Page 184 of Rival Hero

Mia snickers beside me, then attempts to disguise it as a cough.

My cheek twitches, and I try to suppress a smile. “I suppose all our names are in there.”

“Have you always been as sharp as a sack full of soup, or is this a new thing?” he barks out.

More laughs echo around the table, including my own.

Once the laughter dries up, the others lean closer, angling to see what’s written on the notebook. Boss indulges them, picking up the notebook and standing it on end, facing away from him.

In big, bold black print are four words.

Big Al’s Shit List.

He opens it to the first page, and sure enough, all our names are listed. At the top of the list, he printedOne Strike.

Never one to miss an opportunity to lighten the mood, Shep objects, “Boss, you missed someone.”

Boss levels a glare at him. “Well, I’m not putting Lionheart on there. He was as shocked about the mutiny as I was.” He tips his head to the man seated at the right hand of the father. “Should I call Kri and tell her you’re throwing her under the bus, or will a text suffice?”

Shep crosses his arms and rolls his lips into a pout. “I meant Chuck.”

Mia tenses beside me and snaps, “Stop calling him that.”

Shep lifts his hands out in front of him. “Easy, Ghost. He’s earned the moniker through years of being a buzzkill.”

Lionheart’s brows furrow, and he shifts forward with his elbows on the table. “Mia, soldiers do this sort of thing. Tomer knows we’re playing.”

“Does he, Leo?” She cuts her glare at him. “Have you ever asked him? Or bothered to get to know him?”

Leo’s huge frame shrinks.

“All right. Enough,” Boss interjects, then scribbles Tomer’s name onto the list.

All faces whip toward him, except Mia’s. She’s returned to shooting murder eyes at Shep, clearly agitated by the Tomer hate. I do my best to muzzle the now familiar green monster, remembering her reassurances that he’s not a threat to what she and I have.

My feelings for her grow stronger as the hours tick by. Part of me wonders if my Redleg brothers fell this hard and fast for their women. Sawyer certainly went ass over tits for Sammy more than a decade ago, and Shep was gaga for Kri from the night she stitched his neck when he was shot. My eyes fall to Leo, and I recall how protective he was of Sue on the Amos stalker job. I have my answer.

When it’s real, you just know.

My heart stutters, and my windpipe swells. I sneak my hand under the table to find Mia’s thigh. A second later, her smooth palm rests on it, instantly steadying my pulse.

“Is Tomer joining by phone?” Mia asks Boss.

His jaw clicks. “No.He wants the week off. Can you and Klein hold down the shop without him?”

A chorus of gasps and whispered words reverberate around the room.

“A whole week?” Jonesy sputters. “Damn, man. That girl must be something else. She’s got him in a choke hold.”

Leo strokes his beard. “Clearly.”

Big Al’s eyes shift between Mia and me. “Can you?”

“Yes, Boss. We’ll be fine,” I respond confidently. “Not a problem.”

He nods, inhaling powerfully through his nose. “Okay, so let’s get this over with.” He scans my peers, ensuring everyone is paying attention. “First things first. I don’t want to ever see an op like that carried out in secret a-fucking-gain. Period. It will be instant termination for everyone involved. No questions asked. I don’t give a flying fuck what the reasons are. It cannot and will not happen again.”

He pauses, letting the words sink in.

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