"You don't say." Mark's lips twitched, but he tactfully kept his thoughts to himself.
Walker sighed and stared down at the burger which was probably now cold. "I knew it was wrong, and I still went along with it. Collins gets most of the blame but the rest of us deserve it too. I don't know how we'll ever get around it, but maybe once we prove ourselves in the field people will quit expecting us to fuck up."
"You're not the first team to fuck up in training."
"We might be the first team to call our trainer just a bartender."
Mark winced and chuckled. "Yeah, that really wasn't your best move."
"He's now got 'just a bartender' on a sign on his desk."
Mark laughed out loud. "He sent a picture of it to Si. If nothing else, he will never forget his first team."
Walker thought being forgotten was probably one of the best things that could happen.
"Is Collins still there?" Mark asked.
"He got through the training, but he didn't make team leader."
Walker grimaced as he remembered the fallout from that discovery. None of them had told Collins he had to be delusional if he thought Mitchelson would choose him to lead their team. Personally, Walker agreed Doyle was the best pick, although Costa would have been good too.
"Well no,” Mark said, “there was no way Mitch would have put him in charge after bullying Jake. So it was either Costa or the other guy whose name I can't remember."
Walker narrowed his eyes. "You don't see me as team leader?" He wasn't sure if he was hurt or not.
Mark shook his head. "No. You're not a leader. You like taking orders." He smiled as Walker sucked in a breath. "I thought so." He leaned forward and instinctively Walker leaned toward him. "There's nothing wrong in liking to take orders as long as it's the right man giving them."
Walker's eyes opened wide. Was Mark saying what he thought he was? He didn't want to hope so but surely Mark wouldn't play him like this.
Mark leaned back in his seat, and he seemed to be wearing a satisfied smile. They were interrupted by Greg with another plate of onion rings, and Howie brought over two more beers. Walker thought he needed to slow down on drinking beer if he was going to drive back to the airport tonight. If worse came to worst, he could sleep in his car and drive in the morning.
"I never came to J.T.’s until I met Si. There's a bar just around the corner from me if I wanted a drink. Most of the time I don't bother in case I meet my clients," Mark confessed.
"I thought the whole agency drank here," Walker said somewhat sourly.
"Just the assholes," Mark chuckled.
"Being an asshole is a prerequisite for being an operative," Si said as he flung himself down in another seat at the table.
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Have you come to play nice?"
"No," Si said bluntly. "I'm bored now."
"Haven’t you got a bar to run?" Walker snapped.
It was only when they both stared at him that he realized what he'd said. Shit. How to make friends and influence people. Way to go, Walker. He really needed to get out of there before he made even more of an idiot of himself, or Si decked him. To his utter shock, Si burst out laughing and Mark joined him. He watched them laugh themselves silly, tears rolling down their faces, not sure whether he should join in or make a bolt for the door. He had almost decided on the latter when Si sat up, wiped his eyes, and fixed him with his usual scowl.
"I think I like you, Walker. Don't do anything to screw it up. He's here because he wants to fuck you senseless, Mark."
Walker's jaw dropped open. Mark wore a similar stunned expression.
"What the hell, man!" Walker's voice hit an octave he hadn’t reached since he was a teenager.
"Me?" Mark said directing his question to Si as if Walker wasn't sitting right there.
Si rolled his eyes. "Yes you, idiot. Jake says to go easy on him, he's a nice guy despite his lousy choice of teammates, and if you hurt him, he'll kill you."
"Jake said that?" Walker couldn't believe what he was hearing.
But Mark seem to be taking Jake's directions at face value. "You've got to give me a chance to process this."
Si got to his feet. "I actually do have a bar to run. You two can talk for the rest of the evening. If you go suck face do it somewhere else."
Mark made a face. "Suck face? What are you, twelve?"
Si flipped him the bird and headed to the bar, leaving Walker looking anywhere but at Mark.
Mark expelled a long breath. "Si's my friend, but fuck me, he's irritating sometimes."
Walker's chuckle was shaky, but he managed an eyebrow waggle. "Only sometimes?"
"He has his good moments."
Walker grunted. He could hardly tell Mark his friend was an annoying piece of crap.
Mark eyed him speculatively. "Still, he did cut through the small talk. Did you really fly here because you want to fuck me?"
"Yes. No."
"Which is it?"
Mark's voice was gentle, but firm. This was an order and Mark wanted the information.
Walker swallowed hard. "I wanted to talk to you."
"It's been a long time since a guy wanted to talk to me."
"I can't believe that," Walker said. "You've probably got guys lining up out the door."
Mark barked out a laugh. "I know you're new to the town, but it ain't exactly paved with gays. Most of the gay guys come here, and they're all loved up.”
"What do you do then?"
Mark shrugged. "I've been off the market for so long I've not really thought about it."
Walker's blood ran cold. "You're in a relationship?"
Why the hell hadn't Jake told him this? Why hadn't Raines?
"No. Nothing like that. Unrequited love. I thought I was in love with someone else. It wasn't returned, although I kept hoping."
The sad expression made Walker's heart melt. "I'm so sorry."
Mark huffed and forced a smile. "Me too. But I'm over it now."
Walker eyed him skeptically. "You are?"
"Let's just say I'm no longer prepared to give away the rest of my life on a lost cause."
"What happened. He's not…dead?"
Mark looked startled. "What? No! He got married. That's all."
"Who were you in love with? Not Mitch or Jake."
Even the thought of that horrified Walker. Is that why Jake sent him after Mark? To stop him pining after a lost cause?
Mark had been mid-swallow of his beer. He choked. Walker pushed back, but not in time to avoid being sprayed. Great! Now he'd fly home stinking of booze. He'd be lucky if they let him on the plane.
He waited for Mark to stop coughing. Si looked over from the bar, a scowl on his face, but Mark flapped his hand to say he was okay. Finally, Mark could breathe although his face was still beet red, and he wiped away the tears from his eyes.
"Sorry. Sorry. Jesus, no. In love with those two? Fuck no."
"Then who?" Walker stared at him, horrified. "Not Raines?"
Mark choked again. "Are you trying to kill me?"