Page 14 of Wild Card (The Trident Trilogy 3)

Mason, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 2020

Millie and Butch have barely cleared the gate to the front yard when I hear Butch’s whistle. If our radios aren’t working on a mission, we’ve developed all kinds of sounds to signal different situations. That whistle is his danger warning. Everyone on my team jumps up in unison and grabs our pistols out of our waistbands. It’s like a Pavlovian ballet.

The team looks at me for instruction. After years of leading them, it’s their first instinct. JJ looks slightly pissed, but he’s looking at me, too. I use hand signals to send Ty and JJ wide right, Bryce to the roof, and the rest to follow me to the gate. Chase and Mack fall in line like they’re still active. They’re not carrying weapons. I guess that’s a retirement thing. I wonder if I’ll ever feel comfortable without a gun strapped to my side.

Hawk goes through the gate first with me following. We hug the side of the house until we can get a good look. Butch has his gun drawn on what looks like four Feds. Butch’s other arm has Millie pinned behind his body. She’s looking at an older man standing in front of an armored vehicle.

Millie’s wriggling around—trying to loosen Butch’s grip on her. She says something I can’t hear, but I hear Butch reply, “Turn around, Mills.”

She turns around to see us spread out behind them—guns drawn. She glances up to the roof and sees Bryce sprawled out on overwatch. When I get over to them, she’s shaking her head.

“Seriously?” she says loudly. “You guys are really at a barbecue with loaded weapons?”

“Is that a weird thing?” Hawk says, taking her arm from me and dragging her back to where Chase and Mack are leaning against the fence, observing the action.

I turn around and walk toward the older man. “How can I help you?”

He looks up at me, slightly smiling. “You must be her boyfriend. I knew it wasn’t him,” he says, gesturing toward Butch.

“Again, very hurtful,” Butch says.

Millie has made her way back next to me with Mack in tow. “Mason, Dad, this is Paul Ward. He’s the director of the agency. What he’s doing here, I don’t know.”

“So you’re Mack Marsh,” Ward says, walking forward and extending his hand. “I’ve always wanted to meet the guy who caused me so much trouble.”

Mack declines his hand. “If you’re here for me, let’s get to it. I’m not much for small talk.”

Millie tries to step protectively in front of Mack. We both block her and push her behind us.

“I’m not here to see you,” Ward says, smiling. “That business is thankfully behind us. I’m here to see your daughter. We still have some unfinished business.”

“The hell you do—”

“Dad,” Millie says, trying to wedge her body between us so she can see Ward. “It’s fine. Can I please handle this?”

Ward laughs at Millie as she struggles to get in front of us. I wonder quickly how much time I’d serve for smacking the director of the CIA.

“Millie, do you always roll with this much protection?” Ward says. “You’re making my detail look bad.”

We’ve finally let Millie through us, but we each have a hand on one of her shoulders, preventing her from walking too far forward.

“What do you want? What unfinished business?” Millie says, shimming to try to get our hands off of her shoulders. It doesn’t work.

“I would like to tell you privately. Maybe we can sit in my car and talk,” Ward says, taking a step closer to her. Mack and I both pull her back.

She whips around and looks back and forth between Mack and me. “Would you stop? Please. I’m fine.”

She turns around to face Ward again. “I’ll talk to you, but first, your guys give up their weapons while we’re in the car.”

Ward’s head man walks forward, shaking his head.

“That’s fine,” Ward says, stopping the man with his hand in the air. “We’re all on the same team here.”

Millie turns around. “Hawk, Butch, take their weapons and search them.”

Hawk and Butch spring forward and start patting them down.

Mack laughs and looks over at me. “Does she always try to run your team like this?”

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