Page 62 of Legacy's Call

“Damn. That sucks.”

“No, not really.” Ronan sat down on the step of the closed hamburger shack.

Deacon snorted. “Why? Did you find a hug to keep you occupied?”

Ronan didn’t reply. Fleur wasn’t a hug. She was something special.

“You did, didn’t you? Just like you to make the best out of a shit assignment.”

“She isn’t a hug, D. She’s legit.”

“Say what now?” Deacon no longer had laughter in his voice.

“Her name is Fleur, and she’s … special.” Ronan looked up at the sound of Fleur’s laughter and tracked her and the other drivers as they walked down the street to the logistics center. “I think she’s the one.”

“How the fuck would you know that so quickly?” There was no attack in the question. He knew his brother, and Deacon really wanted to know how he’d made that call in such a short amount of time.

“Remember when Dad told us about how he met Mom? That connection he tried to describe? Well,that shit is real, and it’s almost a physical thing. The first time I kissed her it was like something just clicked. Chemistry, personality, looks, she’s it for me.”

“Does she feel the same way?”

“Yeah, think so.” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to find her a job with Guardian back in Colorado.”

The silence on the other end of the line was expected. Deacon was the more cautious of the two of them. He thought everything through before he spoke. “Are you leaving the field?”

“Thinking about it,” Ronan admitted. “We need to talk about that, though. I have no idea where they’d want me to work. Domestic Operations is busy, but my heart is with the teams. Can both of us work in the same section?”

“Don’t see why not. The girls do. Besides, there are other portions of the overseas division. Some we don’t talk about.”

Ah, the assassin’s arm. But that was Uncle Joseph’s baby, and Ronan didn’t see Joseph retiring. He’d be at the helm until he was a hundred and fifty years old and still be able to beat the hell out of anyone. “Yeah, that’s true, but that comes with a different set of issues.”

“Uncle Joseph,” Deacon deadpanned.

“Right.” Ronan laughed. “The business is big enough for us and all the cousins to move up eventually. I mean, we’re international with thousands of employees, I’m sure I’ll find a fit. Look at the Kings, except for Jasmine, they’ve all come into the organization and work essential positions. Jason is CEO, Jacob runs the teams, Joseph has black ops, Jared and Jade are domestic operations, and we’re expanding.” The Kings were a life force of Guardian, and hopefully, the family would continue to be a vital part of the organization's fabric.

“Absolute truth. The Kings and Dad built a damn good organization.” Deacon chuckled and then was quiet for a moment. “I’m happy for you, man.”

“Thank you.” That meant everything to him. He and his brother were tight, and even though they were half a world apart, they maintained that relationship and always would. “Oh, and those SMAWs came in handy. What made you add those to the equipment?”

“Dude, it was a gut feeling. I walked past that crate, and it just … As I said, a gut feeling.”

“Well, it kept us from a sticky situation yesterday. I had more added to our resupply and a fifty cal. Wolf should be mounting it now to the frame we had Alpha put in one of the transport vehicles. Wewon’t lose any convoys. They have no idea what we have in store for them.”

“And the local government is okay with that?”

“It’s the fucking wild west out here, Deacon. Nothing but local militia, and they work for whoever pays the most. Militant factions are the ones hitting the convoys. Human trafficking is a way to make money, and the host nation looks the other way. It’s much more convoluted than that, lots of tentacles and bad players, but I can’t get into it on the phone.”

“Need help?”

“No, but you know I’ll always say yes to you and Cobra team showing up. The problem is you’re halfway around the world.”

“That’s just a matter of an airplane ride or two. I’ll call Uncle Jacob and set it up.”

“Then I’ll see you in a day or two.” Ronan smiled so hard his face hurt. “It’s been too damn long.”

“It has. Keep your ass alive until I get there to save it.”

“Fuck you, asshole. Come over to visit if you must, but I don’t need saving.”

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