“Doesn’t sound like bad news to me,” Hunter said, gaze blank, giving nothing away even though Sinjin knew for his buddy, it was news worth celebrating.
Gabe continued to transfer his gaze between them. “So, neither of you paid the guy a visit?”
He didn’t blame the sheriff for questioning them. Gabe knew both Sinjin and Hunter were capable of making a death look like an accident or natural causes. And even though that was exactly what he was supposed to do if given the green light, he could actually answer the sheriff honestly.
“Nope,” he replied.
“No one visited the scum except the Grim Reaper.” Hunter grunted, eyeing Christa and her son. “Bastard got off easy. But I’m glad they don’t have to worry about him anymore.”
Gabe nodded, cupping Hunter’s shoulder. “Amen.”
Then he gave Sinjin a single head bob and walked back to the grill.
His stomach hollowed out as he tried to digest news.
“Maybe you’ll be able to travel to jobs from here,” Hunter said, knowing what was going through Sinjin’s head.
Ackerman’s death affected Sinjin’s stay in Harland. The colonel had sent him here to help Hunter with Ackerman and then ordered him to stay and wait until the sanction came through to take out the bastard. Now that the son-of-a-bitch had died on his own, the sanction was no longer needed, so Sinjin could be pulled anytime now.
His gaze sought and lingered on Isla, his heart warming and squeezing at the same time as he watched her laughing. As if sensing his contemplation, she glanced at him.
The vibration of his phone in his pocket interrupted his pulse.
That was fast.
He knew who it was without looking.
As he pulled out his phone, Hunter slapped him on the back and wandered toward his family, no doubt to share the news with Christa.
“Hello, Colonel,” Sinjin said into his phone.
“I’ve got some news for you.”
He nodded as if his boss could see him. “Ackerman is dead.”
“Yeah, the bastard got off easy,” Colonel said.
A smile twitched Sinjin’s lip, hearing the man repeat Hunter’s sentiments.
“So that prompted me to submit my resignation,” his boss stated with a grumble.
Sinjin clamped his jaw tight to keep his shock inside. The Colonel was a military man, through and through. He swore the guy was born wearing a set of camos.
“Damn pencil pushers pussyfooting around. I’m tired of having to wait. That was one time too many. I’m getting too old.” The colonel sighed. “It’s time to hang it up. I’m pulling the plug on the unit. So, you have a choice, son. You can either stay in the game, and I’ll get you hooked up with another team, or you can quietly disappear into the shadows like Hunter. Your choice.”
Holy shit.
Sinjin blinked, his heart rocking hard in his chest. The colonel was giving him an out?
A few months ago, he’d have immediately requested the transfer, but now? His gaze moved back to Isla, who was walking toward him, that smile still on her face.
“Think I’m going to make my temporary job a permanent one, sir.”
A chuckle sounded in his ear. “Thought you might. Good luck, son. Don’t keep in touch.”
With that, the line went dead, and Sinjin shoved his phone into his pocket just as Mac and Holden arrived, followed by his surprise.
He led Isla over to the table where the women unveiled their creation. Isla’s hands flew to her mouth, and she sucked in a breath through her shaking fingers.
