like this.”

“Some of us are just coming off shift,” Boscoe pointed out. “Others are about to go on shift. And then there are a few of us who have been up for a solid thirty-six hours thanks to that SWAT call two nights ago. As much as I’d love to do some team bonding,” Boscoe lied, “I really don’t have it in me today.”

A-fucking-men.

Scott frowned. “You’re saying you can’t handle the demands of the job?”

“I’m saying I’m not going to handle your demands for our job,” Boscoe snapped, again voicing all of our opinions. “The monthly hours are finished. I’m only required to be here for those on my off days. Now that they’re done, I have an entire half a month off to spend on my own.”

Agreed.

“Well, we’re here today because we need to catch up on a few things.” Scott tried to defend his actions, but it just looked to me like he was trying to save face.

“Well,” another voice came from the back, “that’s all well and good, but how about we go over those things at our next SWAT meeting? I agree with Boscoe. We all just came off shifts or are about to come onto a shift. And just sayin’, but SWAT is my secondary position. And my boss doesn’t like it when I’m late.”

Quaid was his boss.

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