Page 39 of Judgment Day

“You’re welcome, Executioner. But you still haven’t answered my question. Do you want me to tell Nova that you’ve gone after the judge?”

“Oh, right. Only if she asks about me.” Exa rolled her chair closer to Arson. “Now, let’s talk about pretty boy Julien.”

Arson groaned.

“What’s up with you two and...” Before Exa could finish her question, her watch beeped.

So did Arson’s. Exa stared down to see the face of her watch flashing red. She pressed the button and read the alert:Proximity alert.Someone was approaching the safe house.

"Are we expecting anyone?" Exa asked Arson.

"Not today."

"I'm zooming in on the image," Exa said, staring at her watch. "Look who it is.”

“It's Dean."

Exa frowned. "He's not supposed to be here until tomorrow."

"I hope he's not bringing more bad news," Seven said from the doorway.

Exa looked in that direction to find the duo peeping from around the corner.

“Nosey asses,” Exa chastised.

“Sorry. But about Dean,” Seven started. “I really hope he’s not here early because something bad has happened.”

"Me too," Skye said with a sigh.

"Come on, ladies," Exa said to her team as she stood up. "Let's head to the front of the house to greet him."

She and her team left the room. They found Rain, Oni, and the kids in the living room watching television. Rain and Oni stared up and smiled when they saw them. Though Rain smiled, the underlying sadness she was feeling was there in her gaze. Maybe seeing Dean would cheer her up. It would definitely be a pleasant surprise for her, as long as he wasn’t there to deliver bad news.

"Hey, guess who’s..." Seven started, eyes on Rain.

Exa shushed her. "Come on, nosey ass," Exa whispered to Seven, who snapped her lips shut and followed her to the front of the house.

Exa deactivated the alarm. It was Arson who opened the front door. Striding up the walkway, pulling his luggage behind him, Dean looked up when he heard the door open. A slight smile stretched across his face when he saw them. The first thing Exa noticed about him was that he looked tired. He stared past them, obviously searching for his wife. His smile faded when he didn’t see Rain.

“She’s in the living room,” Exa told him. “She doesn’t know you’re here. This will be a pleasant surprise for her.”

“I tried to get here sooner. But work got in the way,” Dean said, then yawned.

Exa and her team stepped out of the way, making room for him to enter the house. After closing and locking the door, Arson re-activated the alarm. Together, Exa and her team followed Dean into the living room. He'd left his luggage near the door and was tiptoeing over to Rain.

Next to Exa, Seven giggled and whispered, “I can’t wait to see how happy Rain gets when she sees him.”

Skye rolled her eyes. “When did you become such a sucker for love?” Skye asked her sister.

“When did you become so against love?” Seven countered.

“No fighting,” Exa told the duo.

She and her team stopped near the living room entrance to watch the show. Dean continued forward. Seated next to Rain, Oni looked up before Rain did. Dean placed his finger to his lips. Smiling, Oni nodded and scooted away from Rain. Thankfully, Rain didn’t notice.

Oni stood slowly and moved to where Exa was standing so that she could watch the show also. Dean approached cautiously and sat down next to Rain. His wife still hadn’t noticed his presence.

Lathan, who was seated on the floor with the twins, grinned at Dean. It was Lathan’s giggling that caught Rain’s attention. Rain followed the child’s gaze to Dean. Her eyes widened when she saw her husband. Instead of a smile taking shape on her face, she burst into tears.

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