Page 25 of Garr

“It will be Christmas soon,” said Grip. “I love this time of year.”

“Me too,” smiled Jonathon. “I’m sorry about your boyfriend or husband or whatever he was. I was supposed to get married as well.”

“Really?” smiled Grip. “What was her name?”

“His. His name,” said Jonathon. “His name was Bo Wright. He was handsome and smart, everything you would want. Except I didn’t know he was also a cheater and liar. The night of the fire, I found out. That’s why I was at my sister’s house. I’d run out there to cry on her shoulder. When I got to the house, it was on fire.”

“Damn, I’m sorry,” said Grip, squeezing his hand. Jonathon linked his fingers with Grip’s, squeezing back, and Grip felt a burning in his chest he hadn’t felt in years. He stared at the younger man for a long moment.

“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling away. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just thought it felt nice to touch someone again.”

“No, no, don’t be sorry. It just surprised me. Not that you held my hand. It surprised me that I enjoyed it,” smirked Grip. Jonathon laughed, shaking his head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that either. It’s just been a long time for me as well.”

“It’s okay. I understand. You’ve lifted my spirit tonight, Grip. I try not to cry inside the house. The children can hear me. If I’m out on the porch, they don’t hear it. You’ve made me feel a bit better.”

“Well, I have all the time in the world, and as you know, we don’t sleep much. I’m happy to sit out here with you until morning.” Jonathon smiled at him, and for the second time, Grip’s stomach did a funny flutter, and he grinned back at him.

“I’d like that. I’d like that very much.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Colonel Brad Brockman. BB is what the other leaders called him because he fired off orders so rapidly they stung. I didn’t have to deal with him a lot,” said Garr. “But. I know others that did.”

“What were their reactions?” asked Luke.

“Mixed,” said Leif and Garr in unison.

“Some liked his style of direct and to the point, others not so much,” said Garr. “I never thought of him as a traitor, though.”

“Money is a powerful motivator as we well know. If he’s got investments in weapons manufacturing, he has an interest in them being used and on the streets, with troops, everywhere,” said Hex.

“Including being sold illegally to our enemies,” frowned Garr. They all looked at him, realizing that he was right. “Brockman could be selling these to anyone for or against the U.S.”

“If he becomes chair of the committee, imagine what he’ll try to push through,” said Luke. “All these random attacks bring everyone’s attention to weapons on the streets, citizen rights to carry, ban them, make them all legal, the entire spectrum of emotions and thoughts. He’s pushing an agenda, and we need to find out what that agenda is. He could be arguing for the average citizen to carry the weapons so they could fight back in any situation. Maybe he wants to make our communities nothing but vigilantes.”

“It feels that way,” nodded Eric. “Is he in D.C.?”

“We’re looking for him,” said Tanner, poking his head around the corner. The others jumped a little, shaking their heads. Clearly, Trak was training everyone how to inflict panic and shock on the older team members.

“He’s there,” said Hiro, suddenly standing behind them. They all jumped again, this time Hex grabbing his chest.

“What the hell is wrong with you guys? Is this a new game?” Hiro and Tanner smiled, shaking their heads.

“Sorry,” laughed Hiro. “He’s in D.C. for the next three days, then gone for the holidays. If you want to speak with him, now is the time.”

“Alright,” nodded Luke. “Looks like you boys are going to D.C. Leif, Garrett, and grab Sebastian and U-Jin. We’ll try to make an appointment for you guys, but don’t let that stop you. Find him wherever you can. Try not to be confrontational but let him know that Buzz called him out.”

“We’ll be on the next plane out,” said Leif. The two men left the room, headed to pick up the other two, while Hiro texted the flight teams to get a pilot for them. Within an hour, they were on the jet and headed to D.C., hoping it would be a fast trip.

“Got a bit of weather going in, boys,” said Evie. “Buckle up and hold on.”

“You’ve got this, Evie,” smirked Leif.

“I know that,” she smirked. “I’m more worried about you puking in my bird. Buckle up, cutie pie.”

Evie wasn’t lying. The winds were horrendous, and visibility was almost nothing. But Evie was a pro. She landed the bird without any issues at all, turning to give the guys a big smile and wink.

“Evie, I will never question your skills again,” smirked Garr. “Will you be waiting here?”

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