Page 47 of Part & Parcel

“He gave us a packing list,” Nick told him.

“Seriously?” His smile returned, and Nick was stunned by the way that simple gesture could light Kelly’s eyes, make the gray and blue swirl together as the sun caught them. “What’s on it?”

Nick handed him the page. “I’m going to email it to each of the guys with the other info. Let them panic a little over why we need climbing gear, a tiny leprechaun hat, and a video camera all on the same trip.”

“Tiny leprechaun hat,” Kelly repeated. He took the list and looked it over, his eyes growing wider. “Where the hell are we supposed to get one of those?”

Nick bit his lip, trying not to smile. “I’ve got a bunch in a box downstairs.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, I collected them every year after the St. Paddy’s parade.”

Kelly barked a laugh, setting the letter aside to put both hands on Nick’s shoulders again. “What for?”

“For . . . reasons.”

Kelly was still laughing when he kissed Nick again.

Ty and Zane were the last to join the group waiting at Arlington Cemetery. Zane had no idea what was going on, why they’d been asked to drop everything to come to DC, or what had prompted Ty to go to a party store last night and buy two tiny leprechaun hats before the trip. He hadn’t asked questions, though, even when Ty had tossed his seabag, the leprechaun hats, the kittens, andZaneinto the Mustang that morning to make the drive. He’d learned years ago that asking questions when Sidewinders were involved was an exercise in futility.

He shouldn’t have been surprised to find the entire team there waiting for them, but he was anyway. Whatever help Nick needed in Washington required everyone, and the last time they’d all been together, they had destroyed a Colombian cartel in Miami.

It was kind of a big deal.

“Oh God, we’re going to die,” Zane muttered as he and Ty approached the others.

Ty walked right up to Nick and threw his arms around Nick’s neck. Nick stumbled with the weight, his eyes widening in shock. Then he returned the bear hug fervently, even though they’d both seen each other just weeks ago. It made Zane smile to see them happy. He almost wondered what they would be like now that they’d rediscovered just how much they meant to each other.

Ty gave the other guys each an enthusiastic hug of their own, and Zane followed, shaking everyone’s hands.

Owen gripped him hard and patted him on the arm. “Garrett. Good to see you again,” he said, and he sounded sincere. It was a real change from the first few times they’d greeted one another with nothing but a cold nod.

Digger was his usual, exuberant self, and he gave a round of powerful hugs all around, picking Ty up off the ground and setting him back down. He did the same to Zane, much to Zane’s dismay. Kelly was all smiles, as usual. Kelly was always smiling. Even when he’d had tears tracking down his face as he’d watched his team head back to deployment without him, he’d had a smile on. Zane lingered over their greeting, hugging Kelly just a little tighter than the others. “Good to see you again, Doc.”

“You too, Garrett. I’m glad you could make it. Nick’s super excited to talk to you about something he found.”

“Yeah?” Zane asked, grinning.

“Yeah, I don’t know, he starts on zombies and conspiracies and I check out. He’ll talk to you about it.”

Zane snorted. “Can’t wait.”

“Okay, we’re all here now,” Owen said once the greetings were over with. “What the hell is going on?”

Nick nodded, not saying anything as he set his stuff on the ground and knelt in front of Elias Sanchez’s grave to dig around in his pack. Zane winced at the look on Nick’s face. His knee was obviously not in any kind of shape for him to be kneeling like that. Kelly had to take his elbow to help him stand back up, and he was noticeably in pain from the exertion. Everyone, including Zane, studiously ignored it.

He focused on the fresh flowers and a couple of trinkets on Sanchez’s grave instead. This wasn’t the first time he’d been here; Ty made the trip every year. He felt bad suddenly that they hadn’t brought something this time. Even as he was thinking it, Ty moved past him and knelt to set something on the ground next to the flowers. Zane strained to see over his shoulder, and realized it was a Bronco emblem that Ty was pushing into the grass.

Zane had to smile fondly as Ty stood back up and met his eyes. Ty gave him a melancholy smile, and they both returned their attention to Nick.

Nick had an envelope in one hand and several sheets of folded paper in the other. He held up the papers, seeming to steel himself before trying to speak. “After Eli’s funeral, his mom gave me a box of his stuff.”

Zane glanced around at the others, who were all still and silent. Zane had never met Elias Sanchez. He’d been killed in the weeks before Zane and Ty had been partnered together. They’d worked the case, hunting the serial killer who had taken Eli’s life. Zane had never fully realized how important Eli was to Ty and the rest of Sidewinder until much later, though. He’d seen them cry over the man, and these Recon Marines weren’t the type to waste tears.

Nick worked his jaw, taking a moment before continuing. “I couldn’t go through it. I was afraid to, so I left it on my boat all this time.”

He glanced to Kelly, who gave him a calming smile and a nod.

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