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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SportsCenter played on the big screen, and Bishop’s head pounded. He buried his face in his arms as Locke sat two chairs over and swiveled in the chair, tossing a baseball from hand to hand. Having a few days off should have been a good vacation, except he wanted a good gig where he could shoot things or track down whoever Titan called an enemy.
Hell.Really, Bishop’s problem was Ella. Had it been the right move to let Ella leave the country without security?
Everyone agreed she would be fine. Completely off the grid. No one but her family, the FBI, Jared, Rocco, Locke, and himself knew where she was. Her “team” had a rough idea of when she would be back, and the more Bishop thought about her team, the more he decided they stunk like dead fish on a hot day.
The war room door opened, and he propped his chin on his forearm as Nicola walked in. He hadn’t seen her much since the bathroom incident, but the short-term encounters they’d had in briefings had been quick-witted and smart as hell. He liked how she could assess situational data as well as she could read a team dynamic. “Hey, Nic.”
“Nicola.” Locke stopped bobbing in his chair and threw the baseball to her.
She caught it, tossing it to Bishop. “You two are cordially invited to Mia Winters’s tonight.”
He caught the ball, lofting it to Locke.
Locke palmed it and went back to the hand to hand. “Thanks. I might have plans, though.”
Nicola smiled tersely. “Change ’em, Locke.”
Interesting because Locke didn’t say much to begin with, and Nicola made it sound as though social functions were a requirement.
“You too, Bishop. Be there.”
Locke lifted his chin, accepting the invitation for what it was, an order of sorts, and Bishop did too. Though he planned a pit stop first to check on Manny. “Titan Orientation 101 is not what I’d callnormal.”
***
Bishop stood alone in front of a large white colonial house. Colby and Mia Winters’ home was badass to the max. It had lots of land like the home Bishop had found when he settled back Stateside, but the security had been tricked out. The place was an estate, and it screamed Titan. A row of huge trucks and SUVs lined the horseshoe driveway. Music played from the back of the house, and even from the outside, he could smell deliciousness.
But he wasn’t actually alone. He just felt it, semi-wishing he knew his teammates better. That was likely the point of all this. Locke walked in step with him as they took in the place.
“Like the first day of school,” Locke muttered before he banged on the door.
New team. New places. New everything.
The door flew open, and a girl, not quite a teenager, stood with dark hair and even darker eyes. She spun with another little girl, about half her size and very blond, attached to her waist. “It’s a new guy!” yelled the dark-haired girl.
Well, all right then.
“Two of them!” corrected the blonde. “One, two. One and one is two.”
“There are kids.” Locke took a step to the side and held his hand out for Bishop to go first. “Didn’t expect that.”
He didn’t either. All right, Winters had kids. That made sense. He guessed several of the guys did. Both girls wore camo and tutus. The younger one also had on a cape. They seemed covered on all bases, no matter what imaginary apocalypse loomed.
Then another kid tore through the room.Holy crap.This one was a little boy, who seemed dangerously unsteady on his feet, wielding what Bishop was certain were toy rocket launchers.
“We should follow the smell of food coming from the kitchen,” Bishop offered.
“Roger that.”
They rounded the corner, and there was the team. Thank God for people he knew. Adults. Bishop could handle that. In addition to his coworkers were what looked like significant others… and babies. Bishop did a quick once-over, rubbing the back of his neck, and could place almost everyone. This wasn’t like his last team.
“Hey.” A familiar woman’s voice caught his attention. “If it isn’t my favorite man with the ropes.”
Bishop would know that voice anywhere, and he turned to Sugar, Jared’s wife. He’d had a tiny misstep with her when their paths had crossed before he signed on at Titan. All had worked out for the best, but not before he’d tied up Sugar—who was very pregnant at the time—with a jump rope just in case she was a Russian mobster. “Hey, you had the baby.”
“Or was I really pregnant?”