Home > Chasing Daylight(7)

Chasing Daylight(7)
Author: Brittney Sahin

“You don’t think that’s taking it too far?”

A.J.’s brows rose, the movement probably hidden by the brim of his hat.

“Yeah, yeah, okay.” Chris caved before A.J. had a chance to school him on what it meant to have a sister since Chris was an only child.

A.J. removed his hat and dropped his eyes to his cowboy boots, his thoughts traveling back to the forest once again. To how real Marcus had seemed, as if he were still alive.

He’d met Marcus at college when they’d both worn crimson and white, the University of Alabama’s colors, while playing ball. They joined the Navy together after that. Different classes at BUD/S, but they managed to wind up on the same squadron. After their stint in the military, they were brought back together when Luke Scott and his sister, Jessica, recruited them to join a different kind of team, one that completed off-the-books missions the military or government agencies couldn’t or wouldn’t handle for whatever reason.

Amigos por siempre, Marcus used to say to A.J. Friends forever.

And it did end. Way too early for Marcus Vasquez.

“When was the last time you talked to Savanna?” A.J. tried to pull his thoughts away from the day he had pounded his trident into Marcus’s flag-draped casket.

“It’s been too long,” Chris answered, a look of regret in his eyes.

“I need to reach out. See how she’s doing.” Savanna was back in Birmingham. She’d remained single since becoming a widow. Surely struggling to move on from Marcus’s death.

“Yeah. Time keeps slipping by.” Chris’s eyes thinned, and his forehead tightened as if the conversation was sobering him up.

“And we have no idea how much time we’ve got.”

When it’s my time to go, it’s my time. Don’t you dare shed a tear, Marcus had said to A.J. a week before he died as if eerily knowing the future. Ve al cielo y ve a mi padre otra vez.

Your father doesn’t want you up there with him. Not anytime soon, he’d replied to Marcus’s words about joining his dad in heaven. And what makes you think you’ll go before me, brother?

“What brought on the question about Savanna? Coming back home and seeing everyone?” Chris asked.

A.J. tore his head out of the past. “Something like that.” He swallowed the lump the size of the Talladega National Forest down his throat. “Can you call Harper about Vegas after you dry off?”

Harper worked with the teams, in a similar capacity as Jessica, handling most of the intelligence and investigative components of their operations. The two women were the best of the best at what they did, and A.J. wouldn’t spin up without their intel backing the missions.

“I’ll go call her now. I’m not too worried about interrupting a Saturday-night date.” Chris secured the towel that started to slip. “Harper is holding out for a certain someone. Same as you.” He slapped A.J.’s chest and walked away.

A.J. focused on Roman in the pool. Maybe Roman would work up the nerve to ask Harper out someday. It’d taken Asher, Bravo Three, nearly losing Jessica to get his head out of his ass and share his feelings. But Jessica was the more stubborn one when it came to their relationship—and now they had twins.

A.J. supposed anything was possible.

Seeing ghosts, for example.

Calling Ana for a date . . .?

“I think I’ve had enough of this BUD/S drown-proofing or whatever your buddies said they were having me do,” Brian griped once out of the pool and did an about-face as if mocking those who served. Or maybe he really was just that stiff and uptight. “Not sure what family I’m marrying into. Does Ella have any idea the kind of hell you all planned on putting me through today?” Brian snatched a crimson red towel off the lounge chair. “Not sure if it’s worth this.”

A.J. puffed out his chest and stabbed a finger in the air, unable to hold back. “I reckon you better go unfuck yourself right now, then come back over here and decide if you want to take back those words.”

“I didn’t mean it’s not worth marrying Ella. Damn, man.” Brian scowled. “I think it’s you who needs to—” Brian dropped his words as if sensing he was on the verge of getting decked by a man whose job it was to take down bad guys, and as far as A.J. was concerned, Brian was ranking high up on that list right now. “Nothing happened in Vegas,” he shot out before retreating into Caleb’s house, probably to change and cool off.

Maybe I need a moment to calm down, too?

A.J. pivoted to see Chris exiting the house, work phone in hand. Did he already have news about Brian from Harper? The woman was a goddess behind the keyboard, but that’d be pretty fast.

“Don’t say it. Don’t even say it,” Wyatt called out as he hoisted himself out of the pool.

“Just talked to Harper,” Chris announced, a nervous grin on his face.

“I’m guessing it wasn’t about Vegas,” A.J. said on a sigh.

“You bloody jinxed us, didn’t you?” Wyatt scoffed as he joined them, water dripping off his body.

“Time to sober up, boys. We gotta get to the airport in Birmingham.” Chris sounded like a kid who’d just been told summer vacation was canceled. Since when was he ever anything but ready, willing, and excited to spin up?

And then A.J. followed Chris’s line of sight to Rory, who was standing in the glow of the fire talking animatedly to Caleb now. A.J. shook his head but kept his mouth shut. Another one bites the dust.

“Shit, if I don’t make it to my wedding on time . . .” Wyatt growled out while grabbing a towel and drying off, Finn and Roman quickly doing the same.

“Our ops rarely take a month,” Chris said with an upbeat tone that had A.J. cringing as he glanced at Wyatt. Echo Three grimaced as the significance of his words hit him. “Aww, fuuudge,” he said as if Bravo Four’s daughter was around, and he was trying to watch his sailor’s mouth. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“I think we need to throw your arse into the pool,” Wyatt said, only half-kidding. “Hey, A.J., is there a swamp around here?”

“You got gators down here, don’t ya?” Finn grinned.

“A few here and there have made their way to our neck of the woods.” A.J. peered at Chris.

“So, anyway. D.C., at least we’re heading toward your fiancée.” Chris’s smile broadened as he focused on Wyatt. “You know, bright side.”

“Seriously, brother.” Wyatt waved a finger in Chris’s direction with one eye closed as if prepping to snipe him, but he was struggling to keep a straight face because, well, Echo Three had a habit of making all the guys laugh. And as far as A.J. was concerned, that was a good thing. He’d take humor any day over the wicked darkness that threatened to spring up on them from time to time.

“I guess my brothers and Jesse will need to wrap up Brian’s interrogation,” A.J. said, disappointed he’d have to leave home so soon after just getting there. Plus, part of him felt like he was leaving Marcus behind, too.

“Maybe Rory should give us a lift to Birmingham since we’re all too drunk to drive,” Chris suggested.

“We can Uber it.” Wyatt rolled his eyes at Chris’s lame attempt to spend more time with Rory.

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