Leaning back in his chair, Jay swept his gaze over the assorted debris scattered around his computers, running who the hell knew how many programs. “It’s been a while,” he replied, lifting his tumbler and tapping the rim to Jamie’s.
His ass parked against the edge of the desk, he shifted his weight off his sore knee, the ice in his glass clinking as he took a swig. It was late. They’d spent the last several hours in the boardroom with the rest of the JTT, planning their next move and devising a strategy to find and retrieve Jay’s ex-girlfriend.
And while he wanted to haul ass and get up to his room where Summer should be sleeping—naked—he needed to settle a few things with his best friend first.
“Heard about Summer,” Jay said before downing his drink on a oner and reaching for the half-empty bottle of Flor de Caña to refill his glass. “I knew she was tough, but I swear, I had no idea she could pump a set of balls full of lead without batting an eyelash.”
Jamie grinned. “It’s not the type of skill you’d expect a tiny blond-haired, blue-eyed nanny to have.”
“True that,” Jay replied, setting the bottle back down and swirling the amber liquid in his glass without lifting it from the desk. “But Summer’s special.”
“Yes, she is.”
“I’m happy for you.” Jay didn’t elaborate. He didn’t need to. Anyone with eyes and an ounce of sense could see Jamie had fallen fast and hard for Summer. Halia too. They were a family. A unit. Team Snow. And there wasn’t a man or woman here who’d dispute it.
“Listen, I need to—” they said simultaneously, followed by an in-sync, “You first.”
Jamie snorted. “We’ve been shacked up together for too long, Mann.”
“Oh, no!” Jay said with false alarm, his hand slapping over his heart. “Are you breaking up with me? I thought we had something special, Doc. Truly, I’m crushed.”
“Shut up, fucknut.” He finished his drink and set his glass next to the full one.
“Listen, about Johnson—”
“It’s not your fault,” Jamie said, cutting off the confession of guilt before Jay could get it out. “Boston, Kosamina, the VP—none of that shit isyourfault.”
“But Dominion…”
Jamie shook his head. “It was a school project, Jay. Every team had the same assignment. You said it yourself; Dominion was an exercise in theory. You didn’t know it would be successful, much less used to wipe out democracy on a global fucking scale. That’s on your MIT professor, Diane Heughan, and the federal agencies that are supposed to be keeping this country safe. You may have had a hand in creating the virus, but you didn’t unleash it. They did.”
“You almost died, Jamie.”
“Not your fault, asshole.”
“But Kosamina…”
“Also, not your fault. If you think telling us about Becca sooner would have changed things, you’re wrong. We didn’t know about Dominion or Imperium or how all of this tied together with Johnson until three days ago. None of this is on you. So stop beating yourself up over it, and eat some fucking vegetables. The sugary cereal is turning your brain into mush.”
“Is that your official medical diagnosis?” Jay huffed, his black eyes holding steady under Jamie’s bossy stare.
“Don’t make me beat your nutrient-deficient ass. Eat a salad, take a fucking shower, then go lie down for a ninety-minute snooze—minimum.” He pushed off the desk and stood to his full height, glaring down at his best friend. “I’m serious. We need Becca, and she needs you. We’re gonna find her, and then we’ll get her back. To make that happen, we need your big brain functioning at full capacity.”
If Jamie thought he could get Jay to shut down for longer than an hour and a half, he’d do it. But his gut instincts told him finding Becca and bringing her to Montana was about more than the threat of Dominion hanging over their heads.
Jay had unfinished business with his ex-girlfriend.
And yeah, he got it. He really did. The clock was ticking, winding down to a global disaster that would leave no corner of the planet untouched. If ever there was a time to say the things they held in their hearts, it was right fucking now.
Speaking of which…
“By the way.” He cleared his throat as Jay stood, clearing it again when the sudden lump clogging his airway proved to be resistant. “I wanted to thank you.”
Jay’s head reared back. “What the fuck for?”
“For Halia, for Summer, for Managua. You knew me. Better than I knew myself. You saved my life. You gave me my family. And I’m so fucking grateful.”
“You know Kosamina wasn’t your fault either. Right?”
