How could he? Some days, hope was the only thing they had left, and in times like these, they had to cling to the lifelines that sustained them. That kept them going. Kept them fighting. Kept them putting one foot in front of the other when everything felt broken. Impossible. Out of reach.
“We’ll get him back,” he repeated, softer now. Not a promise he could make, but a belief he felt compelled to hang on to. Tak had saved all their lives. The JTT couldn’t walk away from him—he couldn’t walk away from him.
“I’m not sure that’s true anymore,” Chase mumbled as they parted. “If he’s chipped, getting him back might be impossible, and if he isn’t…then he’s chosen his side. Either way…” his voice cracked as his words trailed off, the reality of the situation hanging heavy between them.
“What does Mutt think?” Tak’s uncle had been trailing Jonas Johnson on the campaign trail for months, keeping tabs on the traitor while looking for any signs of his nephew. So far—nothing. No sightings of Tak anywhere near Johnson’s circle.
“He doesn’t know what to think, but as long as Tak’s alive, he won’t give up on him.”
“Then neither will we.” This time, he clapped Chase on the shoulder, a show of unity they both needed to make it another day. And another. And another. Until come what may, they had the answers they needed to move on with their lives, with or without the man who’d sacrificed himself for their freedom.
“You know that kind of blind faith will probably get us both killed someday, right?”
“Yep.” Grant snorted. “Worth it, though.”
Chase huffed out a laugh, rough and tired. “Well, I suppose if we’re both dead, Gray can’t come after one of us with a snow globe.”
“That’s true.” Grant smiled, a full, bright, heartfelt grin that lit up his face and spread to Chase’s. “You gotta stop buying our girl so many deadly weapons, man. She’s got enough shitty plastic water domes to bash in both our skulls now.”
“Fuck, you have to admit, it’d be a hell of a way to die.”
Grant snorted again and hitched his chin at the bag Chase had dropped a few feet from where they stood. “You ready to head out?”
“Yeah, we’re gonna roll as soon as Gray drags her ass out of bed and gets dressed.”
“Well, you take care of her.” Grant retrieved the duffel from the floor and offered it to Chase.
“You’ll be here when we get back?” he asked, shouldering the load.
“Where else would I be?”
Their eyes met. Yeah, Chase had his number. He’d be here when they got back because he had to be. He may not be part of the mission to capture Maya and retrieve the kill switch, but when the rest of the team went out into the field, it’d fall on him to ensure the ones left behind stayed safe.
After that? After the threat of Dominion and the Imperium Council had been neutralized. Once they knew what Tak’s future held. Who knew where his path lay?
“You know I don’t want you to go, right?”
Grant nodded.
“And if you decide to leave, Gray will be devastated.”
He nodded again. Because fuck him. His lungs had constricted to the point of cutting off his air supply. Did he want to leave them? The team? The people he’d come to think of as family? No. Never. Could he live the rest of his life watching over the woman he loved from the sidelines, always wanting and never having…
Also, a hard no. And it wasn’t fucking fair to ask him to.
“So,” Chase said, hitching his bag higher. “What’s up with the razor burn?”
Grant grinned despite the reality of having some difficult decisions to make in the not-too-distant future. “Madelyn’s idea.” He ran a hand over his mouth and down his smooth chin.
“She’s a spitfire. I like her.”
“Me too,” he admitted, ignoring the unwarranted hit of guilt socking him in the spleen. He had no reason to feel bad about liking Madelyn, or any other woman for that matter.
“Well, I should go start the preflight inspection before Gray comes down.” Chase hitched his head toward the end of the hall. “Do me a favor and knock on our door on your way by.”
“And wake the beast?” He faked a shudder. “I thought you said we were best friends?”
“I never said that.” His grin a blinding denial, Chase turned and walked away, but a couple of doors down, he called out, “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone, or there’ll be hell to pay when I get back.”
