Page 29 of Parker

Brody King.

At thirty-eight, King stood at least a few inches over six feet. His short brown hair was several shades darker than Hunt’s, and a thick, well-trimmed beard covered the man’s stoic, unmoving jaw.

A set of cool, unreadable eyes stared into his, giving away nothing as the former Frogman joined the party.

“Parker Collins, this is Brody King. He’s our—”

“Lead sniper.” Parker greeted the other Delta Team member with a lift of his chin and an outstretched hand. “Cross told me all about you guys. Good to meet you.”

Told…shared intel via emailing me copies of your personnel files…same difference.

King’s bearded expression remained unreadable, his deep voice carrying with the brisk wind as he gripped Parker’s hand tightly. “Likewise.”

“In case I forget to mention it later, thank you.” He shared a look with both men. “I really appreciate the help.”

“Any friend of Charlie Team’s…” Hunt let his voice trail off. With the introductions complete, he got right down to business. “I assume you also know about the other four guys on our team, as well?”

“I do.”

“Good.” He turned and headed for the top-of-the-line Yukon. “Saves me the time of telling you.”

Parker grinned, appreciating the man’s refreshing candor almost as much as his help. “Ash said you had a safe place for us to crash tonight?”

“Yep,” Hunt confirmed. “It’s not much, but it’s clean, and there’s food in the fridge.”

“That’ll work.”

He didn’t need fancy, just a place for Jinx to rest without fear of whatever—or whoever—had her running scared.

“I’ve got the address to where your girl’s supposed to meet us.” Delta’s team leader opened his door and folded himself behind the wheel. “Store’s near Humboldt Park, which is only a few blocks from here. Barring any major traffic jam, we’ll have you there in less than fifteen.”

With that, the other man pulled his door shut as King returned to his place in the front passenger seat. Meanwhile, Parker had barely managed to conceal his slightly faltering steps.

Fifteen minutes.

As a rule, he wasn’t typically a nervous type of guy. But hearing Hunt say that…knowing he wasthisclose to meeting the woman who’d consumed his every thought…

Hell yeah, he was nervous.

As. Fuck.

And the closer he got, the harder it was to hide.

He did his best to stay focused on the small talk-driven conversation between him and the other two men. But with every mile they crossed and every block they passed… the more Parker’s symptoms worsened.

Sweaty palms. Trembling, fidgeting hands. A heart that felt like it was doing its damnedest to pound its way out of his chest. A fluttery, empty feeling swirling around inside his stomach.

Jesus, man. Get a fucking grip, already, would ya?

With a mental shake, Parker ran a hand down his face, the short stubble tickling his fingers making him wish he’d thought to shave on the jet. He glanced down at his rumpled shirt and faded jeans, adding a change of clothes to the pointless wish list.

This isn’t about you, dickhead. Jinx isn’t going to give two shits about what you’re wearing.

“So.” Hunt broke a block’s worth of silence. “Cross said you pitched in on a few of their more recent ops. That’s really cool, considering.”

“Considering?” Parker forced his attention back to the other man’s.

“Oh, I don’t mean that bad, man. Quite the opposite, in fact.” Hunt flipped his blinker and took the next left. “I just meant it would be a hell of a lot easier to just sit back and enjoy your billions without giving anyone else a second thought. But you didn’t. You volunteered your time and skills to help Cross and those guys when they needed it. Now, from what Cross passed along, it sounds like you’re doing the same for this woman you barely know. As far as I’m concerned, that makes you as much a part of the RISC family as the rest of us.”

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