Page 76 of Exhale
“You didn’t jump the gun. I love you, Owen Gray, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and the boys.”
“Sweet Jesus, you scared the hell out of me,” Owen admitted gruffly and then hauled him into his arms.
Jordan wrapped himself around Owen, and the dishes were forgotten.
They did get to them, but it was much…much later.
Two weeks later…
Pegasus bunker.
The team meeting room was noisy. A table with coffee, water, and donuts sat against the far wall. Chairs were lined in rows beneath the fluorescent lights overhead.
Up at the head of the room, Ace stood talking to Dave, Stone, and another man whom Owen had never met. He wondered about the Secret Service when he and Jordan had arrived at the building.
Micah had called last week, and he and Jordan met Micah and Black at the coffee shop down the street. Owen just didn’t feel comfortable letting assassins know where he lived. Although they worked for Genesis and could find him, he wasn’t going to make it easy. He didn’t trust anyone but Jordan, his immediate family, and Pegasus with his boys.
Micah told them about Lucas’ death that day at the coffee shop and vowed to get vengeance. Apparently, when Lucas’ body had been discovered, it looked like an overdose.
“But he didn’t do drugs, I know he didn’t,” Micah said with his voice wobbling.
Jordan drew Micah into a hug, and the pair shared a moment for their fallen friend.
Laughter near the back table brought Owen’s attention back to the noisy meeting room.
“All right, settle down,” Ace said, his deep voice booming over the room.
A hush settled over the place along with the scraping of chairs as people took seats.
“There isn’t a person here who doesn’t know about the recent assassination attempt on the former Secretary of Defense’s life,” Ace said. “I’ll hand things over to Dave now.”
Dave stood from his chair, and Ace took a seat.
“Many of you already know or have heard of Viper, and most of you know Real,” Dave said, gesturing to a dark-haired man who Owen recalled from a brief time at the ranch. The man wore a military uniform with the breast covered in medals. Viper nodded to Dave and then lifted a hand to the group. Dave then turned and nodded to Real, who stood leaning against the wall near the front table. Owen knew Real, the man got shit done and took no prisoners. Owen was glad to call him a friend.
A quiet settled over the room as everyone waited for Dave to speak. The former SecDef had the full attention of every single person.
“Currently, we have Genesis eliminating the threat against my life. What I need to emphasize is that they can get to me through you and your loved ones. So, until the threat is completely gone, I need every single one of you to keep yourself, each other, and your families safe.”
“Why now?” Oliver asked from his spot in the front row. “Why are they trying to kill you now?”
“For one, we are growing. I have more teams than any of you know of, and with more people involved, the word is gettingout,” Dave said. “For another…” Dave sighed. “This isn’t the first attempt. It’s the only one you know of.”
Murmurs ran through the room at those words, but it made sense. And it was ludicrous to think that the former SecDef would only have one assassination attempt.
“Another thing I’m set to announce is my retirement at the end of the year. My replacement has yet to be determined.”
“Aww, man,” someone mumbled, and soon others agreed.
“I’m getting old…and I’m tired,” Dave admitted.
“Congratulations, Sir,” Oliver said and started a slow clap.
Others joined in, and soon they were cheering, and Dave smiled.
Stone, ever present, stood next to Real against the wall and was wearing a smirk.
“That’s it for now, watch your backs. Thank you for everything you do,” Dave said and resumed his seat.
