Page 62 of The Story of Danny Rose

Danny sat down and picked up his spoon. “Ooh, extra cinnamon? Someone made Daddy happy this morning.”

I laughed softly and shook my head. What could I say, I was whipped.

“By the way, I talked to Arden yesterday,” he mentioned. “He asked when we’re coming up to visit.”

“Funny—my sister asked the same last week,” I said. “I guess we can go up there soon. Maybe get a night or two at the cabin too?”

“Fuck yes.” He grinned around a mouthful of oatmeal. “We’ll bring Taft and Leia.”

“And Rocky,” I said. I liked that old mutt. He liked me too. We were a team. “I’ll call Tina once we’ve set a date.” She and her sisters ran a dog-sitting service and a grooming business not far from here.

My new cell phone buzzed with a message, and I sighed internally, hating the damn thing. If you wanted something, fucking call me. Some of the guys were tapping away on their phones at work, and I didn’t get it. It was a security issue, and it took forever. Much quicker to just pick up the phone, say what you had to say, and hang up.

“Who is it?” Danny asked.

“TJ,” I muttered, squinting at the text.

My old man is in a mood.

“Daddy, I think you might need glasses.”

What the— I scowled at him. “The fuck I do. It’s the phone—it’s tiny.”

He cranked up the goofy smile and placated me with an “Okay, Daddy.”

Hmpf.

Glasses, my fine ass.

“Finish your breakfast, then go brush your teeth,” I told him.

When we arrived at work, I quickly came to understand that TJ’s warning had been an understatement. Terrance was livid because the twins’ final selection had been postponed once more, and he was ranting about insurance purposes, recognition, and pay grades when Danny and I reached the top floor.

We slowed our approach down the hallway.

“…because we need more people in the field, boy!” Terrance snapped.

“We have more than ever—including the Tenleys!” TJ argued. “Fuck the damn exams. They’re already operators! Do you think we just send them to shadow officials and agents from other firms?”

“You lower your damn voice,” Terrance threatened. “I know they’re operators—but they can’t help train others until they wear the titles, and we’re in the middle of a large recruitment process, son.”

Terrance wasn’t wrong. With TJ and Quin working full time and joining the management, Hillcroft had entered a new stage. We were preparing for the years to come, because we knew shit was about to hit the fan at some point. I was still a firm believer that we’d see a new war within a few years. Even if it didn’t include the US properly, a war in the Middle East would always include contractors and the private corporations that wanted us there for one reason or another.

TJ gnashed his teeth and said nothing, which was probably wise.

Terrance pointed at him. “Make it official. I want them in Ecuador within six months, and then you place River in intel and Reese next to Sid in the fighter unit. We will have twenty-four new recruits joining us at the end of the year. They need instructors.”

Danny leaned closer to me and spoke under his breath. “This is a bad time to tell Terrance I don’t wanna train DoD newbies in detaining suspects in public spaces, right?”

I gave him a look. Definitely a bad time—and he was doing it. It was part of the job. We had to pull our weight in between contracts.

April 12th, 2001

“Should I give them good-natured shit or just hug them till they’re uncomfortable?”

I chuckled and slipped on my ring again. Danny did the same before closing his locker.

“I vote for the hug. They deserve it,” I replied. I shrugged on my jacket and grabbed the gift bags we’d picked up for the twins, and then I shut my locker too.

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