Page 27 of Provoke You

“No. Fuck. Maybe.” He rubbed the stubble on his cheek.

“Well, that and also Mom sent me to get your ass to Atlanta.”

I felt like an asshole. After we almost got killed in Venezuela, I bounced around for a while until I had the great idea to come to New Orleans and find my bio mom, well sort of. Reconnect, I supposed was a better word. Coming face to face with death like that put me in a mood to make amends. Lila’s death will always hurt. Mom didn’t deserve to go like that. I should’ve been there for her. I should’ve done more. “I’m sorry—I should’ve called her after we got back.”

“No kidding, asshole. She’s worried sick. Wes went home. You can imagine how that’s going.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m sure she doesn’t know what we got into, but if he looks anything like we do, I’m sure she already guessed. Anyway, Mom wants to see you and now she has the perfect excuse.”

“What’s the excuse?”

“Derek’s engagement party.” He spread out his arms as if presenting the party to me.

I looked out the windshield to where Kitt stood arguing with Mr. Benoit’s pilot. I’d never seen a zealous pilot like that. So what if Jennifer scheduled him for today? He should be happy to take the day off. Let someone else do the flying.

“Did you hear?” Tyler asked.

“Yeah, jeez, you’d think top secret missions would exclude us from that kind of bullshit.”

“I tried. It didn’t work. We’re grown men, and Mom can still make us go home for two weeks.” He punched my arm.

“Two weeks? What the hell am I going to do in Atlanta for two weeks?”

“Celebrate your brother’s upcoming wedding?” He shrugged. “His fiancé must be a saint. Who would want to marry the almighty Derek?”

I barked out a laugh. “She must be.”

“If you’re looking for something to do, you could bring your friend.” He opened the cockpit door a sliver and peeked through the gap.

I kicked the door shut. “She’s not my friend. She’s my charge.”

“Your ‘charge’? Oh shit. Listen to yourself. You’re a fucking marine. Since when are you a bodyguard?”

“It’s complicated. She needs my help.”

“I’m just gonna say one thing. The last time you got involved with a civilian who needed help, you almost died. Please don’t die.”

“I’ll do my best.”

He shook his head in surrender. Tyler and I might not be brothers by blood, but we were exactly the same when it came to being stubborn. “Hey, how about a ride back to Jersey?” He opened the door again. “And I promise I won’t tell Mom about your new ‘charge.’ She’s in such a hurry to marry off her five sons, she’d be in New Orleans with a justice of the peace faster than you can say bee’s knees.”

“How long have you had that gem in your back pocket?” I laughed.

“Pretty much since I got word you’d landed in New Orleans. You know I’m right.”

The thing about having brothers with government-type access was I could never go anywhere unnoticed.

Tyler wasn’t exaggerating. Who knew why Mom had gotten it into her head that settling down would keep us alive longer? She’d obviously never met Ela. “I’ll take you anywhere you want. Just leave Ela out of it.”

“Come sit by me, Tyler,” Ela said the second my brother showed his face. Her cheeks had a red tint to them as if she’d been running…or eavesdropping. Could she hear anything through the door? “Let’s tell Matt stories.”

Tyler chuckled. “Sounds like a fun game. Let’s see.”

“Let’s not.”

“Is he always this grouchy?” She sipped from her coffee mug.

“Get me one of those, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” Tyler took the seat facing Ela. When she offered him her own mug, he took it and drank from it. “Decent.”

“That’s New Orleans coffee.” She winked at him and got up to pour herself a fresh cup. “How about you, Marine? Do you drink coffee, or do you just do plain diesel for breakfast?”

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