Page 42 of Beautiful Unity

Your bestie

Fourteen

BUBBA

The beer in my hand was warm, but it sufficed for the time being. I wasn’t drinking it; I just needed something to do while waiting for Maddox to return. He hadn’t been part of our brotherhood very long, but his presence was missed. He was a nice balance, giving me a reprieve at times from being the responsible one.

Not that either of us was entirely in charge. That role belonged to the petite blonde who’d won all our hearts.

The sound of his engine turning into the parking lot slowed my heart rate. I wanted to touch base with him, but with Brooks asleep, I didn’t want to wake him, so I stood and walked outside. Leaning against the railing, I watched as Maddox climbed off his bike. He stretched, and I winced in sympathy. Riding that long without breaks was killer. My muscles ached by proxy.

Maddox’s steps were slow as he advanced up the stairs. Exhaustion coated his movements, making him sluggish and sloppy. At least, I hoped that was the reason I was able to scare him.

“Hey.”

Maddox jumped back, clutched his heart, and dropped the phone he had in his hand. “Jesus fucking Christ, man.” He bent over and picked up his phone, checking the screen before sliding it into his pants. Sighing, he brushed a hand over his face and joined me against the railing.

“Sorry. But I’m pretty hard to miss.”

He chuckled, nodding. “Yeah. I’m not at my best.”

“Did you find her?”

“Yes and no. She wasn’t where she was supposed to be, but I know who took her.”

“Agent Bones?” Darcie asked.

This time, we both startled and spun around at the sound of her voice. Her hair was a mess, and she wore that awful shirt Grayson had on earlier, but she was still the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

“Hey, Princess.” Maddox smiled, some of his tiredness evaporating at the sight of her. She fell into his arms, hugging him tight, and I wondered if she’d been worried he wouldn’t return. He squeezed her tight and kissed her head before letting her go.

“I’d come out here to avoid waking anyone, but that seems in vain. I’ll wake Brooks and meet you in your room.”

They nodded and stepped into the open door. Grayson nodded as he stepped back and closed it. Brooks was already awake when I opened our door.

“What’s going on?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Maddox is back. We’re talking in their room.”

He nodded, climbed out of bed, and stepped into his jeans. Once he was dressed, I knocked on the door between our rooms. Grayson opened it with a cocky smile, and I prepared myself for the smart-ass remark he was sure to make.

“The gang’s all here.” He wrapped his arms around Brooks and me. “Did you miss me? Never mind. I know you did.”

Rolling my eyes, I shoved him off and stopped myself from pulling Darcie from Maddox’s lap. Just barely. Instead, I sat as close to them as possible without being in his lap. He smirked but didn’t seem to mind. Taking that as an invitation, I pulled Darcie’s legs into my lap and ran my hand up and down the arch of her foot.

She sighed softly, and I vowed to do this more often, if only to hear that sound. The four of us listened to her for a while before we seemed to remember we had news to discuss.

“I’m assuming you passed?” Maddox asked, glancing at me.

“Hells yeah,” Grayson answered, flopping onto the king-size bed before us. He leaned on his elbow, propping up his head as he lay on his side. “We even set a record.”

Maddox’s eyes widened, and he smiled. “All right.” He lifted his fist and bumped his knuckles with Grayson. Brooks took the empty spot before me, running his fingers over the side of her leg close to him. The four of us surrounding our queen felt right.

“So, Agent Bones?” Darcie asked.

“How did you know?” Maddox asked. His brow furrowed as he stared at her. I watched as they communicated with their eyes, their years of familiarity so palpable at times I’d be jealous if I didn’t know how much Darcie loved us all. “What you found on the server,” he said after a few seconds.

“Yes. Well, technically, Tank did.”

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