Page 12 of After 5
Brodie normally chased the Cracky Clan, three Irish brothers and a couple of female cousins. The Crackys never did much damage. They liked to steal things. I had a sneaky suspicion Brodie and the Crackys drank beer together at the pub during the off cycle.
Jake entered, sat down next to me, and started clicking around on his laptop. He paused and waved a hand in the air. “Give me a second. I need to get some information in the system.”
“Is Campy OK?” I asked him.
“Be here in a minute.” Jake focused on his screen as he answered.
A few minutes later, Ace entered, followed by Campy. A round of fist bumps congratulated Campy on his capture. Ace sat down next to me as Campy circled the room, accepting praise from his peers.
Campy was Caiyan’s nephew, and the resemblance made my heart ache. He had his uncle’s sly grin and quick wit but lacked the manipulation and con skills in which Caiyan excelled. I hoped Campy never found the twisted talents Caiyan perfected, but a seasoned defender needed a few lifesaving skills.
I held my fist up for a bump of congratulations, but Campy leaned down and wrapped his arms around me from behind—despite the rule of no contact between travelers or staff while on base. He squeezed me in one of his warm hugs, and I inhaled his fresh, earthy scent.
“Congrats,” I said. He released me from his bear hug and snagged one of my donut holes. He sat down on the other side of Ace. His green eyes lit up as he leaned in and spoke to me.
“Can ye believe I got him on the first try?” His accent held a blend of Scottish and British. Campy grew up in England with his Scottish mother, Caiyan’s sister. His father was in the wind. He spent some time with their aunt Itty in Florida, but in the last few years, the teen had turned into a handsome man.
I sent him a warm smile.
“You should have seen him,” Ace babbled. “He jumped the brigand like a pro, caught him red-handed, and then took him to the ground.” Ace dabbed at his eyes with the donut napkin.
“Who are you, his mother?” Gerry asked Ace.
“I can be proud of him.”
“Don’t forget who gave you the intel on that one,” Brodie said to Campy.
“I appreciate it, dude,” Campy said.
“Yes, and don’t forget who gave YOU the tip,” Tina said to Brodie, her eyes lifting from her phone for a brief second to make her point.
“Did you hear the news?” Ace paused for attention. “Campy has been moved to our team. The little devil.” Ace gave six foot two Campy a tweak on his dimpled cheek.
I raised an eyebrow at Jake. He stopped typing and huffed. “That was classified, Ace.”
“Oopsy,” Ace said, placing his fingers against his lips. “My bad.”
“What gives? When Caiyan returns we’ll have a large team.” I glanced at Campy, “Not that I don’t want you on our team, but we only have three transporters.” I envisioned having to wait at the WTF until a defender summoned me. Transporting for more than one defender was always a challenge. My goal of being the wingman to my defender was hindered by a transportation issue.
“When are you going to get a clue, cupcake?” Gerry frowned at me. “Your Scottish backstabber has left us high and dry to go work for the bad guys. He’s probably stolen more booty in a moon cycle than I’ll have in a lifetime. He’s rolling in the dough.”
“No, he’s undercover.” I glared at Gerry. “He left for our safety.”
“Yeah, Uncle Cai would never sell us out,” Campy added, and I welcomed the support.
Gerry huffed. “He’s probably told the Mafusos of our secret location and they’re waiting for the right time to infiltrate us.”
“Gerry, put a sock in it, ya wee nit,” Brodie shouted from down the table.
“Are you making fun of my size? I’d like to file a form 436s for discrimination against the vertically challenged.”
Ace huffed. “If anyone’s going to make a report of discrimination, it should be Jen and me.” Ace gestured to me and then to himself. “The way you speak to us…it’s disgusting.”
The brawl escalated from name calling to gestures across the table.
Jake stopped typing. “Enough.”
Gerry shrugged, and Ace stuck his tongue out at the dwarf. Yep, we were one step up from a preschool.
