Page 73 of Devil and the Deep Blue Fish

“Shh!” Jackson and Cody both hissed, holding their fingers to their lips. “Don’t jinx it!”

“Oh God,” Christie said, shaking his head. “Fine, Gabriel, go. Where can I find you?”

“At Jackson’s house, tomorrow around—”

“Ten,” Ellery supplied, no bullshit.

“Fine,” Jackson snapped. “But first, I’m going to go upstairs and tell Henry about the kids.”

There was a moment for everybody to digest that, and then the other three men smiled.

“He’ll love to hear it,” Christie said, some relief in his tone. “I’ll go up and add some details when you’re done.”

It was great in theory, but Ellery—who had admitted to copping an hour of sleep on Jade and Mike’s guest bed before Jackson had called him, and who had also gotten sleep the entire week before—needed to steer Jackson up to the ICU because that yawn had sucked Jackson’s last reserves right out of him.

Henry was awake when they walked in, and as Jackson told him about the rescue of the kids from the Stepford Dragon compound, he let out a weak chuckle.

“Damn,” he said, his eyes closing in spite of his best efforts to stay awake. “Teach me to get shot. All the good shit happens when I’m out of the running.”

“Good reason to get better,” Jackson told him soberly.

Henry smiled, his eyes closed, and said, “Don’t replace me while I’m out, okay?”

“Cody’s not mean enough to replace you,” Jackson told him honestly. “He needs to find his own Henry—I’ve got the one I want.”

“Good.”

He fell asleep, and as Ellery stood to guide Jackson down to the car, they glanced up to see Dex in the doorway, tired but pleased.

“He’s the fourth kid of five,” he said softly. “It meanseverythingto him that you said that.”

Jackson’s eyes burned, and he cursed Henry’s brother for always saying the brave thing, even though it was also the raw one.

“Well he’s the first partner I ever had whom I trusted to have my back,” Jackson said. “I mean, Cody Gabriel is a good man, but your brother had to fight for that position. I’m not giving it away anytime soon.”

Dex nodded. “Good. Get some sleep. Somebody will be here with him all night. We’ll keep you in the loop.” He sobered. “His fever is getting up there. He may be here for another few days to fight off infection.”

Jackson was suddenly awake and wide-eyed with worry. “We’ll cross our fingers,” he said earnestly.

“You do that,” Ellery said. “I myself will pray.”

Jackson startled and remembered the last timehe’d prayed.

Ellery had been in surgery, and Jackson had been in the bottom of an emotional well so deep it had taken Ellery’s mother to pull him out of it.

Maybe he’d gotten less pissed off at the powers that be since then?

“I will too,” he added.

Dex nodded, and this time his smile was a little watery. “Couldn’t hurt to remember how,” he said.

And with that there was nothing else for it but to bid him good night.

Fishbowl Prayers, Ocean Answers

“WHA—!”

Jackson’s entire body twitched as Ellery pulled the Lexus into the garage, and Ellery tried not to jerk the wheel. He’d known Jackson had been quiet, but he hadn’t realized he’d been nearly asleep.

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