Page 78 of Brawler
But in his gut, he knew this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
The heavy glass doors sighed shut behind them. The seven of them spilled back onto the granite steps like they’d just been ejected from a fight they weren’t allowed to finish.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The air was thick with the words they hadn’t been able to say inside.
Shark dragged a hand down his face and swore under his breath. “Son of a bitch.” He yanked out his phone. “All right, boys. Time for the big guns. Our QRF’s just a phone call away.”
He hit speed dial. The line clicked, and her voice came through bright and warm.
“Hey, babe? You all right?”
“Right as rain. Flash…he’s in a coma.”
“What? Oh my God. Where? Has his family been notified already?”
“He’s in Bethesda…Walter Reed. We’re tied up. Can you?—”
“Of course. Me, Nora Cam, Astrea, and Quinn. Did Twister let Sadie know? We can be wherever you need us.”
“Sadie is deployed. We’ll tell her as soon as we can. Let them go to him. We need you…in DC.
“Oh, okay. When can I get you into?—”
“Babe…you’re on speaker.” A pause. Then a laugh.
The guys chuckled, tension bleeding off in low rumbles of amusement.
“Oops,” Maddy said, utterly unrepentant. “It’s not like they don’t know what we’ll be doing when I see you.” That got a chorus of groans and a few wolf whistles. Her tone softened, teasing. “I’m crazy about you, handsome. What can I do for you?”
Shark leaned back against the SUV, his grin sharp. “We got kicked out of the State Department.”
The line went quiet. Then her voice came back, hard enough to cut steel. “What?”
The laughter died instantly.
Maddy’s tone wasn’t playful now. It was pure Towson. Ambassador’s daughter, professor, woman who knew exactly how to wield authority. “You wait right there. I’m on my way, and I’m calling Daddy.”
The line went dead.
Brawler barked out a laugh, low and rough. “I love it that she doesn’t even ask why you got kicked out.”
Shark pocketed his phone, mouth quirking in a dangerous grin. “Naw. Maddy’s on the warpath. Believe me. Kevin Hall’s about to get an attitude adjustment.”
The team’s chuckles rolled into silence again, the anticipation heavy as a storm on the horizon.
Tex slid his sunglasses on, voice flat. “Then let’s see just how fast Washington folds when our reinforcements arrive.” They went back inside, but this time took seats in the waiting area.
They didn’t have long to wait. The lobby doors hissed open, heels clicking against marble with the rhythm of a battle drum.
Dr. Madeline Maddox, doctorate in seismology, the earthquake queen. She was about to roll through here with the shaking quality of a 9.2 on the Richter Scale. Breezy dress, feminine, but no one mistook her for soft with those eyes blazing. A half dozen staffers looked up from their phones, blinked, and straightened instinctively. She went directly to Shark, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him senseless. Brawler waited, some of the guys cleared their throats, and Tex laughed.
She lingered over his mouth for half a second, then bit her bottom lip, her eyes dancing. “Hi, Bale,” she whispered.
“Hi, whirlwind.”
She gave him a sexy little look, then turned, her eyes sharpening. Kevin Hall was in the middle of a smug recounting to security “…men like that need to understand chain of command…” when she cut across the floor, every inch of her radiating fire.
“Dr. Madeline Maddox,” she announced crisply. “I’m here on behalf of my husband.” She turned to Shark and set her hand against his arm. “Bale Maddox and their charge, Emily Shade, zoologist, researcher, and civilian contributor to national security. I want her status. Now.”
