Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68369 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68369 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
“Glad to hear it.” James gave my shoulder a squeeze before heading over to Mary and Willow.
Ryan instructed everyone to go through the library and then up the hallway with a bunch of doors, aka the operators’ units.
Darius knitted his brows. “I think I remember,” he replied slowly. “I spent fifteen years here.”
Ryan was quick with a retort. “Well, excuse me. I wasn’t sure if your memory was selective too, or if it’s just your brotherly support.”
“Just the latter.” With that, Darius walked off.
Okay, this family was wild.
Ryan put his arm around my shoulders again and kept his voice down. “Okay, so. Welcome to the family, Leighton. I hope you can lie well.”
I furrowed my brow.
“When Darius became an operator here, he was initially fairly honest about the nature of his work,” he revealed. “He figured it was no different from what I did in the Marines—and later what Jake did in the Army. And he was right, to a degree. But Ma was worried sick about us already, so of course she worried about Darius too.”
Made sense.
“He toned shit down over the years,” he continued, letting his arm fall to his side. “Nearing the end of his career, he was—according to our folks—just a security guard escorting officials in and out of the country. Absolutely no combat, zero danger.”
Oh. “But James just caught you in that lie.”
“It happens. Maybe you’ll be a good liar, like Willow. Our folks have no idea she’s a free agent with Hillcroft—and it’s going to stay that way.”
“Roger.” I nodded quickly, hearing him loud and clear. “It’s only to prevent Mary and James from worrying?”
He tipped his head, weighing his answer. “That, and to get them off our backs. If Ma finds out you’re training to become the same operator Darius once was, you’ll never hear the end of it. Pop’s easier.”
Okay, then. Logistics coordinator. Got it.
“Understood,” I said. “How bad of a liar are you?”
“Technically, I’m not a bad liar. I’m just lazy in my old age.”
I grinned to myself.
We caught up to the others by the time they were halfway through the hall of dorms, and I opened up the door to my room for Mary and Willow.
“Take your time, baby girl,” Ryan said.
I wasn’t sure Willow heard. She was practically shaking as Mary guided her into my room.
“Is she gonna be okay?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah. Eventually. We knew this was gonna be hard.” Ryan gestured for us to continue down the hall, and I made a mental note to find out how this could be avoided in the future. Or at least, minimized…? I didn’t want her to suffer because of me. “So, are you and Beckett official?”
I glanced over at him, surprised by his question, until he nodded up the hall.
I followed his gaze. Oh—thank fuck. Bo was here already. And the fucker wasn’t in his wheelchair. He stood in the operators’ rec room with a damn crutch, and he was shaking hands with Darius.
That wasn’t enough. Nurse Tina had said he’d need the chair for at least a few days, unless he was taking his super-short strolls, in which case, he’d use the crutch. What Doc really wanted was for Bo to be confined to the chair for longer and do his exercises on a treadmill with handlebars, but he’d muttered something about all operators being too fucking stubborn.
“Um, yeah,” I answered absently.
I frowned as Bo spotted me, and that seemed to confuse him.
A few more feet, and then we were there.
“This is not a short stroll,” I told him. “You were supposed to use your chair.”
He put his arm around me. “The chair and I had an argument.”
Uh-huh. Doc was right. Way too fucking stubborn.
“How are you?” He smiled down at me.
“Not as nervous now as I was ten minutes ago,” I admitted. Realizing Gray, James, and Darius were watching me, I decided to run introductions. Although, Darius and Bo clearly knew each other already. “So, this is Operator Beckett. Or Bo. He used to be my instructor, but then I convinced him to date me instead.”
James was first to extend his hand. “Nice to meet you. What kind of trainin’ do recruits need to become delivery guys at this place?”
Oh shit!
“Logistics coordinator,” Ryan corrected, exchanging a look with Bo.
“Nice to meet you too, sir.” Bo used his good hand to greet James. “Well, to make a long story short, it’s mostly about knowing your vehicles, learning the basics of mechanics, putting together an operator’s itinerary, arranging for layovers and whatnot, and studying various destinations. Our drivers need to get from point A to point B without traffic causing delays and so on. Which—if you’re in charge of getting eight operators to the airport in fifteen minutes—ain’t easy. But don’t let the cuts and bruises on his pretty face worry ya. He’s doing the same drills as many of our regular recruits.”