Page 44 of Pallas & Kawehi

Pallas smiled. "They could always use the business."

"Sounds like fun." Riptide flexed his arms. "I'm pretty good at bowling."

Buck folded his arms across his chest. "You don't need muscles to bowl."

Riptide grinned. "Shows what you know. I have a big ball."

Buck groaned. "I didn't need to hear that."

"No, really," Riptide pressed on. "I bowled in high school. Made the Varsity team. I used a sixteen-pound ball."

Pallas was almost laughing. "It must have been hard to walk with that."

"Ha ha, Pallas. Seriously. We can get a few guys together and go to the bowling alley. Bowl a few games and get a chance to meet the woman that caught your eye."

Buck nodded. "She more than caught his eye. I think Pallas is going to be the first one of us off the market."

Riptide held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not on any market. The last thing I need are women squeezing my fruit."

Pallas moved to the other side of the room to look out the windows. The crowd was getting smaller, and he was happy to see it. The more the crowd settled and dispersed, the closer they got to restoring order around the embassy.

Yes, he was eager to get back home, but he also knew that they had a job to do, and he meant it when he'd told the ambassador's husband that he was going to make sure that they were safe.

It would be considered a big win if they were able to keep everyone on the ground in the Philippines and avoid any sort of evacuation from the embassy. The more they'd discovered about the conflict in the city, the more that Pallas knew it was mostly unrest caused by bad actors trying to stir up trouble.

He would consider it a success if they were able to leave without a shot fired.

Peace was always a better option than violence.

He turned back and looked at Riptide and Buck. "If the others can behave and not embarrass, Kawehi, I'm all for a trip to the bowling alley when we get back. But if someone makes things uncomfortable for her, I'll have no problem kicking someone's ass."

Riptide gave him a salute and moved toward the door. "I've got a good feeling about tonight, ladies." He gave them a wink. "I'm going to go and cross my fingers that we're headed back in the next couple of days."

Me, too. Pallas nodded. Me, too.

SEVEN

KAWEHI

When Kawehi clocked into work at the bowling alley, she moved out to the counter area, tying on her apron.

"Are you Kawehi Carter?"

She fumbled with the apron strings, tying the ribbon at her waist. "I'm sorry," she turned toward the voice and saw a man in a suit, "are you here about Nick?"

He nodded, but she didn't know exactly what he was talking about.

A man at the end of the counter held up his coffee cup.

"One second," she picked up the coffee pot and started toward the end of the counter, looking over her shoulder. "Do you want something to drink?"

As she poured a cup for the man at the end of the counter, he held out his credit card.

"I'd like a box, please."

"Sure." She smiled but felt her hands shaking a little. "I can get that for you, sir."

When she turned back around, the man in the suit was still there. "I'll be right with you, sir."

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