Page 11 of No Going Back

Being just friends was going to be tougher than she thought.

Chapter 3

Tyler gave a slow wolf whistle as Ryan stepped out of his new car. The team had just arrived at Jerry’s Bar, Onyx’s favorite place to hang out.

Ryan strode toward him and the rest of Raven with a big smile.

“Those are nice wheels,” Tyler said. He and the team surrounded Ryan’s new gun-metal gray Mustang, making noises of approval. Ryan’s last Mustang had got torched on a previous op when he’d had to ditch it to get Dr. Sophie Summers, his now girlfriend, to safety.

“Oh, she’s a beauty,” Ryan said. “Pretty sure I can get her to do zero to sixty in under five seconds.”

The team laughed. There was no doubt Ryan would have tested his theory.

“So, no minivan yet?” Donnie teased. “I mean, you being all settled down now with Sophie, thought you might drop the playboy car, get ready for a family.”

“Yeah, he’ll be buying a house with a white picket fence next,” Tyler added.

“Sophie happens to love a Mustang. And for the record, if we do decide to have kids one day, there is no chance in hell I am buying a minivan. A man has to keep some street cred.” Ryan grinned.

“I’m with you.” Tyler smiled. Not that he was ever having kids. Not in this lifetime.

The boys headed into Jerry’s to find Nyx already there, having returned from their op yesterday. Both teams settled in to make the most of some down time. It wasn't often they all got to hang out together. The members of Raven and Nyx were firm friends. Yeah, there was some friendly competition between them, especially between Dex and Liam, Nyx’s team leader, but it was all harmless fun. At the end of the day the two teams had each other’s backs. If one team was in trouble, the only people coming to rescue them would be the other one. With what they did, there was no guarantee SEALs or DELTA could come to their rescue. Most of the time, they were on their own.

The guys spent the next few hours shooting the shit, drinking, eating, and generally having a good time. Tyler leaned against the bar, watching the pool game between Dylan and Steve. Mackie stood next to him.

“Twenty bucks says you don’t make that shot,” Mackie challenged. Dylan, Nyx team’s second in command, moved around the pool table and set up to sink the eight ball.

“Make it fifty bucks and you’re on.” Dylan paused in position, waiting for Mackie to answer. Tyler looked at Mackie as he took a swig from his beer bottle. No way Mackie would back down from that bet. Mackie didn’t disappoint.

“Deal.” Mackie slapped a fifty on the table edge.

Raven and Nyx gathered round to watch. Tyler moved behind Dylan to get a better look at the angle. It was a difficult shot and could easily go either way. But if he was betting, he would bet on Dylan making it.

Dylan took the shot. The white ball smoothly rolled along the table, bouncing off the cushion, then kissing the eight ball in exactly the right spot with just enough pressure to sink it perfectly in the top right pocket. Mackie groaned and the rest of the guys cheered.

Tyler fist bumped Dylan with a grin. “Nice shot.” Then he settled back on a bar stool and ordered another beer. Out of habit, he took out his phone to text Mira. Quickly, he put it down. They were just friends. Friends didn’t text each other all day every day. Fuck, holding back the past couple of days had been much tougher than he’d expected. He missed her. A lot.

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