“Sure. Camp and me can share. You keep the cop shit in one and we keep the fed shit in another. Sounds perfect.”
Camp came through the door, smiling. “Got one that makes thirty cups. That might work.”
“Camp, Sonny and Sandy are gonna move their stuff in here. They need a base, too, and the cop shop isn’t providing it.”
“Funding for tanks and rocket launchers, right?” Camp asked after sitting the pot down.
“That’s pretty much it,” Sandy said, looking over the box with the coffee maker. “This is nice.”
“We’ll split the cans of coffee, sugar and creamer. Deal?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Okay,” Sonny yelled. “Can we get with what we’re actually here for?”
The three just stared at him until Taran said, “I’ll get Camp to move my desk and white board into the other office, and Cosmo, Murphy and Mims are on the way.”
“Thanks,” he said, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “Sorry.”
“I get you, Sonny.”
“Yeah, we do too,” Camp said.
After the room was cleared for them, Sonny was standing inside the empty room, staring out of the one small window into the alley.
Across the alley was a backyard for a home with a swing set with one swing hanging by only one chain and a plastic playhouse. They were both covered with vines, and it was obvious the children that had once played on them were long since grown.
“You okay, Sonny?” Sandy asked him.
“I’m…not okay. I can’t get the faces out of my mind. All those people being harmed by this one organization. It’s just weighing on me.”
“Well, maybe meeting your crush will help. They’re parking now.”
Sonny turned around, intrigued. “I’ll be right out.”
Chapter Four
Thelittleofficewasas dull as drying paint, but the men were worse, except for Taran, Mims thought. Taran was a handsome man, especially his crazy bright blue eyes. Cosmo greeted him with a nod, although Mims knew he’d rather kiss the guy.
The two other men were introduced by Taran to Murphy, Cosmo and Mims quickly. “This is Camp, as you all know, and the other gentleman is Martin Sanderson, who everyone calls Sandy.” Then, Mims almost fell over when he saw a new man coming into the room.
The guy was so gorgeous, Mims knew he’d be unlikely able to speak to him. Dark tan skin, dark eyes, medium brown hair that was on the side of darker than lighter, brushed back from his face, and what a face.
He reminded Mims of Haze, but he was definitely not Haze. If anything, Mims thought he was more handsome than his best friend, but he felt disloyal even thinking that.
“This is Santiago Aguilar, but everyone calls him Sonny.”
When he moved to Mims after shaking hands with Murphy and Cosmo, his eyes locked onto Mims’s and he smiled warmly. “I’ve seen your picture. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Unable to say a word, Mims felt the smile that curled on his lips, and knew it was goofy.
When Sonny went back to Murphy and started to talk to him, Cosmo sidled up next to him and whispered, “What the heck is wrong with you?”
“What?”
“You looked like you swallowed a whole lemon.”
“What? Are you serious?”